Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #177 :: December 13•19

Universal Pictures

You can tell it’s the holiday season and for films released in the modern era that means it’s also awards season. The Oscars deadline wasn’t always the end of the year but that’s what it became and studios reserved their more prestigious films for December, especially as the Christmas holiday approached. It wasn’t until 1943 that we got our first Oscar nominee, but things began to pick up in 1963 with one Best Picture nominee and two films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. 1973 had one Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, while 1983 had five films that received awards consideration … although one of them was for the Golden Raspberry Awards. 1993 gave us a Best Picture winner that is regarded as a modern classic, while 2003 also had five films that were awards contenders, but alas one was relegated to that Razzie Award area. One 2003 film won every Oscar it was nominated for! 2013 had three awards-worthy films, with one doing the opposite of that 2003 film and losing each of its Oscar nominations. And yes, there was a Razzie contender in there as well. Check out this week’s list of movie premieres and tell us if your favorites are celebrating this week!

1923

• December 16 – Cupid’s Fireman (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• December 16 – Fashionable Fakers (USA, Film Booking Offices of America)
• December 16 – The Call of the Canyon (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• December 17 – The Eternal City (USA, Associated First National)
• December 17 – The Red Warning (USA, Universal Pictures)
• December 17 – Twenty-One (USA, First National Pictures)

Cupid’s Fireman and The Red Warning are considered lost films. Fashionable Fakers was released in the UK as A Going Concern.

The Call of the Canyon was based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey. Once thought lost, it was one of ten silent films digitally preserved in Russia’s film archive Gosfilmofond and provided to the Library of Congress in October 2010.

The Eternal City was based on the 1901 Hall Caine novel of the same name, and was a remake of the 1915 film of the same name. It was the first film from Samuel Goldwyn’s personal production company. The entire story from the novel was changed by eliminating every element of religion from the script. Benito Mussolini had been helpful with the production, granting director George Fitzmaurice permission to film at the Coliseum, the Forum, the Roman Baths and the Old and New Appian Way. The film was completely lost until 2006 when the last two reels were discovered by Italian film historian Giuliana Muscio in the archives of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

1933

• December 13 – Above the Clouds (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 13 – The Sin of Nora Moran (USA, Majestic Pictures)
• December 14 – Convention City (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• December 15 – Sagebrush Trail (USA, Monogram Pictures Corporation)
• December 15 – The Hayseeds (AUS, British Empire Films Australia)
• December 16 – Hell and High Water (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• December 18 – By Candlelight (USA, Universal Pictures)
• December 18 – Maid Happy (Portugal, Bendar)
• December 19 – This Acting Business (UK, Warner Brothers Pictures)

The Sin of Nora Moran was based on the short story ‘Burnt Offering’ by W. Maxwell Goodhue. The film was reissued under the title Voice from the Grave. The painting for the movie poster is by Peruvian artist Alberto Vargas, who was working in the United States and later became known for his images of the ‘Vargas Girls’. Sagebrush Trail was released in the UK as An Innocent Man, which was also colorized and released to home video. Maid Happy and This Acting Business — a quota quickie — have no known US theatrical release dates.

Convention City was withheld from circulation after the Motion Picture Production Code was enacted in 1934 due to its racy content, and studio head Jack L. Warner ordered all copies of the film destroyed. The film is considered lost. During production, several lines of dialogue were ordered to be removed by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA, which became the MPAA and is now known as the MPA), and Warner warned producer Hal Wallis that the costumes for Joan Blondell may be far too revealing, ordering her to wear a brassiere. Producer Henry Blank took credit for the rigid enforcement of the Production Code, which had been created in 1930 but rarely used, because of the content of Convention City. Warner Bros. did attempt to reissue the film in 1936 but Joseph Breen, head of the Production Code, said the film was beyond redemption and would not be granted a seal of approval for theatrical exhibition. Despite the demand that the film be destroyed, there is evidence that a print was screened in 1937, and again on August 29, 1942 in Spain under the title ¡Que Semana! Rumors suggest private collectors own foreign prints of the film, but the original negative was destroyed on December 27, 1948 according to studio records. While no official prints are known to exist, the film was re-copyrighted by United Artists Associated (formerly Associated Artists Productions) in 1963. The original screenplay survives in the Warner Bros. script archives. A dramatic reading was performed at a per-Code film festival in New York City’s South Village in March 1994.

The Hayseeds has no known US theatrical release date. The characters previously appeared in six silent films. Director Beaumont Smith had retired in 1925 but decided to revive the series following the box office success of 1932’s On Our Selection. It was the first starring role in a movie for stage actor Cecil Kellaway who, along with several other cast members, was appearing in the play Music in the Air during filming. Kellaway’s son Brian also made his debut in the film. It was also known as The Hayseeds Come to Town. While some sources credit Smith with writing and directing the film, others including Smith himself credit Raymond Longford as the director.

By Candlelight, directed by James Whale, was based on the Austrian play Candle Light by Siegfried Geyer and Karl Farkas, which was adapted to the English-speaking stage by P. G. Wodehouse. The story was adapted into the stage musical You Never Know in 1983, but closed after 78 performances.

1943

• December 15 – Pistol Packin’ Mama (USA, Republic Pictures)
• December 16 – Jive Junction (USA, Producers Releasing Corporation)
• December 16 – Klondike Kate (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 16 – Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• December 17 – Calling Dr. Death (USA, Universal Pictures)
• December 17 – The Desert Song (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Klondike Kate was based on a real person known by that name who selected Ann Savage to play her. It was Savage’s first lead role. Tarzan’s Desert Mystery mentions Tarzan’s mate Jane, but she does not appear on screen. John Dehner appears in the unbilled role of Prince Ameer.

Calling Dr. Death was the first film in the Inner Sanctum mystery series, which originated with a popular radio series starring Lon Chaney Jr. The plan was to produce two Inner Sanctum films a year with Chaney and Gale Sondergaard in the lead roles. Sondergaard was dropped at the last minute, replaced with Patricia Morrison. Rumors suggested Sondergaard was dropped for her leftist politics. The film was followed by Weird Woman in 1944.

The Desert Song was based on the 1926 operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg. It was Oscar nominated for Best Art Direction. As with the 1929 version, the film was little seen after its release due to copyright issues. The film was remastered and restored for DVD release by Warner Bros. The film was made again in 1953. The 1920 operatta was updated to reflect topical concerns of the 1940s and was held up for a year because of the shifting political positions of Vichy France. It was WB’s most popular film of the year.

1953

Columbia Pictures

• December 14 – Trouble in Store (UK, General Film Distributors)
• December 15 – Girl on the Run (USA, Astor Pictures)
• December 15 – Killer Ape (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 15 – Red River Shore (USA, Republic Pictures)
• December 15 – Saadia (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• December 16 – Geraldine (USA, Republic Pictures)
• December 17 – Act of Love (USA, United Artists)
• December 17 – The Kidnappers (UK, General Film Distributors)
• December 17 – The Tell-Tale Heart (USA, short, Columbia Pictures)

Trouble in Store was released in the US on January 12, 1955 through Republic Pictures. The Kidnappers was released in the US on September 1, 1954 as The Little Kidnappers through United Artists. Act of Love was based on the 1949 novel The Girl on the Via Flaminia by Alfred Hayes.

Trouble in Store was British comic Norman Wisdom’s film debut, earning a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer.

Girl on the Run was filmed with the title The Hidden Woman. Steve McQueen appears as a background extra in two scenes, his first known film role. The film loosely inspired the hit 1971 Indian film Caravan. The film is Arthur J. Berkhard’s only directing credit.

Killer Ape is the twelfth ‘Jungle Jim’ film, featuring Johnny Weissmuller in his twelfth performance as Jungle Jim. Ray ‘Crash’ Corrigan makes a cameo appearance. The film includes archival footage from 1950’s Captive Girl.

The Tell-Tale Heart was based on the 1843 short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. It was the first cartoon to receive an X certificate in the UK. The short was originally planned for 3D, but was not released — and most likely not produced — in the format.

1963

• December 15 – America America (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• December 18 – Kings of the Sun (USA, United Artists)
• December 18 – The Ceremony (USA, United Artists)
• December 18 – The Pink Panther (Italy, United Artists)
• December 18 – The Sword in the Stone (UK, The Walt Disney Company)

The Pink Panther was released in the US on March 18, 1964 through United Artists. The Sword in the Stone was released in the US on June 21, 1964 through Buena Vista Distribution Company.

America America was released in the UK as The Anatolian Smile, and was adapted by Elia Kazan from his 1962 book, inspired by the life of his uncle, Avraam Elia Kazantzoglou. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2001. Turkish authorities believed the nation would be portrayed unfavorably by the Greek director. When Kazan decided to move production to Greece, Turkish officials confiscated cans of what they thought was finished film, but someone had the foresight to switch labels on the film cans leaving the Turks with raw, unexposed film. The film was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay, and won Best Art Direction. It also received eight Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture, winning Best Director and Most Promising Newcomer – Male for lead Stathis Giallelis (also nominated for Best Actor).

Kings of the Sun was the second project director J. Lee Thompson completed within a year with Yul Brynner after Taras Bulba. The film was originally titled The Mound Builders. Anthony Quinn was announced as Brynner’s co-star, but Brynner made Flight from Ashiya before starting Kings of the Sun and his co-star George Chakiris was selected to reteam with Brynner instead of Quinn, as he and Brynner were both under contract to the producer.

The Pink Panther is the first film in the popular and long-running franchise. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010. The film was conceived as a sophisticated comedy about jewel thief Sir Charles Lytton. Peter Ustinov was cast as Inspector Clouseau and Ava Gardner as his wife. United Artists refused to meet Gardner’s demands for a personal staff, so she and Ustinov left the project. Peter Sellers was Ustinov’s replacement, and Clouseau was meant to be a supporting character. Janet Leigh turned down the female lead because she would have been away from the US for too long. David Niven, as the jewel thief, was intended to be the film’s star, but after multiple takes with Sellers stealing his scenes, Clouseau became the central character in all of the following films. When Niven was to present at the Academy Awards, he asked for his musical accompaniment be changed from ‘The Pink Panther Theme’ saying it really wasn’t his film.

The Sword in the Stone was based on the novel of the same name by T. H. White. It was the last animated film from Disney to be released in Walt Disney’s lifetime. Disney first acquired the rights to the novel in 1938 with attempts to produce adaptations over the next two decades. This was the first Disney animated film to include songs from The Sherman Brothers. The film was announced for development again in 1960, which Disney approved after seeing Camelot on Broadway. The film usurped another animated project, Chanticleer, which upset the artists who had been working on the project. The film continued to use the Xerox method of photocopying drawings onto animation cels that had been used in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. An additional animation technique, ‘touch-up’, was created during production to replace the clean-up process. A live-action adaptation was announced in 2015. In February 2018 the film was announced as a Disney+ exclusive.

1973

• December 14 – The Seven-Ups (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• December 17 – Sleeper (USA, United Artists)
• December 18 – Cinderella Liberty (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• December 19 – Papillon (USA, Allied Artists)
• December 19 – The Day of the Dolphin (USA, Avco Embassy Pictures)

In The Seven-Ups, Roy Scheider plays Buddy Manucci, a loose remake of the character Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo he played in The French Connection. Bill Hickman, who created the car chase scenes in Bullitt and The French Connection provided the same service for this film. Scheider did some of his own driving for the scene.

Much of Sleeper was filmed in Denver, Colorado, with some scenes shot in Los Angeles, Monterey and at Culver City Studios. Science fiction author Ben Bova was an uncredited science advisor to the film. Douglas Rain, who provided the voice of HAL 9000 in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, voiced the medical computer in Sleeper.

Cinderella Liberty was based on the novel of the same name by bDarryl Ponicsan, who also wrote the screenplay. The movie was filmed in Seattle, Washington.

Papillon was based on the 1969 autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière. Continental Distributing won the rights to the novel with the intention of Roman Polanski directing and Warren Beatty starring, but funding fell through and the rights were sold to producer Robert Dorfman, who wanted Terence Young to direct and Charles Bronson to star, but he turned to Franklin J. Schaffner and Steve McQueen. The first screenplay by William Goldman was rewritten by Lorenzo Semple Jr. to expand the role of Louis Dega for Dustin Hoffman, and to eliminate depictions of homosexuality among prisoners. After Hoffman was cast, the script was rewritten again by Dalton Trumbo. McQueen performed the famous cliff-diving scene himself. The Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, where Henri Charrière was held, and where most of the action takes place, was faithfully recreated using the original blueprints. Jerry Goldsmith was nominated for an Oscar for Original Score, and McQueen was nominated for a Golden Globe.

The Day of the Dolphin was based on the 1967 novel Un animal doué de raison (lit. A Sentient Animal), by French writer Robert Merle. Buck Henry wrote the screenplay. The film was going to be directed by Roman Polanski in 1969, but he abandoned the project when his wife Sharon Tate was murdered in August of that year. The Mirisch Corporation announced Franklin Schaffner as director in 1970.

1983

20th Century-Fox

• December 13 – Two of a Kind (Canada, 20th Century-Fox)
• December 14 – Silkwood (Canada/USA limited, 20th Century Fox)
• December 15 – Gorky Park (USA, Orion Pictures)
• December 16 – D.C. Cab (USA/Canada, Universal Pictures)
• December 16 – Reuben, Reuben (USA, Twentieth Century Fox International Classics)
• December 16 – The Keep (USA/Canada, Paramount Pictures)
• December 16 – The Man Who Loved Women (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 16 – To Be or Not to Be (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• December 16 – Uncommon Valor (USA, Paramount Pictures)

Two of a Kind, which reunited Grease stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, was a box office failure, but the soundtrack was a hit, yielding three hit singles for Newton-John. The film’s original title was Second Chance, with Richard Rush directing. John Herzfeld ultimately directed the film. The film was nominated for five Razzie Awards including Worst Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay.

Silkwood was adapted from the book Who Killed Karen Silkwood? by Rolling Stone writer and activist Howard Kohn. The film originated at Warner Bros. which wanted to cast Jane Fonda as Silkwood, but the studio eventually abandoned the project after producer Buzz Hirsch was subpoenaed by an Oklahoma City judge to disclose all of the film’s research materials, an effort that was overruled by a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. ABC Motion Pictures acquired the project with Mike Nichols directing and Meryl Streep as Silkwood. Factual accuracy was maintained throughout the script. It featured Cher in one of her first serious roles, and Kurt Russell who was then known mostly for action films. The film earned five Oscar nominations including Best Actress, Supporting Actress and Director.

Gorky Park was based on the book of the same name by Martin Cruz Smith. Joanna Pacula received a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actress, and Michael Elphick earned a BAFTA nomination for Supporting Actor. Dennis Potter won a 1984 Edgar Award for his screenplay. Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino were both considered for the role of Arkady Renko before William Hurt’s casting. Cary Grant and Burt Lancaster were considered for the role of Jack Osborne (Lee Marvin got the role) and Roman Polanski was considered for the role of Prof. Andreev (played by Ian McDiarmid). The Soviet Communist Party condemned the film as anti-Communist and anti-Russian and denied the crew access to shoot in Moscow. The film was shot in Helsinki and Stockholm.

D.C. Cab is known in some territories as Street Fleet. Irene Cara performed the movie’s theme song.

Reuben, Reuben was Kelly McGillis’ film debut. The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the 1967 play Spofford by Herman Shumlin, which in turn was adapted from the 1964 novel Reuben, Reuben by Peter De Vries. The film earned two Oscar nominations — Best Actor (Tom Conti) and Best Adapted Screenplay — and three Golden Globes including Best Picture – Drama.

The Keep was based on the 1981 novel of the same title by American writer F. Paul Wilson. Tangerine Dream composed the score. Wally Veevers, the special effects supervisor, died before completing work on the film. Director Michael Mann’s cut of the film ran 210 minutes, which Paramount demanded be cut to 120 minutes. After a poor test screening the film was cut to 96 minutes, the version released to theaters. The obvious cuts led to continuity errors, plot holes and jumps in the soundtrack. Every version of the film suffers from bad sound design because it could not be finished properly due to the studio’s interference. While not a success, the film has a cult following with fans demanding the release of the uncut version. The studio claims all of the cut footage was destroyed. The design of the monster Molasar was complicated by the fact that Mann kept changing his mind on how it was to look, initially conceived as an intangible entity whose appearance would be influenced purely by his surroundings, which was difficult for the SPFX team to create. Mann settled on a ball of energy that changed appearance as the film progressed — a human nervous system, a skeletal then muscular form, a Golem-like body. A mechanical version was built early on but never used because of the constantly shifting ideas about how the monster would look. The creature was eventually played by an actor in a bodysuit in the later humanoid stages. No one knew how Veevers was planning to finish the film’s effects when he died, especially the ones planned for the original ending. Mann said he had to finish 260 FX shots himself. With the film wildly over-budget and Paramount refusing to pay for the filming of additional footage needed for Mann’s planned epic battle finale, he was forced to move forward with the simplified conclusion seen in the film’s theatrical cut. The film’s happy ending — which Mann, the cast and crew discussed in interviews — was completely cut to shorten the running time, leaving many who had seen production photos of Mann’s ending published in movie magazines confused. Some footage from the ending was used for the film’s TV broadcast. Theatrical trailers and TV spots also included footage that was not in the final cut of the film.

The Man Who Loved Women is a remake of the 1977 François Truffaut’s film L’Homme qui aimait les femmes. Warren Beatty was originally announced as the lead after Dustin Hoffman reportedly turned it down. Beatty dropped out and was replaced with Burt Reynolds. A scene was improvised between Reynolds and Julie Andrews, playing Reynolds’ therapist. Unbeknownst to Reynolds, Andrews wore an earpiece and received advice from director Blake Edwards’ therapist Milton Wexler — with whom Edwards wrote the screenplay — as she asked questions to Reynolds. The studio was not happy with the film’s bleak ending and asked Edwards to reshoot it. Neither Edwards nor Reynolds were keen to do it but Edwards had previously had a good working relationship with Columbia Pictures and agreed. The new ending did not include Reynolds, but featured some of his character’s conquests including Andrews, Marilu Henner and Kim Basinger. Test audiences reacted positively to the new ending, but reacted even more strongly to the original ending, so Columbia eventually agreed to release the film with Edwards’ original ending.

To Be or Not to Be is a remake of the 1942 film of the same name, with some dialogue taken verbatim from the film. Charles Durning received a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, which Siskel & Ebert felt robbed other, more worthy actors of the honor. Durning also received a Golden Globe nomination, as did Anne Bancroft in the Best Actress category.

Actor Wings Hauser wrote the original screenplay for Uncommon Valor, and received a Story by credit. The final screenplay was credited to Joe Gayton after Hauser lost his credit in arbitration. Hauser blames producer John Milius for his lost credit. The film went through at least five title changes including Last River to Cross. Milius wanted James Arness for the lead role instead of Gene Hackman. Milius also hired a composer without Paramount’s consent, and studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg overruled him. James Horner eventually composed the film’s score. The film was a surprise hit considering its at-the-time lack of big stars, and competition from Scarface and Sudden Impact.

1993

• December 15 – Beethoven’s 2nd (France, United International Pictures)
• December 15 – Schindler’s List (India, Paramount Films of India)
• December 17 – Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Beethoven’s 2nd was released in the US and Canada on December 17, 1993 through Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures released Schindler’s List in early December 1993 in New York and Los Angeles for awards consideration, then went into limited release on December 15 before expanding on February 4, 1994.

Beethoven’s 2nd was the second and last film in the series to receive a theatrical release. No sequel was planned, but one was put into development after the unexpected success of the first film. The film marked Danny Masterson’s film debut. His younger brother Christopher also had a small role, but when producers noticed the resemblance they removed him. Production required more than 100 smooth- and rough-coated St. Bernard puppies of various ages starting at seven weeks.

Schindler’s List was based on the 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. Steven Spielberg was interested in making the film after Universal executive Sid Sheinberg sent him a book review of the novel. Universal bought the rights but Spielberg tried to pass the film to other directors, not sure that he was ready to make a film about the Holocaust. The film was shot in Poland over 72 days on a budget of $22 million. It earned $322 million worldwide, and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning seven including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. It also won seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globes. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2004. Martin Scorsese had agreed to direct the film after Spielberg’s offer, but Spielberg began to feel that he was passing up an opportunity to create something for his children and family about the Holocaust. He was also concerned about Holocaust deniers given serious consideration by the media. He offered Scorsese the director’s chair on the Cape Fear remake instead. Scorsese had no regrets turning the project over to Spielberg, saying he would have made a good film but it wouldn’t have been the hit that it became. Billy Wilder also expressed interest in directing as a memorial to his family, most of whom died in the Holocaust. Universal greenlit the film on the condition Spielberg made Jurassic Park first, knowing Spielberg wouldn’t be able to make that film after Schindler’s List. Spielberg did not accept a salary for directing the film. Liam Neeson was cast as Schindler after Spielberg saw him perform in Anna Christie on Broadway. Warren Beatty participated in a script reading but Spielberg felt he would bring ‘movie star baggage’ to the film. Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson (!) also expressed interest in playing Schindler. Ralph Fiennes was cast as Amon Göth after Spielberg saw his performances in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Fiennes gained 28 lbs for the role. The film has 128 speaking parts and thousands of extras. Some German actors were reluctant to don Nazi uniforms but later thanked Spielberg for the cathartic experience. Inspired by the 1985 documentary Shoah, Spielberg did not use storyboards for the film and shot it documentary style, in black-and-white, without Steadicams, elevated shots or zoom lenses. The studio asked him to shoot on a color negative to allow for color VHS copies of the film to be sold later but he didn’t want to accidentally ‘beautify events’. John Williams felt the film was amazing but too challenging for him to score, telling Spielberg he needed a better composer than he. Spielberg agreed but said they were all dead. One instance of color in the film was a little girl in a red coat, played by three-year-old Oliwia Dąbrowska. Spielberg asked her to not watch the film until she was 18, but she watched it when she was eleven and was horrified. Seeing the film again as an adult, she was proud of her role in the film.

2003

• December 17 – My Life Without Me (USA, Sony Pictures Classics)
• December 17 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (USA/Canada/UK, New Line Cinema)
• December 18 – Girl with a Pearl Earring (Chile, Pathé International)
• December 18 – Peter Pan (AUS, United International Pictures)
• December 19 – House of Sand and Fog (USA, DreamWorks Pictures)
• December 19 – Mona Lisa Smile (USA/Canada/Italy, Sony Pictures Releasing/Columbia TriStar Film)
• December 19 – Paycheck (Canada, Paramount Pictures)
• December 19 – The Fog of War (USA, limited, Sony Pictures Classics)

Girl with a Pearl Earring was released in the US on January 30, 2004 through Lions Gate Films. Peter Pan was released in the US and Canada on December 25, 2003 through Universal Pictures. Paycheck was released in the US on December 25, 2003.

My Life Without Me was based on the 1997 short story collection Pretending the Bed Is a Raft by Nanci Kincaid. Star Sarah Polley won the Best Actress Genie Award for her performance.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third and final chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was based on 1955’s The Return of the King, the third volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won them all including Best Picture, the first fantasy film to do so and tying with Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscar wins. It was the second film series to win the Oscar for visual effects for each film after the original Star Wars trilogy. Christopher Lee, Brad Dourif and Bruce Spence appear in the Extended Edition of the film but not the original theatrical release. Lee was not happy that his scenes had been cut and his relationship with Peter Jackson became chilly. They did reconcile when Lee was cast in The Hobbit films. The first cut of the film clocked in at four-and-a-half hours. The scene of Théoden leading the charge went from 150 minutes of takes to a finished 90 seconds. Some scenes cut from the second film were incorporated into the third. Jackson had to complete editing on three reels of film in three weeks to meet the release deadline, and he never saw the completed film until December 1 at the Wellington, New Zealand premiere. The film contains 1,489 visual effects shots, nearly three times as many as the first film and almost twice that of the second. An FX shot of two mûmakil that Éomer takes down that took six months to complete had to be redone in two days.

Girl with a Pearl Earring was based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier. The film originally went into development in 1999. Kate Hudson was originally set to star but withdrew shortly before production began, and Mike Newell was to direct. Hudson’s withdrawal caused a loss of financial support and the exit of Newell and Ralph Fiennes. Production was put on hold until a new director, Peter Webber, was hired and he restarted the casting process. It was Webber’s feature film debut. Webber interviewed 150 actresses before choosing 17-year-old Scarlet Johansson, who finished Lost in Translation and immediately arrived on set in Luxembourg for the production with little preparation. To shorten the film’s running time, approximately one-third of the story was edited out, including the removal of entire subplots and characters. The film earned ten BAFTA, three Oscar and two Golden Globe nominations.

Peter Pan was based on the 1904 play and 1911 novel Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up by J.M. Barrie. The Great Ormond Street Hospital, which held the rights to the story, granted approval after reviewing the completed screenplay. Despite mostly positive reviews, the film bombed with a $122 million worldwide gross against a $130.6 million budget. The film is dedicated to Dodi Al-Fayed, who was an executive producer on Hook and had planned a live action version of Peter Pan, sharing his idea with Diana, Princess of Wales (who was president of Great Ormond Street Hospital), who was excited to see the production once it was underway. Al-Fayed’s father co-produced the film after the car crash that killed his son and Diana. Finding Neverland was also set to be released in 2003, but producers of Peter Pan refused permission to use scenes from the play unless the release was delayed a year. Jason Isaacs played Captain Hook, and had to learn how to sword fight with his left hand since he is right handed and the director wanted to maintain the accuracy of the character in the book, whose right hand is the hook. Jeremy Sumpter, 13 at the time he was cast as Peter Pan, grew several inches during production requiring staging tricks to retain his height opposite Isaacs in face-to-face scenes. The window Peter flies out of also had to be enlarged two times.

House of Sand and Fog was based on the novel of the same name by Andre Dubus III. It was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), Best Supporting Actress (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and Best Original Score (James Horner). The film marked Iranian actress Aghdashloo’s return to films after nearly two decades in theatre due to being offered roles as villains and terrorists. Jonathan Ahdout was cast two days before filming after director Vadim Perelman began to have doubts about the actor he’d cast. Ahdout’s original audition tape was reviewed after initially not impressing the director, but he saw the chemistry between the boy and Aghdashloo and was convinced he was right for the part.

Julia Roberts received a record at the time $25 million to appear in Mona Lisa Smile. The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for Bernie Taupin and Elton John.

Paycheck was based on the 1953 short story of the same name by Philip K. Dick. It was director John Woo’s last American film until 2023’s Silent Night. Development began on the film in 1996 with Brett Ratner attached to direct. Matt Damon was offered the role of Michael Jennings, but didn’t want to do another amnesia film. Ben Affleck won the Golden Raspberry Award for his performance in this film, as well as Gigli and Daredevil. Affleck was presented his trophy on Larry King Live and promptly broke it. It was sold on eBay for enough money to cover the hall rental for the following year’s ceremony. Affleck joked in his SNL monologue that he would have walked out of the movie and asked for a refund until he realized he was in the movie.

The Fog of War won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2019.

2013

New Line Cinema

• December 13 – A Madea Christmas (USA, Lionsgate)
• December 13 – American Hustle (USA, Sony Pictures Releasing)
• December 13 – Tamla Rose (UK, Ace Film)
• December 13 – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (USA, New Line Cinema)
• December 13 – Y Syrcas (UK, Sianel 4 Cymru)
• December 18 – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• December 18 – her (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• December 18 – Walking with Dinosaurs (Belgium, Kinepolis Film Distribution)

Tamla Rose has no known US theatrical release date. Walking with Dinosaurs was released in the US on December 20, 2013 through Twentieth Century Fox.

A Madea Christmas was Tyler Perry’s 17th film, and the eighth set in the Madea universe. The film earned six Golden Raspberry Awards nominations, including Worst Picture, with Perry winning the award for Worst Actress.

American Hustle was developed with the title American Bullshit. Ben Affleck was considered to direct before David O. Russell signed on. Filming in Boston was suspended when the city went on lockdown after the Boston Marathon bombings. After the lockdown was lifted, filming completed and a few final days were shot in New York City. The film received ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Director and all four acting categories but won nothing. It received seven Golden Globe nominations, winning Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Actress (Amy Adams) and Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence). It also received ten BAFTA nominations with wins for Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second film in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film was shot in 3D and at 48 frames per second simultaneously. The film received three Oscar nominations for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. An extended version of the film was released to home video with 25 minutes of additional footage and original music.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues began development in 2008 but Paramount turned down the sequel. The film went into production in 2012 with Paramount distributing instead of DreamWorks Pictures, which distributed the first film. Steve Carell and Paul Rudd had become major stars since the release of the first film, and agreed to take pay cuts for Anchorman 2, as did Will Ferrell. Jim Carrey, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Amy Poehler, John C. Reilly, Vince Vaughn and Kanye West have uncredited cameos.

her marked the solo screenwriting debut for Spike Jonze, who also directed the film. Samantha Morton originally provided the voice of AI Samantha, but was replaced in post-production with Scarlet Johansson. Morton received an Associate Producer credit for her work on the film. The film received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning for Best Original Screenplay (which also won the Golden Globe). Jonze’s screenplay was a semi-autobiographical project about his divorce from Sophia Coppola. Joaquin Phoenix was always Jonze’s choice for Theodore, and the actor signed on in 2011. Carey Mulligan was originally cast as Catherine, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced with Rooney Mara. Los Angeles’ Bradbury Building served as Theodore’s apartment building. Jonze’s original cut of the film ran 150 minutes. Steven Soderbergh became involved and cut the film to 90 minutes, removing a character played by Chris Cooper who was the subject of a documentary within the film.

Walking with Dinosaurs took its name from the 1999 BBC television documentary. The film’s animation director, Marco Marenghi, also worked on the BBC miniseries. The film features CGI creatures in live-action settings filmed in New Zealand and Alaska.