Paramount Pictures
There were many movies released this week over the last century, but few of them have enjoyed the popularity to remain in the public consciousness. 1923 is most notable for three short films that attempted to bring sound to movie-goers, while 1933 has a film notable for the participation of the source material’s author. 1943 gave us a film with one of the last performances of an actor who usually found himself playing deranged characters, while 1953 gave us the debut performance of a popular singer, and an early dramatization of a seafaring disaster. A 1963 film came with a questionable gimmick, and 1973 had a film that only found life five years later in a different incarnation. 1983 had a film about a steel town girl on a Saturday night, and another about a drug addicted alien. 1993 had a film that’s now most notable for a song in the movie, 2003 had a Disney film based on a popular novel that remained faithful to the source, and 2013 had Chadwick Boseman playing a barrier-breaking athlete. Find out more about these films and others celebrating premiere anniversaries this week, and tell us if your favorites are on the list!
1923
April 14 – The Girl Who Came Back (USA)
- Cast: Miriam Cooper, Gaston Glass, Kenneth Harlan, Fred Malatesta, Joseph J. Dowling, Ethel Shannon, Mary Culver, Zasu Pitts
- Director: Tom Forman
- Production Company: B.P. Schulberg Productions, distributed by Preferred Pictures
April 15 – The Abysmal Brute (USA)
- Cast: Reginald Denny, Mabel Julienne Scott, Charles K. French, Hayden Stevenson, David Torrence, George Stewart, Buddy Messinger, Crauford Kent, Dorothea Wolbert
- Director: Hobart Henley
- Production Company: Universal Jewel Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Adaptation of the 1911 novel The Abysmal Brute by Jack London. The film is considered lost.
April 15 – Ben Bernie and All the Lads (USA, short)
- Cast: Ben Bernie, Oscar Levant
- Director: Lee De Forest
- Production Company: De Forest Phonofilm
April 15 – Conchita Piquer (USA, short)
- Cast: Conchita Piquer
- Director: Lee De Forest
- Production Company: Lee De Forest Films
April 15 – Enemies of Women (USA)
- Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Alma Rubens, Pedro de Cordoba, Gareth Hughes, Gladys Hulette, William H. Thompson, William Collier, Jr., Mario Majeroni, Betty Bouton, Jeanne Brindeau, Ivan Linow, Paul Panzer
- Director: Alan Crosland
- Production Company: Cosmopolitan Productions, distributed by Goldwyn Distributing Corporation
- Trivia: Pre-fame actresses Clara Bow and Margaret Dumont have uncredited bit roles. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.
April 15 – Felix Tries for Treasure (USA, short)
- Production Company: Pat Sullivan Cartoons, distributed by Margaret J. Winkler
April 15 – A Few Moments with Eddie Cantor (USA, short)
- Cast: Eddie Cantor
- Director: Lee De Forest
- Production Company: De Forest Phonofilm
- Trivia: Also known as A Few Moments with Eddie Cantor, Star of ‘Kid Boots’. An early sound film made in Lee De Forest’s sound-on-film Phonofilm process.
April 15 – Lovebound (USA)
- Cast: Shirley Mason, Alan Roscoe, Richard Tucker, Joseph W. Girard, Edward Martindel, Fred Kelsey
- Director: Henry Otto
- Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
April 15 – One Hard Pull (USA)
- Production Company: Aesop’s Fables Studio, distributed by Pathé Exchange
April 15 – Prodigal Daughters (USA)
- Cast: Gloria Swanson, Ralph Graves, Vera Reynolds, Theodore Roberts, Louise Dresser, Charles Clary, Robert Agnew
- Director: Sam Wood
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Based on a novel of the same name by Joseph Hocking. Portions of the film were shot in Gloria Swanson’s mansion. A young and then unknown Mervyn LeRoy appears unbilled as a newsboy. He later directed Swanson in her early talkie Tonight or Never.
April 15 – Snowdrift (USA)
- Cast: Buck Jones, Bert Sprotte, Gertrude Ryan, Colin Chase, Evelyn Selbie, Annette Jean, Irene Rich, G. Raymond Nye
- Director: Scott R. Dunlap
- Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
- Trivia: Based on the 1922 novel Snowdrift by James Hendryx.
April 15 – The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (USA)
- Cast: Mary Miles Minter, Antonio Moreno, Ernest Torrence, Edwin J. Brady, Frances Warner, J. S. Stembridge, Cullen Tate
- Director: Charles Maigne
- Production Company: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Adapted from the play and novel of the same name by John Fox Jr. This was Mary Miles Minter’s final film after Paramount opted not to renew her contract, prompting her to say she was finished with films. The film is considered lost.
April 15 – The West~Bound Limited (USA)
- Cast: Ralph Lewis, Claire McDowell, John Harron, Taylor Graves, Richard Morris, Jennie (Jane) Morgan, Ella Hall, Wedgewood Nowell, David Kirby
- Director: Emory Johnson
- Production Company: Emory Johnson Productions, distributed by Film Booking Offices of America
- Trivia: Director Emory Johnson’s mother Emilie wrote the story and screenplay.
April 16 – Her Accidental Husband (USA)
- Cast: Miriam Cooper, Forrest Stanley, Mitchell Lewis, Richard Tucker, Kate Lester, Maude Wayne
- Director: Dallas M. Fitzgerald
- Production Company: Belasco Productions, distributed by C.B.C. Film Sales Corporation
- Trivia: The film’s distributor, C.B.C. Film Sales Corporation, was a forerunner to Columbia Pictures.
April 16 – Slander the Woman (USA)
- Cast: Dorothy Phillips, Lewis Dayton, Robert Anderson, Mayme Kelso, George Siegmann, Ynez Seabury, Herbert Fortier, Gino Corrado, William Orlamond, Robert Schable, Rosemary Theby
- Director: Allen Holubar
- Production Company: Allen Holubar Pictures, distributed by Associated First National Pictures
April 16 – The Town Scandal (USA)
- Cast: Gladys Walton, Edward Hearn, Edward McWade, Charles Hill Mailes, William Welsh, Billy Franey, Anna Dodge, Virginia True Boardman, Rosa Gore
- Director: King Baggot
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the novel The Chicken That Came Home to Roost by Frederic Arnold Kummer.
1933
April 14 – Hello, Sister! (USA)
- Cast: James Dunn, ZaSu Pitts, Minna Gombell, Boots Mallory
- Director: Erich von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, Alfred L. Werker
- Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
- Trivia: No on-screen director credit is given. The film is a re-edited version of Erich von Stroheim’s now-lost film Walking Down Broadway. Hello, Sister! was also thought to have been lost, until a print was found in the early 1970s.
April 14 – Sweepings (USA)
- Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Eric Linden, William Gargan, Gloria Stuart, Alan Dinehart, Gregory Ratoff, Helen Mack, Lucien Littlefield, George Meeker
- Director: John Cromwell
- Production Company: RKO Pictures
- Trivia: The Daniel Pardway character is based on Marshall Field, American founder of the Chicago-based department store chain.
April 14 – Terror Aboard (USA)
- Cast: John Halliday, Charlie Ruggles, Shirley Grey, Neil Hamilton, Jack La Rue, Verree Teasdale, Stanley Fields, Leila Bennett, Morgan Wallace, Thomas E. Jackson
- Director: Paul Sloane
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
April 14 – The Whirlwind (USA)
- Cast: Tim McCoy, Alice Dahl, Pat O’Malley, Carol Naish, Matthew Betz, Joseph Girard, Mary Gordon
- Director: D. Ross Lederman
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
April 14 – The White Sister (USA)
- Cast: Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lewis Stone, Louise Closser Hale, May Robson, Edward Arnold, Alan Edwards
- Director: Victor Fleming, Cullen Tate
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
- Trivia: Based on the 1909 novel of the same name by Francis Marion Crawford, and was a remake of the silent film The White Sister (1923).
April 14 – Today We Live (USA)
- Cast: Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Robert Young, Franchot Tone, Roscoe Karns, Louise Closser Hale, Hilda Vaughn, Eily Malyon
- Director: Howard Hawks
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
- Trivia: Based on the story ‘Turnabout’ by William Faulkner, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on March 5, 1932, and Faulkner provided dialogue for the film making it the only film version of his work that he co-wrote. Joan Crawford’s character was added to the film to include a love interest. She met her future husband Franchot Tone on the set of the film. They married two years later.
April 15 – Central Airport (USA)
- Cast: Richard Barthelmess, Sally Eilers, Tom Brown, Grant Mitchell, James Murray, Claire McDowell, Willard Robertson
- Director: William A. Wellman
- Production Company: First National Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the John C. ‘Jack’ Moffitt story, ‘Hawk’s Mate’. John Wayne had an uncredited part in the film, playing a co-pilot, and this film features his first on-screen death.
April 15 – The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (USA)
- Cast: George Sidney, Charles Murray, Maureen O’Sullivan, Andy Devine, Jobyna Howland, Maude Fulton, Frank Albertson, Henry Armetta
- Director: George Stevens
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: The last film in the ‘Cohens and Kellys’ series and the first director credit for George Stevens. A copy is held in the Library of Congress collection Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation.
April 15 – The Woman Who Dared (USA)
- Cast: Claudia Dell, Monroe Owsley, Lola Lane, Douglas Fowley, Robert Elliott
- Director: Millard Webb
- Production Company: William Berke Productions Inc., distributed by Imperial Distributing Corporation
- Trivia: Final film of director Millard Webb. Long believed lost, in April 2005 footage was discovered in a private archive marked for destruction.
April 15 – The World Gone Mad (USA)
- Cast: Pat O’Brien, Evelyn Brent, Neil Hamilton, Mary Brian, Louis Calhearn, J. Carrol Naish, Buster Phelps, Richard Tucker, John St. Polis, Geneva Mitchell, Wallis Clark, Huntley Gordon
- Director: Christy Cabanne
- Production Company: Majestic Pictures, distributed by Capitol Film Exchange
- Trivia: Also released as The Public Be Hanged. Majestic Pictures was the forerunner of Republic Pictures.
April 18 – Justice Takes a Holiday (USA)
- Cast: H. B. Warner, Patricia O’Brien, John Ince, Matty Kemp, Huntley Gordon, Audrey Ferris, Robert Frazer, Syd Saylor
- Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet
- Production Company: Golden Arrow Productions, distributed by Mayfair Pictures
1943
April 12 – Cheyenne Roundup (USA)
- Cast: Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Fuzzy Knight, Jennifer Holt, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft
- Director: Ray Taylor
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
April 12 – Dead Men Walk (USA)
- Cast: George Zucco, Mary Carlisle, Nedrick Young, Dwight Frye, Fern Emmett, Robert Strange, Hal Price, Sam Flint
- Director: Sam Newfield
- Production Company: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
- Trivia: Shot in six days. The final film of Mary Carlisle, who had gotten married shortly before making the film. One of the last screen appearances by Dwight Frye.
April 13 – The Mantrap (USA)
- Cast: Henry Stephenson, Lloyd Corrigan, Joseph Allen, Dorothy Lovett, Edmund MacDonald, Alice Fleming
- Director: George Sherman
- Production Company: Republic Pictures
April 15 – Flight for Freedom (USA)
- Cast: Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray, Herbert Marshall, Eduardo Ciannelli, Walter Kingsford
- Director: Lothar Mendes
- Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: Also known as Stand to Die. The film was inspired by Amelia Earhart’s life story.
April 15 – She Has What It Takes (USA)
- Cast: Jinx Falkenburg, Tom Neal, Constance Worth, Douglas Leavitt, Joe King, Matt Willis, Daniel Ocko, George McKay, George Lloyd, Robert Homans
- Director: Charles Barton
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures
April 16 – Rhythm of the Islands (USA)
- Cast: Allan Jones, Jane Frazee, Andy Devine, Ernest Truex, Marjorie Gateson, Mary Wickes, Burnu Acquanetta, Nestor Paiva, John Maxwell, Maceo Anderson, The Step-Brothers, The Lester Horton Dancers
- Director: Roy William Neill
- Production Company: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Also known as Isle of Romance.
April 16 – Santa Fe Scouts (USA)
- Cast: Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Jimmie Dodd, Lois Collier, John James, Elizabeth Valentine, Tom Chatterton, Tom London, Budd Buster, Jack Ingram, Kermit Maynard
- Director: Howard Bretherton
- Production Company: Republic Pictures
April 16 – Taxi, Mister (USA)
- Cast: William Bendix, Grace Bradley, Joe Sawyer, Sheldon Leonard, Joe Devlin, Jack Norton, Frank Faylen, Mike Mazurki, Sig Arno, Clyde Fillmore
- Director: Kurt Neumann
- Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: This was the third and last of the ‘Taxi Comedies’ series following Brooklyn Orchid and The McGuerins from Brooklyn.
April 16 – Wild Horse Stampede (USA)
- Cast: Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Betty Miles, Bob Baker, Ian Keith, Si Jenks, Robert McKenzie, Kenne Duncan, Glenn Strange
- Director: Alan James
- Production Company: Monogram Pictures
- Trivia: The first of eight ‘The Trail Blazers’ films, replacing the ‘Range Busters’ series.
1953
April 12 – The Marksman (USA)
- Cast: Wayne Morris, Elena Verdugo, Frank Ferguson, Rick Vallin, I. Stanford Jolley, Tom Powers, Robert Bice, Stanley Price
- Director: Lewis D. Collins
- Production Company: Allied Artists Pictures
April 15 – Grand National Night (UK)
- Cast: Nigel Patrick, Moira Lister, Beatrice Campbell, Betty Ann Davies, Michael Hordern, Noel Purcell, Leslie Mitchell, Barry MacKay, Colin Gordon, Gibb McLaughlin
- Director: Bob McNaught
- Production Company: Talisman-George Minter, distributed by Renown Pictures Corporation (UK), Allied Artists Pictures (USA)
- Trivia: Based on a play of the same title written by Campbell and Dorothy Christie. Opened in the US on October 25, 1955 as Wicked Wife.
April 17 – Bright Road (USA)
- Cast: Dorothy Dandridge, Robert Horton, Philip Hepburn, Harry Belafonte, Barbara Ann Sanders, Maidie Norman
- Director: Gerald Mayer
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: Adapted from the Christopher Award-winning short story ‘See How They Run’ by Mary Elizabeth Vroman. First feature film appearance by Harry Belafonte.
April 18 – The Simple Things (USA, short)
- Cast: Jimmy MacDonald, Pinto Colvig
- Director: Charles Nichols
- Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: The 126th and final regular entry in the Mickey Mouse theatrical cartoon series.
April 18 – The System (USA)
- Cast: Frank Lovejoy, Joan Weldon, Robert Arthur, Paul Picerni, Don Beddoe, Jerome Cowan, Dan Seymour, Sarah Selby, Fay Roope, Frank Richards, Vic Perrin, Henry Corden
- Director: Lewis Seiler
- Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Debuts of Joan Weldon and Gail Gainley.
April 18 – Titanic (USA)
20th Century Fox
- Cast: Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Dalton, Harper Carter, Robert Wagner, Thelma Ritter, Brian Aherne, Richard Basehart, Allyn Joslyn
- Director: Jean Negulesco
- Production Company: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Frances Bergen, wife of Edgar and mother of Candice, played Madeleine Astor. Michael Rennie was the uncredited narrator.
1963
April 17 – The Man from the Diners’ Club (USA)
- Cast: Danny Kaye, Cara Williams, Martha Hyer, Telly Savalas, Everett Sloane, Kaye Stevens, George Kennedy as George, Ann Morgan Guilbert
- Director: Frank Tashlin
- Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Ampersand Productions, Dena Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Harry Dean Stanton appears uncredited as a Beatnik.
April 18 – 13 Frightened Girls (West Germany)
- Cast: Murray Hamilton, Kathy Dunn, Joyce Taylor, Hugh Marlowe, Khigh Dhiegh, Charlie Briggs, Norma Varden, Garth Benton
- Director: William Castle
- Production Company: William Castle Productions, distributed by Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (West Germany), Columbia Pictures (USA)
- Trivia: Released in the US in July 1963. Also known as The Candy Web. To generated publicity, William Castle advertised for girls from 13 countries to compete for parts as daughters of diplomats. However, not all of the 15 actresses were from the countries that they represented in the film; for example, American Judy Pace played a Liberian.
1973
April 12 – Tiffany Jones (UK)
- Cast: Anouska Hempel, Ray Brooks, Susan Sheers, Damien Thomas, Eric Pohlmann, Richard Marner, Martin Benson, Alan Curtis, John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes:
- Director: Pete Walker
- Production Company: Peter Walker (Heritage) Ltd., distributed by Hemdale (UK), Cineworld (USA)
- Trivia: Opened in the US on August 1, 1976. Based on a cartoon strip in the British newspapers Daily Sketch and Daily Mail. Star Anouska Hempel reportedly purchased the UK rights to the film after a 1998 video release, preventing any future DVD releases or TV showings, although the film is still available on home video and has been shown on British television.
April 18 – The Nelson Affair (USA)
- Cast: Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Michael Jayston, Anthony Quayle, Margaret Leighton, Dominic Guard, Nigel Stock, Roland Culver, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Pat Heywood, Clelia Matania, John Nolan
- Director: James Cellan Jones
- Production Company: Hal Wallis Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Released in the UK as Bequest to the Nation.
April 18 – Charley One-Eye (USA)
- Cast: Richard Roundtree, Roy Thinnes, Nigel Davenport, Jill Pearson, Aldo Sambrell, Luis Aller, Rafael Albaicín
- Director: Don Chaffey
- Production Company: David Paradine Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
April 18 – Hungry Wives (USA)
- Cast: Jan White, Raymond Laine, Ann Muffly, Joedda McClain, Bill Thunhurst, Neil Fisher, Esther Lapidus, Dan Mallinger, Daryl Montgomery, Bill Hinzman
- Director: George A. Romero
- Production Company: The Latent Image, distributed by Jack H. Harris Enterprises
- Trivia: Originally known as Jack’s Wife, and was filmed as a softcore pornography film. When it failed to find an audience, it was re-edited and released as Season of the Witch in 1978.
1983
April 13 – Cracking Up (France)
- Cast: Jerry Lewis, Herb Edelman, Zane Buzby, Milton Berle, Foster Brooks, Dick Butkus, Francine York, Sammy Davis Jr., Buddy Lester
- Director: Jerry Lewis
- Production Company: Orgolini/Nelson Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Opened in the US on April 22, 1983. Originally titled Smorgasbord – The Movie. Milton Berle appeared in drag as ‘The Lady’ with his voice dubbed by Ruta Lee. Jerry Lewis’ last film as a director, and his last film for Warner Bros.
April 15 – Flashdance (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala, Sunny Johnson, Kyle T. Heffner, Lee Ving, Ron Karabatsos, Belinda Bauer, Malcolm Danare, Phil Bruns, Cynthia Rhodes
- Director: Adrian Lyne
- Production Company: PolyGram Pictures, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Marine Jahan was Jennifer Beals’ uncredited dance double, while a breakdance move was doubled by the male dancer Crazy Legs. The third-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States. The film’s title song, ‘Flashdance… What a Feeling’, won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The song ‘Maniac’ was also nominated for the Academy Award.
April 15 – Liquid Sky (USA)
Cinetron Productions
- Cast: Anne Carlisle, Paula E. Sheppard, Susan Doukas, Otto von Wernherr, Bob Brady, Elaine C. Grove, Stanley Knap, Jack Adalist
- Director: Slava Tsukerman
- Production Company: Cinetron Productions, Z Films Inc., distributed by Cinevista
- Trivia: With a budget of $500,000, it became the most successful independent film of 1983, grossing $1.7 million worldwide.
April 15 – Lone Wolf McQuade (USA)
- Cast: Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Robert Beltran, Leon Isaac Kennedy, John Anderson, L.Q. Jones, Dana Kimmell, R.G. Armstrong, Sharon Farrell, William Sanderson
- Director: Steve Carver
- Production Company: El Paso, distributed by Orion Pictures
- Trivia: Kane Hodder appears uncredited as Goon.
1993
April 16 – Benny & Joon (USA)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore, Oliver Platt, C.C.H. Pounder, Dan Hedaya, William H. Macy
- Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Roth-Arnold Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: The film is notable for popularizing, in the United States, the song ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers.
April 16 – Boiling Point (USA)
- Cast: Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita Davidovich, Viggo Mortensen, Dan Hedaya, Seymour Cassel, Jonathan Banks, Christine Elise, Tony Lo Bianco, Valerie Perrine, James Tolkan, Paul Gleason, Tobin Bell, James Pickens Jr.
- Director: James B. Harris
- Production Company: Le Studio CanalPlus, Hexagon Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: James B. Harris’ last film. Based on the novel Money Men by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay.
April 16 – Wide Sargasso Sea (USA)
- Cast: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Rachel Ward, Michael York, Martine Beswick
- Director: John Duigan
- Production Company: Laughing Kookaburra Productions, Sargasso Productions, distributed by New Line Cinema
- Trivia: Adaptation of Jean Rhys’s 1966 novel of the same name. The film was given an NC-17 rating due to its sexual content but the studio opted not to seek a less restrictive R-rating.
2003
April 16 – Bulletproof Monk (USA)
- Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott, Jaime King, Karel Roden, Victoria Smurfit, Roger Yuan, Mako
- Director: Paul Hunter
- Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Lakeshore Entertainment, Mosaic Media Group, MGM Distribution Co.
- Trivia: Paul Hunter’s feature directorial debut. The film is loosely based on the comic book of the same name.
April 16 – Chasing Papi (USA)
- Cast: Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, Eduardo Verástegui, Lisa Vidal, Freddy Rodríguez, D.L. Hughley, María Conchita Alonso, Walter Mercado, Carlos Ponce, Joy Enriquez, Ian Gomez
- Director: Linda Mendoza
- Production Company: Robert Simonds Productions, Spirit Dance Entertainment, Fox 2000 Pictures, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Linda Mendoza’s feature directorial debut.
April 16 – Crime Spree (France)
- Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel, Johnny Hallyday, Renaud, Saïd Taghmaoui, Stéphane Freiss, Shawn Lawrence, Albert Dray, Joanne Kelly, Richard Bohringer, Abe Vigoda
- Director: Brad Mirman
- Production Company: GFT Entertainment, Studio Eight Productions, Vision View Entertainment, distributed by Bac Films (France), DEJ Productions (USA)
- Trivia: Opened in limited US release on September 19, 2003.
April 18 – Holes (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Khleo Thomas, Brenden Jefferson, Sigourney Weaver, Tim Blake Nelson, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Henry Winkler, Nathan Davis, Eartha Kitt, Patricia Arquette, Dulé Hill, Roma Maffia
- Director: Andrew Davis
- Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Phoenix Pictures, Chicago Pacific Entertainment, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- Trivia: Based on Louis Sachar’s novel of the same name. The film is dedicated to Scott Plank, who died in a car accident six months before the film’s release in October 2002.
April 18 – Malibu’s Most Wanted (USA/Canada)
- Cast: Jamie Kennedy, Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Regina Hall, Blair Underwood, Damien Dante Wayans, Ryan O’Neal, Bo Derek, Jeffrey Tambor, Kal Penn, Snoop Dogg, Nick Swardson, Keili Lefkovitz, Kellie Martin, Greg Grunberg, Terry Crews
- Director: John Whitesell
- Production Company: Bahr/Small Productions, Karz Entertainment, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Jamie Kennedy’s character, Brad ‘B-Rad G’ Gluckman, originally appeared in his hidden-camera show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
2013
April 12 – 42 (USA/Canada)
Legendary Pictures
- Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, André Holland, Alan Tudyk, Hamish Linklater, T. R. Knight, John C. McGinley, Toby Huss, Max Gail, Brad Beyer, James Pickens Jr., Brett Cullen, Mark Harelik, Peter Jurasik, Colman Domingo
- Director: Brian Helgeland
- Production Company: Legendary Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Most of the interior stadium shots were filmed in Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
April 12 – An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (USA)
- Cast: Terence Nance, Alisa Becher, Jc Cain, Dexter Jones, Namik Minter, Talibah Lateefah Newman, Chanelle Aponte Pearson
- Director: Terence Nance
- Production Company: MVMT, distributed by Variance Films
- Trivia: Terence Nance’s feature directorial debut. Adapted from Nance’s 2006 short film, How Would You Feel?
April 12 – Antiviral (USA, limited)
- Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Joe Pingue, Nicholas Campbell, Sheila McCarthy, Wendy Crewson
- Director: Brandon Cronenberg
- Production Company: Rhombus Media, Alliance, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, Ontario Media Development Corporation, TF1 International, Téléfilm Canada, distributed by IFC Films
- Trivia: Originally opened in Canada on October 12, 2012. The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Brandon Cronenberg trimmed the film by about 6 minutes after the festival to make it tighter. The film was a co-winner for the Best Canadian First Feature Film Award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
April 12 – Disconnect (USA, limited)
- Cast: Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, Daniella Rahme, Max Thieriot, Colin Ford, Norbert Leo Butz, Kasi Lemmons
- Director: Henry Alex Rubin
- Production Company: LD Entertainment, Exclusive Media Group, Wonderful Films, distributed by LD Entertainment
- Trivia: When Mike Dixon is looking through the Hull’s pictures, there is a picture from Derek Hull’s Marine days, which was clearly a photo of Alexander Skarsgård with former marine Eric Kocher, while they were working on HBO’s Generation Kill. The photo after is also a picture of the cast of Generation Kill, and many of the actors from the show can be identified.
April 12 – Imagine (Poland)
- Cast: Edward Hogg, Alexandra Maria Lara, João Vaz, Melchior Derouet, Francis Frappat, João Lagarto
- Director: Andrzej Jakimowski
- Production Company: Zjednoczenie Artystów i Rzemieslników, KMBO, Film and Music Entertainment, Polish Film Institute, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, CanalPlus Polska, CanDo Films, Filmes do Tejo
- Trivia: Edward Hogg was nominated for a Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2013.
April 12 – Into the White (USA)
- Cast: Stig Henrik Hoff, David Kross, Florian Lukas, Lachlan Nieboer, Rupert Grint, Kim Haugen
- Director: Petter Næss
- Production Company: Zentropa International Norway, Eurimages, Film Fund FUZZ, Film i Väst, Filmförderungsanstalt, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Trollhättan Film AB, Zentropa Entertainments, Zentropa International Sweden, distributed by Magnolia Pictures
- Trivia: Originally opened in Norway on March 9, 2012. Also known as Comrade, Lost in the Snow and Cross of Honour in the UK.
April 12 – It’s a Disaster (USA)
- Cast: Rachel Boston, David Cross, America Ferrera, Jeff Grace, Erinn Hayes, Kevin M. Brennan, Blaise Miller, Julia Stiles, Todd Berger
- Director: Todd Berger
- Production Company: Arms Entertainment, Midwinter Studios, Vacationeer Productions, Cactus Three, Tip Top Productions, Gordon Bijelonic/Datari Turner Films, distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
- Trivia: The film was made by the comedy group The Vacationeers.
April 12 – Not Today (USA)
- Cast: Cody Longo, Justin Baldoni, Wilson Bethel, Cassandra Scerbo, Shari Rigby, Leo Solomon, Riyaz Khan, Shireen Mirza
- Director: Jon Van Dyke
- Production Company: Friends Media, distributed by Freestyle Releasing
April 12 – Paris-Manhattan (USA, limited)
- Cast: Alice Taglioni, Patrick Bruel, Marine Delterme, Michel Aumont, Marie-Christine Adam, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Margaux Châtelier, Yannick Soulier, Woody Allen
- Director: Sophie Lellouche
- Production Company: Vendôme Production, France 2 Cinéma, SND Films, CanalPlus, CinéPlus, France Télévisions, A Plus Image 3, Palatine Étoile 9, Dévelopimage, distributed by Strand Releasing
- Trivia: Originally opened in France and Belgium on July 18, 2012. First feature film by writer-director Sophie Lellouche.
April 12 – Revolution (Canada, documentary)
- Narrator: Rob Stewart
- Director: Rob Stewart
- Production Company: Diatribe Pictures, Foundation Features, Revolutionary Pictures, Sharkwater Productions, distributed by D Films (Canada)
- Trivia: Opened in the US on April 22, 2015. A follow-up to Rob Stewart’s previous film, Sharkwater.
April 12 – The Angels’ Share (USA)
- Cast: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, William Ruane, Roger Allam, David Goodall, Siobhan Reilly, Roderick Cowie, Scott Kyle, Neil Leiper, Gilbert Martin
- Director: Ken Loach
- Production Company: Entertainment One, Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch, British Film Institute, Les Films du Fleuve, Urania Pictures S.r.l., CanalPlus, Canto Bros Productions, CinéCinéma, France 2 Cinéma, France Télévisions, Le Pacte, Soficinéma 8, distributed by Entertainment One (UK), Sundance Selects (USA)
- Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on June 1, 2012. The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and Loach won the Jury Prize.
April 12 – To the Wonder (USA, limited)
- Cast: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem, Tatiana Chiline, Charles Baker, Romina Mondello
- Director: Terrence Malick
- Production Company: Brothers K Productions, distributed by Magnolia Pictures
- Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on February 22, 2013. Nominated for the Golden Lion Award at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.
April 16 – Crazy Enough (USA, limited)
- Cast: Chris Kattan, Susana Gibb, Brooke Anna Leedy, Dalton Farmer, Madison Jolly, Eleanor T. Threatt Hardy, Joshua Lee Norman
- Director: Lance McDaniel
- Production Company: Grey Hour Production Services, Just Crazy Enough Productions, Toy Gun Films, distributed by Screen Media Films
- Trivia: Was released to home video on the same day.
April 17 – Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries & Mentors of Ricky Jay (USA, documentary)
- Cast: Ricky Jay
- Director: Molly Bernstein
- Production Company: Kino Lorber
April 18 – Java Heat (USA)
- Cast: Kellan Lutz, Mickey Rourke, Ario Bayu, Atiqah Hasiholan
- Director: Conor Allyn
- Production Company: Margate House Films, distributed by IFC Films
- Trivia: Filming took place in Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia.
April 18 – No One Lives (Russia)
- Cast: Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens, Lee Tergesen, Derek Magyar, America Olivo, Beau Knapp, Lindsey Shaw, Brodus Clay, Laura Ramsey, Gary Grubbs
- Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
- Production Company: Milk & Media, Constance Media, Pathe UK, WWE Studios, distributed by Cascade Film (Russia), Anchor Bay Films (USA)
- Trivia: Opened in the US on May 10, 2013.
April 18 – The Lords of Salem (Russia)
- Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Meg Foster, Patricia Quinn, Dee Wallace, Ken Foree, María Conchita Alonso, Andrew Prine, Barbara Crampton, Michael Berryman, Sid Haig, Lisa Marie, Clint Howard, Brandon Cruz, Daniel Roebuck, Udo Kier, Christopher Knight
- Director: Rob Zombie
- Production Company: Alliance, Automatik Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions, Haunted Movies, IM Global, distributed by Anchor Bay Films (USA)
- Trivia: Opened in limited release in the USA and UK on April 19, 2013. Rob Zombie’s novelization of The Lords of Salem was released on March 12, 2013.
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