Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #133 :: February 8•14

Universal Pictures

It’s another big week for new film releases, and this week we have several Oscar and Golden Globes nominees and winners, the film debut of a stage actress who would go on to become most known for portraying a maid on a TV sitcom, Mae West ‘discovering’ Cary Grant, Buster Keaton’s feature film swan song, an early Best Picture winner with ‘questionable’ dialogue, a Hitchcock film, a film that introduced the world to reggae music, another teaming of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, Ash vs the Medieval Dead, Bill Murray stuck in a loop, two Nic cages for the price of one, a misguided attempt to bring a Marvel superhero to the big screen, and Melissa McCarthy pretending to be Jason Bateman. These and many more celebrate milestones this week, so read on and tell us if your favorites are on the list!

1923

February 8 – The Einstein Theory of Relativity (USA, animated short)

Director: Dave Fleischer
Production Company: Fleischer Studios
Trivia: Two versions of the film are purported to exist, the short two-reeler for theatrical exhibition, and a longer five-reel version for educational use. Very few prints exist with only a few 16mm copies available from specialized film preservation organizations.

February 9 – The Love Letter (USA)

Cast: Gladys Walton, Fontaine La Rue, George Cooper, Edward Hearn, Walt Whitman, Alberta Lee, Lucy Donahue
Director: King Baggot
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film is presumed lost.

February 11 – Adam and Eva (USA)

Cast: Marion Davies, T. Roy Barnes, Tom Lewis, William Norris, Percy Ames, Leon Gordon, Luella Gear, William B. Davidson
Director: Robert G. Vignola
Production Company: Cosmopolitan Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the play by Guy Bolton and George Middleton. Only the fifth reel of the film survives and is held by the Library of Congress.

February 11 – Driven (USA)

Cast: Emily Fitzroy, Burr McIntosh, Charles Emmett Mack, George Bancroft, Fred Koser, Ernest Chandler, Leslie Stowe, Elinor Fair
Director: Charles Brabin
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from ‘The Flower of the Flock’, a short story by Jay Gelzer. The film is presumed lost.

February 11 – Jailed and Bailed (USA, short)

Cast: James Parrott, Jobyna Ralston, Eddie Baker, Wally Howe, Sam Lufkin, Lincoln Stedman
Director: J.A. Howe
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Pathé Exchange
Trivia: The film survives and was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and was broadcast on Turner Classic Movies on October 12, 2014.

February 11 – Romance Land (USA)

Cast: Tom Mix, Barbara Bedford, Frank Brownlee, George Webb, Pat Chrisman, Wynn Mace
Director: Edward Sedgwick
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Based on the story ‘The Gun-Fanner’ by Kenneth Perkins. A complete copy of the film exists and is held in a film archive.

February 12 – Jazzmania (USA)

Cast: Mae Murray, Rod La Rocque, Robert Frazer, Edmund Burns, Jean Hersholt, Lionel Belmore, Edith Bostwick, Wilfred Lucas, J. Herbert Frank, Carl Harbaugh
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Production Company: Tiffany Pictures, distributed by Metro Pictures
Trivia: Mae Murray wears some of the most provocative attire seen in a film up to that time. A print of the film is held by the George Eastman House.

February 12 – Joan of Newark (USA, short)

Cast: Reginald Denny, Hayden Stevenson, Elinor Field
Director: Harry A. Pollard
Production Company: Universal Jewel, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Twelfth episode in the first ‘Leather Pushers’ series of two-reel boxing shorts.

February 12 – Mighty Lak’ a Rose (USA)

Cast: James Rennie, Sam Hardy, Anders Randolf, Harry Short, Dorothy Mackaill, Helene Montrose, Paul Panzer, Dora Mills Adams
Director: Edwin Carewe
Production Company: Edwin Carewe Productions, distributed by Associated First National Pictures
Trivia: The film is considered lost.

February 12 – Oil’s Well (USA, short)

Cast: Monty Banks, Robert Gray, Jeffrey Osborne, Ena Gregory, Mark Hamilton
Director: Mark Goldaine
Production Company: Monty Banks Productions Inc., distributed by Federated Film Exchanges of America

February 12 – When Knights Were Cold (USA, short)

Cast: Stan Laurel, Mae Laurel, Catherine Bennett, Scotty MacGregor, Billy Armstrong, Will Bovis, Stanhope Wheatcroft
Director: Frank Fouce
Production Company: Quality Film Productions, distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation
Trivia: Only one reel of the film is known to exist.

February 13 – A Waggin’ Tale (USA, short)

Cast: Carter DeHaven, Flora Parker DeHaven, Charles Force, May Wallace
Director: Carter DeHaven
Production Company: Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation, distributed by Film Booking Offices of America

1933

February 8 – Bone Crushers (USA, documentary short)

Narrator: Paul Gerard Smith
Director: Ward Wing
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

February 8 – Hunting Trouble (USA, short)

Cast: Louise Fazenda, Walter Catlett, Charles Coleman, Louise Beavers
Director: James W. Horne
Production Company: Universal Pictures

February 9 – She Done Him Wrong (USA)

Paramount Pictures

Cast: Mae West, Cary Grant, Owen Moore, Gilbert Roland, Noah Beery Sr., David Landau, Rafaela Ottiano, Dewey Robinson, Rochelle Hudson, Tammany Young
Director: Lowell Sherman
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Adapted from the successful 1928 Broadway play Diamond Lil by Mae West. The Hays Code would not allow the play to be referred to in any publicity for the film, and refused to allow the title to contain any variation of the word ‘diamond’. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Edith Head designed the costumes. Though he had appeared in Blonde Venus and Madame Butterfly, West claimed to have discovered Cary Grant for the film. West personally cast Louise Beavers, making it a point to work with Black actors to help break racial discrimination in entertainment.

February 10 – Opening Night (USA, short)

Production Company: Van Beuren Studios, distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The film begins with Santa Claus blessing the New RKO Roxy Theatre on its opening night, which took place on December 29, 1932.

February 10 – State Fair (USA)

Cast: Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, Lew Ayres, Sally Eilers, Norman Foster, Louise Dresser, Frank Craven, Victor Jory
Director: Henry King
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Based on the bestselling 1932 novel by Phil Stong. This is the first of three versions of the filmed story, and the only non-musical. Nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2014.

February 10 – State Trooper (USA)

Cast: Regis Toomey, Evalyn Knapp, Barbara Weeks, Raymond Hatton, Matthew Betz, Edwin Maxwell, Walter McGrail, Lew Kelly, Eddy Chandler
Director: D. Ross Lederman
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

February 10 – The Sign of the Cross (USA)

Cast: Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton, Ian Keith, Arthur Hohl, Harry Beresford, Tommy Conlon, Ferdinand Gottschalk
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the original 1895 play by English playwright Wilson Barrett. Received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. Filmed during the Great Depression, sets were reused from DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1923) to save money. DeMille also hired out-of-work actors as extras for crowd scenes. Many scenes of gladiatorial combat and a ‘lesbian dance’ were edited out for rereleases after the Production Code went into effect. DeMille filmed new segments in 1944 to include a World War II setting to bookend the film. For years this was the only version available. With the assistance of the DeMille estate and the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the original 125 minute cut has been restored. The Catholic Church’s reaction to the film’s content, and that of Ann Vickers, helped lead to the formation of the Catholic Legion of Decency, an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content, from the point of view of the Church, in motion pictures.

February 10 – Too Many Highballs (USA, short)

Cast: Lloyd Hamilton, Marjorie Beebe, Tom Dugan, Aggie Herring, Bud Jamison
Director: Clyde Bruckman
Production Company: Mack Sennett Comedies, distributed by Paramount Pictures

February 10 – Treason (USA)

Cast: Buck Jones, Shirley Grey, Robert Ellis, Ivor McFadden, Edward LeSaint, Frank Lackteen, T.C. Jack, Charles Brinley, Charles Hill Mailes
Director: George B. Seitz
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

February 10 – What! No Beer? (USA)

Cast: Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, Roscoe Ates, Phyllis Barry, John Miljan, Henry Armetta, Edward Brophy
Director: Edward Sedgwick
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film turned out to be Buster Keaton’s last feature for MGM, and his last starring role in a US film. He then starred in 26 shorts and appeared in featured roles after 1941.

February 11 – Child of Manhattan (USA)

Cast: Nancy Carroll, John Boles, Buck Jones, Jessie Ralph, Clara Blandick, Luis Alberni, Warburton Gamble, Jane Darwell, Garry Owen, Betty Grable, Nat Pendleton
Director: Edward Buzzell
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based on the play Child of Manhattan by Preston Sturges. Neil Hamilton played the role of Paul for two weeks, then was replaced with John Boles.

February 11 – Diggers in Blighty (Australia)

Cast: Pat Hanna, Joe Valli, George Moon, Norman French, John D’Arcy, Prudence Irving, Thelma Scott
Director: Pat Hanna
Production Company: Pat Hanna Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures Proprietary

February 11 – Employees’ Entrance (USA)

Cast: Warren William, Loretta Young, Wallace Ford, Alice White, Hale Hamilton, Albert Gran, Marjorie Gateson, Ruth Donnelly, Frank Reicher, Charles Sellon
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Production Company: First National Pictures
Trivia: Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2019. Hale Hamilton had been cast in the lead but was replaced with Warren William and recast in a smaller role.

February 11 – Harmony Row (Australia)

Cast: George Wallace, Phyllis Baker, Marshall Crosby, John Dobbie, Bill Kerr
Director: F. W. Thring
Production Company: Efftee Film Productions, Universal Pictures
Trivia: Film debut of Bill Kerr. The full version of the film includes a haunted house scene, but some versions cut the scene and replaced it with the character George arresting a high society gentleman, mistakenly thinking he’s a thief.

February 12 – Cavalcade (Canada)

Cast: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O’Connor, Herbert Mundin, Beryl Mercer, Irene Browne, Tempe Pigott, Merle Tottenham, Frank Lawton, Ursula Jeans, Margaret Lindsay, John Warburton, Billy Bevan
Director: Frank Lloyd
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Opened in the UK on February 20, and in the US on April 15. Based on the 1931 play of the same title by Noël Coward. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Art Direction. Diana Wynyard was nominated for Best Actress. It was the first and only Fox Film Corporation film to win Best Picture before the studio merged with 20th Century Pictures in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox. The original stage production was filmed as a guide for the film production. The film was one of the first to use the words ‘damn’ and ‘hell’, and the Hays Office worried this would set a precedent. Fox president Sidney Kent stated the mild profanity could not offend any person, and if anyone made a picture as good as Cavalcade then following the precedent would be justified. The Academy Film Archive preserved Cavalcade in 2002.

February 12 – The Hitch Hiker (USA, short)

Cast: Harry Langdon, Vernon Dent, Ruth Clifford, William Irving, Chris Marie Meeker
Director: Arvid E. Gillstrom
Production Company: Educational Films Corporation of America, distributed by Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Chris Marie Meeker’s film debut.

February 14 – Naughty Cinderella (Denmark)

Cast: John Stuart, Winna Winifried, Betty Huntley-Wright, Marion Gerth, Marie Wright, Victor Fairley, Catherine Watts
Director: John Daumery
Production Company: Warner Brothers-First National Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Betty Huntley-Wright’s film debut.

1943

February 8 – Thunder Rock (UK)

Cast: Michael Redgrave, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Barbara Mullen, Finlay Currie, Frederick Valk, Sybille Binder, Barry Morse, George Carney
Director: Roy Boulting
Production Company: Charter Film Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (UK), English Films (USA)
Trivia: Opened in wide release in the US on September 16, 1944. Based on Robert Ardrey’s 1939 play Thunder Rock. The play was a flop in New York, but the film was admired by critics and played to packed houses. Michael Redgrave, Frederick Valk and Barbara Mullen reprised their stage roles in the film.

February 10 – Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (USA)

Cast: Henriette Gérard, Ferdinand Hart, Jany Holt, Maria Alba, Murdock MacQuarrie, Mischa Auer, Paul Wegener, Harald Paulsen, Eugen Klöpfer, Roma Bohn
Director: James M. Totman
Production Company: National Roadshow
Trivia: This film was a collection of scenes from previously released films with new ‘wrap-around’ segments, and exhibitions of the film would often include actors in costume interacting with the audience. Some theaters played this as a midnight attraction. No copies of the films are known to exist.

February 10 – Margin for Error (USA)

Cast: Edward McNamara, Milton Berle, Joe Kirk, Joan Bennett, Otto Preminger, Carl Esmond, Howard Freeman, Clyde Fillmore, Poldi Dur
Director: Otto Preminger
Production Company: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the 1939 play of the same title by Clare Boothe Luce. Otto Preminger portrayed Baumer in the Broadway production and reprised the role for the film.

February 11 – Journey into Fear (Australia)

Cast: Joseph Cotten, Dolores del Río, Ruth Warrick, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Durant, Everett Sloane, Eustace Wyatt, Frank Readick, Edgar Barrier, Jack Moss, Stefan Schnabel, Hans Conreid, Robert Meltzer, Richard Bennett, Orson Welles
Director: Norman Foster
Production Company: Mercury Productions, distributed by RKO Pictures
Trivia: Originally opened in Mexico on January 7, 1943, and was released in the US on February 12. Based on the 1940 Eric Ambler novel of the same name. An alternate cut of the film screened in 2005 in Switzerland lacks the narration and ending of the US version and includes six minutes of footage cut by RKO. Jospeh Cotten won the lead role based on his performance in Citizen Kane.

February 11 – No Place for a Lady (USA)

Cast: William Gargan, Margaret Lindsay, Phyllis Brooks, Dick Purcell, Jerome Cowan, Edward Norris, James Burke, Frank M. Thomas, Thomas E. Jackson, Tom Dugan
Director: James P. Hogan
Production Company: Larry Darmour Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The film’s original title was to be Thirteen Steps to Heaven.

February 11 – Troop Train (USA, short)

Production Company: Columbia Pictures, U.S. Office of War Information, distributed by War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry
Trivia: The film has virtually no dialogue or narration. Instead, images and footage are edited to create a vintage propaganda film, a rarity in the US.

February 12 – Dead Man’s Gulch (USA)

Cast: Don ‘Red’ Barry, Lynn Merrick, Clancy Cooper, Emmett Lynn, Malcolm ‘Bud’ McTaggart, John Vosper, Jack Rockwell, Pierce Lyden, Lee Shumway, Rex Lease
Director: John English
Production Company: Republic Pictures

February 12 – Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (USA)

Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, Kaaren Verne, William Post Jr., Dennis Hoey, Holmes Herbert, Mary Gordon, Henry Victor
Director: Roy William Neill
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film opened first in Mexico on January 1, 1943. Fourth film in the Rathbone/Bruce series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films. The film is credited as an adaptation of Conan Doyle’s 1903 short story ‘The Adventure of the Dancing Men,’ though the only element from the source material is the dancing men code.

February 12 – The Meanest Man in the World (USA)

Cast: Jack Benny, Priscilla Lane, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Edmund Gwenn, Matt Briggs, Anne Revere, Margaret Seddon, Helene Reynolds, Gary Gray, Lyle Talbot, Tor Johnson
Director: Sidney Lanfield
Production Company: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based upon a play that starred George M. Cohan. The story was also filmed in 1923 but only a fragment of the film exists.

February 12 – Wild Horse Rustlers (USA)

Cast: Robert Livingston, Al St. John, Lane Chandler, Linda Leighton, Frank Ellis, Stanley Price, Karl Hackett, Jimmy Aubrey, Robert F. Hill
Director: Sam Newfield
Production Company: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
Trivia: The 13th film in the ‘Lone Rider’ series and the second starring Robert Livingston (George Houston starred in the first 11).

February 12 – Wolf in Thief’s Clothing (USA, short)

Cast: Andy Clyde, Emmett Lynn, Esther Howard, Stanley Brown
Director: Jules White
Production Company: Columbia Pictures

February 13 – Bah Wilderness (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Frank Bingman, Jeanne Dunne
Director: Rudolf Ising
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The ninth cartoon featuring Barney Bear.

1953

February 10 – The Net (UK)

Cast: James Donald, Phyllis Calvert, Robert Beatty, Herbert Lom, Noel Willman, Maurice Denham, Muriel Pavlow, Walter Fitzgerald, Patric Doonan, Marjorie Fielding
Director: Anthony Asquith
Production Company: Two Cities Films, distributed by General Film Distributors (UK), Universal Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on November 5, 1953 as Project M7. Based on the 1952 novel of the same name by John Pudney. While the film deals with aviation technology, there are no aircrafts to be seen in the film other than photographs and a model.

February 10 – The Yellow Balloon (UK)

Cast: Andrew Ray, Kathleen Ryan, Kenneth More, Bernard Lee, Stephen Fenemore, William Sylvester, Marjorie Rhodes, Peter Jones, Eliot Makeham, Sid James
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Production Company: Marble Arch Productions, distributed by Associated British Picture Corporation (UK), Allied Artists (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on October 4, 1953. Thompson’s second feature as director. The character of Mary was intended to be a prostitute but was not allowed for censorship reasons. The film was one of the first to receive the X certificate from the British Board of Censors due to a chase scene through the London Underground, meaning the film’s 13-year-old star could not see his own film until he turned 16. The rating was appealed by exhibitors who said it was losing them family audiences. The BBFC relented and reclassified the film with an A certificate.

February 11 – Angel Face (USA)

Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman, Herbert Marshall, Leon Ames, Barbara O’Neil, Kenneth Tobey, Raymond Greenleaf, Griff Barnett, Robert Gist, Morgan Farley, Jim Backus
Director: Otto Preminger
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The film was shot in 18 days with a budget of less than $1 million.

February 13 – Come Back, Little Sheba (USA)

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Shirley Booth, Terry Moore, Richard Jaeckel, Philip Ober, Edwin Max, Lisa Golm, Walter Kelley
Director: Daniel Mann
Production Company: Hal Wallis Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Released in New York and Los Angeles on December 25, 1952 for Oscar consideration. Adapted from the 1950 play of the same title by William Inge. Shirley Booth originated her role of Lola on Broadway and reprised it for her film debut, winning the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress. This was also Daniel Mann’s film directorial debut after directing the Broadway production. Several scenes not in the play, including the AA meeting, were added for the film.

February 13 – Frightday the 13th (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Alan Shay, Izzy Sparber
Director: Izzy Sparber, Myron Waldman
Production Company: Famous Studios, Paramount Pictures
Trivia: A Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon.

February 13 – I Confess (Canada)

Cast: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Brian Aherne
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production Company: Transatlantic Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Opened in the US on February 18, 1953. Based on a 1902 French play by Paul Anthelme titled Nos deux consciences (Our Two Consciences). Filming took place largely in Quebec City. Nearly 12 writers worked on the script over a period of eight years, making it one of the longest pre-production periods for a Hitchcock film. Hitchcock’s cameo comes two minutes into the film.

February 13 – Playful Puss (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Tom Morrison
Director: Mannie Davis
Production Company: Terrytoons, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox

February 13 – Rogue’s March (USA)

Cast: Peter Lawford, Richard Greene, Janice Rule, Leo G. Carroll, John Abbott, Patrick Aherne, John Dodsworth, Herbert Deans, Hayden Rorke
Director: Allan Davis
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: Shot partly on location in the Khyber Pass. This was Peter Lawford’s final film for MGM. His father Lieutenant General Sir Sidney Turing Barlow Lawford also appeared in the film, and he died two days after it opened.

February 13 – The Tall Texan (USA)

Cast: Lloyd Bridges, Lee J. Cobb, Marie Windsor, Luther Adler, Syd Saylor, Samuel Herrick, George Steele, Dean Train
Director: Elmo Williams
Production Company: T.F.Woods Productions, distributed by Lippert Pictures
Trivia: The only film directed by Elmo Williams. Williams claimed to have a 50% stake in the film but gave it away to attract the star cast.

February 14 – Forward March Hare (USA, short)

Cast: Mel Blanc, John T. Smith
Director: Charles M. Jones
Production Company: The Vitaphone Corporation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Bugs’ exercise routine is a nod to the emerging fitness fad promoted by Jack La Lanne.

February 14 – The Jazz Singer (USA)

Cast: Danny Thomas, Peggy Lee, Eduard Franz, Mildred Dunnock, Alex Gerry, Allyn Joslyn, Tom Tully
Director: Michael Curtiz
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Premiered in Los Angeles on December 30, 1952, and began a New York City engagement on January 13, 1953. Oscar nominated for Best Musical Score. Eduard Franz who played the character Canto David Golding, father to Danny Thomas’ Jerry Golding, would reprise the role for a 1959 television version of the story starring Jerry Lewis.

1963

February 9 – Devil’s Feud Cake (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Mel Blanc, Jerry Hausner
Director: Friz Freleng
Production Company: The Vitaphone Corporation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The only original animation in this short is Sam falling and his parachute being filled with silverware. Everything else is either recycled from Hare Lift (1952), Roman Legion-Hare (1955), and Sahara Hare (1955), along with an episode of The Bugs Bunny Show (1960) which used this same plot.

February 10 – 30 Years of Fun (USA)

Cast (Archival Footage): Charles Chaplin, Carter DeHaven, Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo, Oliver Hardy, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Stan Laurel, Tom Mix, Mabel Normand, Mary Pickford, King Vidor
Director: Robert Youngson
Production Company: Robert Youngson Productions, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: The film is a collection of clips of comedies made between 1895 and 1925.

February 13 – Diamond Head (USA)

Cast: Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, France Nuyen, James Darren, Aline MacMahon, Elizabeth Allen, Vaughn Taylor, Philip Ahn, Edward Mallory
Director: Guy Green
Production Company: Jerry Bresler Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: First opened in Japan on December 27, 1962. Silent film star Billie Dove makes her last film appearance in a brief cameo. Clark Gable was to play the lead but died shortly before production began. He was replaced with Charlton Heston.

February 14 – The Day Mars Invaded Earth (USA)

Cast: Kent Taylor, Marie Windsor, William Mims, Betty Beall, Lowell Brown, Gregg Shank, Henrietta Moore, Troy Melton, George Riley
Director: Maury Dexter
Production Company: Associated Producers, Inc., distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Trivia: Also known as Spaceraid 63. The film was released as the bottom half of a double bill with Elvis Presley’s Kissin’ Cousins. Producer Robert L. Lippert insisted Marie Windsor be cast in the film.

1973

February 8 – The Harder They Come (USA)

Cast: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Heartman, Basil Keane, Elijah Chambers, Bob Charlton, Volier Johnson, Winston Stona, Lucia White, Leslie Kong, Prince Buster
Director: Perry Henzell
Production Company: International Films Inc., distributed by New World Pictures
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Kingston, Jamaica on June 5, 1972, and screened at the Venice Film Festival in August 1972. It was originally released in the UK on September 1, 1972. The film is credited with bringing reggae music to the world. The film’s lead character is based on real life Jamaican criminal, Ivanhoe Martin who was better known as Rhyging, which was also the film’s original title. It was changed to Hard Road to Travel and then The Harder They Come. The film was very popular in Jamaica due to its realistic portrayal of the people there, but it drew little attention elsewhere until it received midnight screenings a few months after it was released in the US. Still, the film’s popularity was limited due to the Jamaican Patois spoken by the characters in accents so thick subtitles were needed, making it possibly the first English-language movie to require subtitles in the US. The film was digitally restored frame-by-frame in 2006.

February 9 – Emitaï (USA)

Cast: Robert Fontaine, Michel Remaudeau, Pierre Blanchard
Director: Ousmane Sembène
Production Company: Filmi Domirev, Ministère de la Coopération, distributed by New Yorker Films
Trivia: The film was censored for five years in French-speaking Africa.

February 9 – The Creeping Flesh (USA)

Cast: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Lorna Heilbron, Jenny Runacre, George Benson, Kenneth J. Warren, Duncan Lamont, Harry Locke, Michael Ripper
Director: Freddie Francis
Production Company: Tigon British Film Productions, World Film Services, distributed by Tigon Pictures (UK), Columbia Pictures (USA)
Trivia: First opened in the UK on January 1, 1973. Don Sharpe was the film’s original director but was replaced at the last minute with Freddie Francis.

February 9 – The Other Side of the Underneath (UK)

Cast: Sheila Allen, Jane Arden, Jack Bond, Liz Danciger, Elaine Donovan, Susanka Fraey, Ann Lynn
Director: Jane Arden
Production Company:
Trivia: Was not released in the US until September 1976. Adaptation of Jane Arden’s 1971 play A New Communion for Freaks, Prophets and Witches. The only British feature film in the 1970s to be solely directed by a woman. The British Film Institute restored and remastered the film for DVD and Blu-ray.

February 11 – The Boa Friend (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Larry D. Mann, Joan Gerber
Director: Gerry Chiniquy
Production Company: DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, distributed by United Artists

February 12 – A Reflection of Fear (USA)

Cast: Sondra Locke, Robert Shaw, Sally Kellerman, Mary Ure, Signe Hasso, Mitchell Ryan, Liam Dunn
Director: William A. Fraker
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Based on the novel Go to Thy Deathbed by Stanton Forbes. Sondra Locke was nearly twice the age of her character, and only seven years younger than Mary Ure, who played her mother.

February 14 – Save the Tiger (USA)

Cast: Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Norman Burton, Patricia Smith, Thayer David, William Hansen, Harvey Jason, Lin Von Linden, Lara Parker, Eloise Hardt
Director: John G. Avildsen
Production Company: Filmways, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Adapted by Steve Shagan from his 1972 novel of the same title. Jack Lemmon won the Oscar for Best Actor. The film received two other nominations for Supporting Actor (Gilford) and Screenplay, and three Golden Globe nominations for Lemmon, Gilford and Best Picture, Drama. Lemmon was determined to get the movie made and waived his usual fee, working for scale instead. The movie was filmed in sequence after three weeks of rehearsals.

February 14 – The World’s Greatest Athlete (USA)

Cast: John Amos, Tim Conway, Jan-Michael Vincent, Roscoe Lee Browne, Dayle Haddon, Billy De Wolfe, Nancy Walker, Danny Goldman, Don Pedro Colley, Vito Scotti, Liam Dunn
Director: Robert Scheerer
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Trivia: Features one of Billy De Wolfe’s final roles before he died the following year.

1983

February 11 – Let’s Spend the Night Together (USA)

Cast: The Rolling Stones
Director: Hal Ashby
Production Company: Northstar Media, Raindrop, Weintraub Entertainment Group, distributed by Embassy Pictures
Trivia: Originally released in Sweden on October 15, 1982. Released in New Zealand and Australia with the alternative title Time Is on Our Side. Filmed at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey (5–6 November 1981) and at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona (13 December 1981). The film was released as Rocks Off in Germany in 1982 with slightly different footage and the additional song ‘When the Whip Comes Down’ (following ‘Under My Thumb’) from Sun Devil Stadium.

February 13 – In the King of Prussia (USA)

Cast: Daniel Berrigan, Philip Berrigan, Futura, Dean Hammer, John Randolph Jones, Carl Kabat, Susan Lynch, Martin Sheen
Director: Emile de Antonio
Production Company: Unknown
Trivia: The film reconstructs the events of the 1980s ‘Plowshares Eight’, a group of anti-war activists charged with the September 1980 destruction of nose cones designed for nuclear warheads at the Re-Entry Division of the General Electric Space Technology Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The members of the Plowshares Eight, including Daniel Berrigan and Philip Berrigan, played themselves. The movie was shot and edited on video then converted to 35mm film.

1993

February 10 – Shadowhunter (USA)

Cast: Scott Glenn, Angela Alvarado, Benjamin Bratt, Robert Beltran, Tim Sampson, George Aguilar, Phillip Brock, Frederick Flynn, Beth Broderick, Gloria Reuben
Director: J.S. Cardone
Production Company: Republic Pictures

February 11 – Army of Darkness (Hong Kong)

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Grove, Timothy Patrick Quill, Michael Earl Reid, Bridget Fonda, Bill Moseley, Patricia Tallman, Ted Raimi
Director: Sam Raimi
Production Company: Dino De Laurentiis Communications, Renaissance Pictures, Introvision International, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Opened in the US and Canada on February 19, 1993. In the film’s original ending, Ash was to take six drops of a potion to return to his correct time, but he accidently took seven and woke up in a post-apocalyptic future. Universal felt this was too depressing and a more optimistic ending was filmed and incorporated into the theatrical release. The working title for the project was Medieval Dead. Universal showed Bruce Campbell a rough of the poster artwork and gave him a day to approve it or said there would be no ad campaign for the film. The studio also demanded a PG-13 rating after the initial cut received an NC-17, but after a few cuts by Sam Raimi, the film received an R. Universal turned the film over to outside editors who made an 81 minute cut and an 87 minute cut, which was the version released to theaters … with an R-rating.

February 12 – Groundhog Day (USA/Canada)

Columbia Pictures

Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton, Rick Ducommun, Rick Overton, Robin Duke
Director: Harold Ramis
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Bill Murray and Harold Ramis constantly clashed over the script, with Murry wanting to focus on the philosophical elements and Ramis on the comedy. The film marked the end of Murray’s and Ramis’ long collaborative partnership, and the two did not speak again until shortly before Ramis’ death in 2014. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2006. The film was also adapted into a Broadway musical in 2016. Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, and Michael Keaton were all considered for the lead role, with Hanks being Ramis’ first choice but he turned it down as typecasting with the audience expecting him to be redeemed at the end. He later stated that Murray was such a miserable SOB on and off screen that the outcome would be less predictable. Keaton also said it was a typical role for him and he didn’t understand the film. He later said he regretted turning down the role. The character was actually written younger, but that was changed when it was decided all the good comedic actors were older. Singer Tori Amos was considered for the role of Rita. Michael Shannon makes his on-screen acting debut in the film. A wild groundhog given the name Scooter portrayed Punxsutawney Phil because Punxsutawney officials would not allow the real groundhog to be used because filmmaker chose to not film in their town because it was too far from the nearest large city and did not have sufficient accommodations for cast and crew. The film ended up being shot outside of Chicago.

February 12 – Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (USA/Canada)

Voice Cast: Michael J. Fox, Don Ameche, Sally Field
Cast: Robert Hays, Kim Greist, Benj Thall, Veronica Lauren, Kevin Chevalia, William Edward Phipps, Ed Bernard, Gary Taylor, Jean Smart
Director: Duwayne Dunham
Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Trivia: Remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Sheila Burnford.

February 12 – Love Field (USA)

Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Dennis Haysbert, Stephanie McFadden, Brian Kerwin, Louise Latham, Peggy Rea, Beth Grant, Cooper Huckabee, Troy Evans
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Production Company: Orion Pictures, Sanford/Pillsbury Productions, Via Rosa Productions, distributed by Orion Pictures
Trivia: Opened in New York and Los Angeles for Oscar consideration on December 11, 1992. Michelle Pfeiffer earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

February 12 – Riff-Raff (USA)

Cast: Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Ricky Tomlinson, Jimmy Coleman, George Moss, Ade Sapara, Derek Young as Desmonde, Peter Mullan
Director: Ken Loach
Production Company: Parallax Pictures, Channel Four Films, distributed by Fine Line Features (USA), Palace Pictures (UK)
Trivia: Originally released in the UK on June 21, 1991. The characters’ local regional and Cockney accents were so heavy that the film provided subtitles, even for British audiences.

February 12 – The Cemetery Club (USA)

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Olympia Dukakis, Diane Ladd, Danny Aiello, Lainie Kazan, Jeff Howell, Christina Ricci, Bernie Casey, Wallace Shawn
Director: Bill Duke
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Trivia: Known as Looking For a Live One on home video in Australia.

February 12 – Dung fong sam hap (Hong Kong)

Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Damian Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-sang
Director: Johnnie To
Production Company: China Entertainment Films Production, Paka Hill Productions, distributed by Golden Harvest Company
Trivia: Received a limited US release in December 1993 as The Heroic Trio.

February 12 – The Temp (USA)

Cast: Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dwight Schultz, Oliver Platt, Steven Weber, Faye Dunaway, Colleen Flynn, Maura Tierney, Dakin Matthews, Lin Shaye
Director: Tom Holland
Production Company: Columbus Circle Films, Paramount Pictures, Permut Presentations, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film was to be released in December 1992, but negative reactions to the film’s violent climax by test audiences forced reshoots on a new ending, delaying the film until February 1993.

February 12 – Untamed Heart (USA)

Cast: Marisa Tomei, Christian Slater, Rosie Perez, Kyle Secor, Willie Garson, Vincent Kartheiser
Director: Tony Bill
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film’s story was originally set in New Jersey, but they could not shoot there for logistial reasons. While scouting for a location to double for Jersey, it was determined to move the setting to Minneapolis because of the strong acting community there, with 35 of the film’s 40 actors cast in the city. Several winter scenes were shot in May, so fake snow was used for the appearance of winter weather. Marissa Tomei wanted to have a believable regional accent so she had her driver also act as her dialogue coach.

February 12 – ¿Por qué lo llaman amor cuando quieren decir sexo? (Spain)

Cast: Verónica Forqué, Jorge Sanz, Rosa Maria Sardà, Fernando Guillén
Director: Manuel Gómez Pereira
Production Company: Audiovisuales Nebli, Cristal Producciones Cinematográficas S.A.
Trivia: The title translates to Why Do They Call It Love When They Mean Sex? in English.

2003

February 12 – Monsieur N. (France)

Cast: Philippe Torreton, Richard E. Grant, Jay Rodan, Elsa Zylberstein, Roschdy Zem, Bruno Putzulu, Stéphane Freiss, Frédéric Pierrot, Siobhan Hewlett, Peter Sullivan, Stanley Townsend
Director: Antoine de Caunes
Production Company: CanalPlus, France 3 Cinéma, France Télévision Images 2, Futur Film Group, Loma Nasha, Reeleyes Film, Scion Films, Studio Images 9, StudioCanal, distributed by Mars Distribution (France), Empire Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Opened in limited release in the US on January 21, 2005. The film features Napoleon doing a crossword puzzle almost 100 years before the first puzzle was created.

February 13 – Good Bye Lenin! (Germany)

Cast: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Simon, Florian Lukas, Alexander Beyer, Burghart Klaußner
Director: Wolfgang Becker
Production Company: X-Filme Creative Pool, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, ARTE, distributed by X Verleih AG (Germany), Sony Pictures Classics (USA)
Trivia: The film received a limited US release on February 27, 2004. The film earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Film Not in the English Language, and a Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film..

February 14 – Adaptation (USA/Canada)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Jim Beaver, Doug Jones
Director: Spike Jonze
Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Intermedia Films, Magnet Productions, Clinica Estetico Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Trivia: The film was based on writer Charlie Kaufman’s struggles to adapt the non-fiction book The Orchid Thief while suffering from writer’s block. The finished screenplay incorporates parts of the book with fictitious elements including Kaufman’s twin brother (also credited as a screenwriter on the film). Nicolas Cage plays both Charlie and his twin Donald. Tom Hanks was the original choice for the roles. Meryl Streep expressed interest in the role of Susan Orlean, the author of the book, and took a pay cut because of the film’s low budget. Chris Cooper’s wife urged him to accept the role of John Laroche, which he originally planned to turn down. The real Robert McKee suggested Brian Cox to play him on screen. The film received four Oscar nominations with Cooper winning for Best Supporting Actor. It received four BAFTA nominations, winning for Adapted Screenplay, and six Golden Globe nominations, with Cooper and Streep winning.

February 14 – All the Real Girls (USA, limited)

Cast: Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Shea Whigham, Danny McBride, Patricia Clarkson
Director: David Gordon Green
Production Company: Jasmine Productions Inc., Jean Doumanian Productions, Muskat Filmed Properties, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Trivia: Danny McBride’s film debut.

February 14 – Daredevil (USA/Canada/UK)

New Regency Enterprises

Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano, David Keith, Leland Orser, Ellen Pompeo
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Production Company: New Regency Enterprises, Marvel Enterprises, Horseshoe Bay Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: While set in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, the film was shot primarily in Downtown Los Angeles (Fox wantd to shoot in Canada to save money). An R-rated director’s cut was released in 2004 which restored about 30 minutes of footage not in the original theatrical release. Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Matt Damon, Matthew Davis and Colin Farrell were under consideration to play Matt Murdock before Affleck signed on. Kate Winslet, Penélope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Natalie Portman, Lucy Liu, Jessica Alba, and Katie Holmes were considered for Elektra with Jennifer Garner, Jolene Blalock, Mía Maestro and Rhona Mitra on the shortlist. Affleck had to wear milky-blue contacts to make him appear blind, which made him nearly blind which director Johnson felt aided the performance. The film was banned in Malaysia due to what was considered its excessive violence. In 2006 Affleck stated he would never reprise the role and felt by playing a costumed superhero he would never have to play another one. And then … he played Batman.

February 14 – Jonny Vang (Norway)

Cast: Aksel Hennie, Laila Goody, Fridtjov Såheim, Marit Andreassen, Bjørn Sundquist, Nils Vogt, Anders Ødegård, Silje Salomonsen, Trond Brænne
Director: Jens Lien
Production Company: Maipo Film, distributed by United International Pictures
Trivia: Jens Lien’s feature directorial debut.

February 14 – Revengers Tragedy (UK)

Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Andrew Schofield, Paul Reynolds, Justin Salinger, Eddie Izzard, Marc Warren, Derek Jacobi
Director: Alex Cox
Production Company: Bard Entertainments, Exterminating Angel Production, Northcroft Films, distributed by World Cinema Ltd.
Trivia: Adaptation of the 1606 play The Revenger’s Tragedy (attributed to Thomas Middleton in the credits, following the scholarly consensus).

February 14 – La fleur du mal (Italy)

Cast: Nathalie Baye, Benoît Magimel, Suzanne Flon, Bernard Le Coq, Mélanie Doutey, Thomas Chabrol, Henri Attal, Françoise Bertin
Director: Claude Chabrol
Production Company: MK2 Productions, France 3 Cinéma, CanalPlus, Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine, Société des Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision, distributed by Mikado Film (Italy), Palm Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Received a limited US release on October 3, 2003 as The Flower of Evil.

2013

February 8 – A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (USA, limited)

Cast: Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Katheryn Winnick, Patricia Arquette, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Dermot Mulroney, Richard Edson, Stephen Dorff
Director: Roman Coppola
Production Company: American Zoetrope, The Directors Bureau, distributed by A24
Trivia: First theatrical release for distributor A24.

February 8 – Amias (USA, short)

Cast: Joren Seldeslachts, Celine Verbeeck, Marco Bellusci
Director: John Giordano
Production Company: Unknown

February 8 – I Give It a Year (UK)

Cast: Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Stephen Merchant, Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Colman, Jane Asher, Nigel Planer, Clare Higgins, Sue Wallace, Daisy Haggard
Director: Dan Mazer
Production Company: StudioCanal, Anton, Starcrossed Films, Paradis Films, TF1 Films Production, StudioCanal, CanalPlus, CinéPlus, TF1, LOVEFiLM International, Working Title Films, Translux, distributed by StudioCanal UK (UK), Magnolia Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Received a limited US release on August 9, 2013. Dan Mazer’s directorial debut.

February 8 – Identity Thief (USA/Canada)

Cast: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau, John Cho, Génesis Rodríguez, T.I., Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Banks, Ben Falcone
Director: Seth Gordon
Production Company: Relativity Media, Scott Stuber Productions, Aggregate Films, Bluegrass Films, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Ellie Kemper appears in an uncredited role. The film was conceived with two male leads, but that changed after Jason Bateman saw Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids and pushed for her to be cast. The film had a remarkable $34.5 million opening considering theaters in the Northeast were closed due to a major winter storm. The film slipped to Number 2 in its second week with just a 20.5% drop and returned to the top spot in its third week.

February 8 – Side Effects (USA/Canada)

Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Vinessa Shaw, Ann Dowd, Polly Draper, David Costabile, Mamie Gummer
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Production Company: Endgame Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures, distributed by Open Road Films
Trivia: The film’s working title was The Bitter Pill. Blake Lively was originally cast as the lead but replaced with Rooney Mara.

February 8 – Spiders (USA, limited)

Cast: Patrick Muldoon, Christa Campbell, Pete Lee-Wilson, Sydney Sweeney, Shelly Varod, Jesse Steele, William Hope
Director: Tibor Takács
Production Company: Nu Image, distributed by Millennium Films
Trivia: Also marketed as Spiders in 3D. The city of Manhattan was created on a Bulgarian studio backlot.

February 8 – The Playroom (USA)

Cast: John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Olivia Harris, Jonathan McClendon, Alexandra Doke, Ian Veteto, Lydia Mackay, Jonathan Brooks, Cody Linley
Director: Julia Dyer
Production Company: One Mind Productions, Circle of Confusion, Ten96 Films, distributed by Freestyle Releasing
Trivia: Director Julia Dyer produced a ten minute teaser for the film in Dallas to show to potential investors.

February 9 – The Package (Japan)

Cast: Steve Austin, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Keenleyside, Mike Dopud, John Novak, Lochlyn Munro, William B. Davis
Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Production Company: Motion Picture Corporation of America, Anchor Bay Films, Caliber Media Company, Lighthouse Pictures, Pitchblack Pictures, distributed by Albatros Film (Japan), Anchor Bay Films (USA)
Trivia: Opened in Los Angeles on February 15, 2013 and went straight-to-video on February 19. Steve Austin’s character was originally named John Wick, but screenwriter Derek Kolstad had just sold a script with the lead character of the same name so it was changed to Tommy Wick.

February 12 – Black’s Game (USA)

Cast: Þorvaldur Davíð Kristjánsson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Damon Younger, María Birta Bjarnadóttir, Vignir Rafn Valþórsson, Egill Einarsson, Björn Jörundur Friðbjörnsson
Director: Oskar Þór Axelsson
Production Company: Filmus Productions, Zik Zak Filmworks, Zik Zak Kvikmyndir, distributed by Sena (Iceland), Grindstone Entertainment Group (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Iceland on March 2, 2012 as Svartur á leik. Based on the novel of the same name by Stefán Máni. The second highest grossing Icelandic film of all time. A prequel is due to be released in 2024 followed by a sequel in 2025.

February 13 – A Moment In Time (Philippines)

Cast: Julia Montes, Coco Martin, Cherie Gil, Gabby Concepcion, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ella Cruz, Joseph Marco, Manuel Chua
Director: Emmanuel Quindo Palo
Production Company: ABS-CBN Film Productions, Star Cinema, Dreamscape Entertainment, distributed by Star Cinema
Trivia: Released in the US on March 1, 2013. Shot in Amsterdam, Paris and other cities. Coco Martin and Julia Montes were starring in the TV series Walang Hanggan when the movie was in production.

February 13 – Safe Haven (Philippines)

Cast: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons, Mimi Kirkland
Director: Lasse Hallström
Production Company: Relativity Media, Temple Hill Entertainment, distributed by Relativity Media
Trivia: Opened in the US and Canada on February 14, 2013. Adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ 2010 novel of the same name. Final film for actor Red West. Keira Knightley had been in early talks for the lead but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with the film Begin Again.

February 13 – Who Killed Johnny (USA)

Cast: Melanie Winiger, Max Loong, Carlos Leal, Ernest Hausmann, Jordan Carver, Tim Talbot, Trevor Coppola, Gerold Wunstel, Yangzom Brauen, Ronnie Rodriguez
Director: Yangzom Brauen
Production Company: YangZoom Films, distributed by Indie Rights
Trivia: Yangzom Brauen’s directorial debut. The independent film was shot during eight days at the home of Brauen in the Hollywood hills. Part of the film’s budget was collected using crowdfunding.

February 14 – Beautiful Creatures (USA/Canada/UK)

Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, Emma Thompson, Margo Martindale, Eileen Atkins, Zoey Deutch, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Gallner, Rachel Brosnahan, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Production Company: Alcon Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment, Belle Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (USA), Summit Entertainment (International)
Trivia: Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Jack O’Connell was originally announced as Ethan Wate but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced with Alden Ehrenreich. The film was budgeted at $60 million and earned $60.1 million, marking it as a box office bomb.

February 14 – Murder 3 (UK)

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Loren, Rajesh Shringarpure, Karla Singh, Bugs Bhargava
Director: Vishesh Bhatt
Production Company: Vishesh Films, distributed by Fox STAR Studios
Trivia: The film was also given a limited US release on February 14, and opened in India on February 15. Third film in the Murder series, and is an official remake of Colombian thriller The Hidden Face.

February 14 – Run for Your Wife (UK)

Cast: Danny Dyer, Neil Morrissey, Denise van Outen, Sarah Harding, Kellie Shirley, Christopher Biggins, Lionel Blair, Nicholas Le Prevost, Ben Cartwright, Derek Griffiths, Nick Wilton, Jeffrey Holland
Director: Ray Cooney, John Luton
Production Company: Run For Your Wife Film, distributed by Ballpark Film Distributors
Trivia: Based on the 1983 theatre farce Run for Your Wife, written by Ray Cooney. The film received universally negative reviews and has been referred to as one of the worst films ever made. It earned just £602 in its opening weekend. The film features cameos by a number of people including Robin Askwith, Tom Conti, Bernard Cribbins, Judi Dench, Noel Edmonds, Cliff Richard, Prunella Scales, Jenny Seagrove, Sylvia Syms and June Whitfield. All of the more than 80 celebrities who made cameos agreed to donate their fees to a theatrical charity. The end credits suggested a sequel would be made but due to the film’s disastrous reception that was scrapped.

February 14 – Save Your Legs! (Kuwait)

Cast: Stephen Curry, Damon Gameau, Brendan Cowell, Darren Gilshenan, Brenton Thwaites, David Lyons, Pallavi Sharda, Darshan Jariwala, Sid Makkar
Director: Boyd Hicklin
Production Company: Nick Batzias Productions, Save Your Legs, India Take One Productions, Robyn Kershaw Productions, distributed by Front Row Filmed Entertainment (UAE), Madman Entertainment (AUS)
Trivia: The Australian film did not open in Australia until February 28, 2013. Inspired by a 2005 documentary of the same name. The film is known as Knocked For Six in the UK.

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