Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #190 :: March 13•20

Paramount Pictures

It was a decent week for new film releases with many of the films marking feature debuts for their directors. Films of note this week include a silent epic, the first pairing of two big Warner Bros. stars, a musical based on the true-life experiences of its stars, a film that was a victim of the 1950s ‘Red Scare’, one of the first gore films, a 3D horror film, the final film of a comedy franchise, a remake of a zombie classic, and one with an otherworldly Scarlett Johansson. Scroll down the list to learn more about these and the other films released this week across the decades, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating anniversaries.

1924

United Artists

March 15 – Pal o’ Mine (USA, Columbia Pictures)
March 15 – The Hill Billy (USA, Allied Producers & Distributors Corporation)
March 15 – Wanted by the Law (USA, Aywon Film)
March 16 – A Man’s Mate (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
March 16 – Fair Week (USA, Paramount Pictures)
March 16 – His Darker Self (USA, Producers Distributing Organization)
March 17 – Bonnie Prince Charlie (UK, Gaumont British Distributors)
March 17 – The Night Message (USA, Universal Pictures)
March 18 – The Thief of Bagdad (USA, United Artists)
March 20 – A Couple of Down and Outs (UK, Napoleon Films)

A Man’s Mate is a lost film. Bonnie Prince Charlie, which originally opened in London in November 1923, has no known US theatrical release date. It is considered a lost film. A Couple of Down and Outs has no known US theatrical release date.

A complete copy of Pal o’ Mine is held at the Library of Congress. A print of Fair Week survives in the Gosfilmofond archive.

His Darker Self is a ‘blackface comedy’ which was to star Al Jolson but he dropped out to protect his stage career. He would later use blackface in The Jazz Singer. Jolson was replaced by veteran comedy actor Lloyd Hamilton.

The Thief of Bagdad, freely adapted from One Thousand and One Nights, was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1996. The film was one of the most expensive at the time with a budget estimated at $1.13 million due to star Douglas Fairbanks’ desire to create an epic film. William Cameron Menzies was the art director. The film also required complex special effects. A 16mm triacetate positive print of the film is held at the George Eastman House.

1934

March 15 – Mystery Liner (USA, Monogram Pictures)
March 15 – Ridin’ Thru (USA, William Steiner)
March 15 – Stolen Sweets (USA, Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation)
March 16 – George White’s Scandals (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
March 16 – Lazy River (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
March 17 – Jimmy the Gent (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 17 – The Fighting Ranger (USA, Columbia Pictures)
March 19 – The Countess of Monte Cristo (USA, Universal Pictures)

Mystery Liner is based on an Edgar Wallace story originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1924. George White produced a second film with the title George White’s Scandals for RKO in 1945.

Jimmy the Gent featured the first pairing of James Cagney and Bette Davis, who would make The Bride Came C.O.D. seven years later. Both considered Jimmy the Gent a studio throwaway film. The screenplay was based on the story ‘The Heir Chaser’ by Ray Nazarro and Laird Doyle. The film’s working titles were The Heir Chaser and Blondes and Bonds. Cagney shaved the sides of his head for the film without the knowledge of the director, studio or Davis, none of whom were pleased with his decision with Davis refusing to have publicity photos taken with him.

The Countess of Monte Cristo was a remake of a 1932 German film of the same title. It was also remade in 1948 with that title.

1944

March 15 – Lady in the Death House (USA, Producers Releasing Corporation)
March 16 – Two-Man Submarine (USA, Columbia Pictures)
March 17 – Four Jills in a Jeep (USA, Twentieth Century Fox)
March 17 – Knickerbocker Holiday (USA, United Artists)
March 17 – Oklahoma Raiders (USA, Universal Pictures)
March 17 – The Falcon Out West (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
March 18 – Busy Buddies (USA, short, Columbia Pictures)
March 18 – See Here, Private Hargrove (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
March 19 – Mojave Firebrand (USA, Republic Pictures)
March 20 – Bees in Paradise (UK, General Film Distributors)
March 20 – Candlelight in Algeria (UK, British Aviation Pictures)

Working titles for Four Jills in a Jeep were Command Performance and Camp Show. The film is based on the actual experiences of the film’s stars Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye and Mitzi Mayfair, members of the Feminine Theatrical Task Force who left the United States on October 16, 1942, and performed several shows per day for American and British troops in England, Ireland and North Africa. The film marked the screen debut of singer Dick Haymes. It was the last screen appearance for Mayfair.

Knickerbocker Holiday is based on the musical play of the same title set in the 17th century colony of New Amsterdam. The film was Oscar nominated for Best Original Score.

The Falcon Out West is also known as The Falcon in Texas. Busy Buddies is the 78th of 190 Three Stooges short from Columbia Pictures.

See Here, Private Hargrove was adapted from the 1942 memoir of the same name by Marion Hargrove. The film was followed by the 1945 sequel What Next, Corporal Hargrove?

Bees in Paradise has no known US theatrical release date. It was the second film for director Val Guest. Candlelight in Algeria opened in the US in general release on July 30, 1944 through Twentieth Century Fox.

1954

March 13 – Bugs and Thugs (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 14 – Salt of the Earth (USA, Independent Productions)
March 15 – Alley to Bali (USA, short, Universal Pictures)
March 16 – Bang! You’re Dead (UK, British Lion Film Corporation)
March 16 – Duffy of San Quentin (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 16 – Eight O’Clock Walk (UK, British Lion Film Corporation)
March 17 – Devil on Horseback (UK, British Lion Films)
March 19 – Blackout (USA, Lippert Pictures)
March 20 – The Cats Bah (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 20 – The Impossible Possum (USA, short, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Bang! You’re Dead was released in the US in 1955 as Game of Danger through Associated Artists Productions. Eight O’Clock Walk opened in the US on April 29, 1955 through Associated Artists Productions. Devil on Horseback has no known US theatrical release date. Blackout was released in the UK as Murder by Proxy on March 28, 1955.

Bugs and Thugs is a semi-remake of the 1946 short Racketeer Rabbit. Mel Blanc provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Rocky and Mugsy, as well as several police officers.

Salt of the Earth was written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics. It is one of the first films to advance the feminist social and political point of view. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1992. The film is also preserved by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The film only cast five professional actors. The rest were locals from Grant County, New Mexico, or members of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 890, many of whom were part of the strike that inspired the plot. The film was denounced by the United States House of Representatives for its ‘communist sympathies’, and the FBI investigated the film’s financing. The American Legion called for a nationwide boycott of the film. All but 12 US theaters refused to screen the film.

Alley to Bali is a Woody Woodpecker short that spoofs Road to Bali.

Blackout was based on the novel Murder by Proxy which was published in 1952. It was the first of an eight-picture deal between Hammer Films and Lippert Pictures.

Penelope the Cat (a name created retroactively by Warner Bros. for marketing) is generally seen with white eyes but is portrayed with yellow eyes in The Cats Bah.

1964

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

March 14 – Freudy Cat (USA, short, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 13 – Soft Skin on Black Silk (USA, Audubon Films)
March 15 – They All Died Laughing (USA, Continental Distributing)
March 17 – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (USA, Embassy Pictures)
March 18 – 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
March 18 – Night Must Fall (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
March 18 – The Flesh Eaters (USA, Cinema Distributors of America)
March 19 – The World of Henry Orient (USA, United Artists)
March 20 – Two Thousand Maniacs! (USA, Box Office Spectaculars)

Soft Skin on Black Silk originally opened in Spain on June 15, 1959 as Un mundo para mí. They All Died Laughing was released in the UK as A Jolly Bad Fellow. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow originally opened in Italy on December 21, 1963 as Ieri, oggi, domani.

Freudy Cat features an odd mix of music with a new score by Bill Lava mixed with music by Carl Stalling, who had retired six years earlier, and includes stock music by Philip Green resulting in a schizophrenic soundtrack, which may have been intentional due to the short’s story of a mentally unbalanced Sylvester visiting a psychiatrist.

An alternate US version of Soft Skin on Black Silk had 42 minutes cut and replaced with 40 minutes of beach scenes featuring Edie Burke and Ira Lewis. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao was the last film directed by George Pal. It is an adaptation of the 1935 novel The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. Laurence Harvey, Terry-Thomas, Rod Taylor and Peter Sellers were all considered for the title role, but MGM had Tony Randall under contract, and he was $500,000 cheaper than any of the other stars. The ‘Wondercan Spectacular’ finale contains stock footage from Pal’s Atlantis, The Last Continent and The Time Machine, as well as destruction footage from Quo Vadis. The crystal ball and large hourglass used by the Wicked Witch of the West in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz can be seen in the film. A two-headed tortoise would later be seen in several episodes of The Addams Family. A sequel was announced in 1965 that never materialized. William Tuttle received the first of only two honorary Oscars awarded for makeup. Randall’s head was shaved to play bald and to facilitate the makeup and costume changes. Jim Danforth received an Oscar nomination for his special effects work in stop motion animation.

Night Must Fall is a remake of the 1937 film of the same name, which was based on the 1935 play by Emlyn Williams.

The Flesh Eaters is considered one of the first ever gore films. The film’s cinematography was by Jack Curtis, working under the pseudonym Carson Davidson. The wife of the film’s director, Jack Curtis, won $72,000 on the game show High Low, part of which was used to help complete the film. Production was delayed for a year after a hurricane on Montauk, NY destroyed the sets and equipment, resulting in a budget increase from $60,000 to $105,000. George Romero began work on a film in 1967 titled Night of the Flesh Eaters, which was changed to Night of the Living Dead to avoid confusion. Actress Barbara Wilson, who played the role of Ann, has said in interviews that she has no memory of the film.

The World of Henry Orient is based on the novel of the same name by Nora Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay with her father, Nunnally Johnson. The role of Henry Orient was written for Rex Harrison, but he turned it down because it wasn’t big enough. Peter Sellers signed on for what would be his first American film. The film also marks the first and only acting role for Merrie Spaeth. Peter Duchin, son of Eddie, also made his acting debut in the film. The film earned a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. The film was adapted into the 1967 Broadway musical Henry, Sweet Henry but it ran for just 80 performances. Critics said the show was high quality but old-fashioned, having the misfortune of opening a week after Hair which had a more modern sound. The show still earned two Tony nominations for Featured Actress in a Musical (Alice Playten) and Choreography (Michael Bennett).

Two Thousand Maniacs! starred 1963 Playboy Playmate Connie Mason. The film’s story was inspired by the 1947 Broadway musical Brigadoon. The movie was shot in 15 days in St. Cloud, Florida. It had been noted that the entire town participated in the film. The film marked the debut of Taalkeus ‘Talky’ Blank, who used the pseudonym Jeffrey Allen in all of his film appearances because he was never a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Director Herschell Gordon Lewis was so impressed by Blank’s ability to perfectly mimic any type of Southern accent that he hired Blank to appear in many of his later films. The film was one of the first to introduce audiences to the genre of ‘Southern gore’, which usually featured Northern outsiders stranded in the rural South and terrorized by the locals. The film has been credited with influencing 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The alt rock band 10,000 Maniacs took their name from the film, and John Waters’ 1970 Multiple Maniacs is also named in homage to the film.

1974

March 13 – The Arena (USA, New World Pictures)
March 14 – Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something! (UK, Fox-Rank)
March 15 – Three Tough Guys (USA, Paramount Pictures)
March 15 – Visit to a Chief’s Son (USA, United Artists)
March 16 – Paul and Michelle (Japan, Paramount Pictures)
March 17 – Flesh for Frankenstein (USA, Bryanston Distributing)
March 18 – My Name Is Nobody (Spain, Doperfilme)
March 19 – Ghost Story (UK, Nationwide Distributors Ltd.)
March 20 – The Super Cops (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something! opened in the US in March 1976 through K-Tel International Corp. Paul and Michelle opened in the US in May 1974 through Paramount Pictures. Flesh for Frankenstein originally opened in West Germany on November 30, 1973 through Cinerama Filmgesellschaft MBH. My Name Is Nobody originally opened in West Germany on December 13, 1973 through TOBIS Film, and was released in the US on July 17, 1974 through Universal Pictures. Ghost Story has no known US theatrical release date.

The Arena is also known as Naked Warriors. Roger Corman offered the directing job to Martin Scorsese after the success of Boxcar Bertha, but Scorsese turned it down to make Mean Streets. It marked the directorial debut for Steve Carter, who previously worked in post-production at New World Pictures. Carter, however, is not the credited director for the Italian version of the film which is credited to ‘Michael Wotruba’, a pseudonym of Joe D’Amato, who is credited as cinematographer in both versions under his real name, Aristide Massaccesi. D’Amato claimed Carter only directed scenes with dialogue while he handled the fight scenes. Pam Grier and Margaret Markov had full frontal nudity clauses in their contracts and precluded any discussions about the nudity whatsoever. Joe Dante is the credited editor on the film but Dante has stated he did not cut the film. Instead, a bunch of phony names were created for the US release to replace the Italian credits, and the real editor’s first name was Giuseppe so someone at the studio thought it would be funny to give him the name Joe Dante.

Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something! was adapted into the ITV sitcom Men of Affairs.

Three Tough Guys, also known as Tough Guys, was a co-production between the US, Italy (released as Uomini duri) and France (released as Les Durs). The film marks the acting debut of Isaac Hayes, who also composed the film’s soundtrack.

Visit to a Chief’s Son is based on a memoir titled Visit to a Chief’s Son: An American Boy’s Adventure with an African Tribe which was written by Robert Halmi and Ann Kennedy. The film originally received an R-rating due to a brief scene of two young boys swimming and playing nude together with one boy’s penis barely visible. The scene was altered but director Lamont Johnson was furious that his ‘unabashed family film’ would receive the same rating as The Exorcist saying the rating was ‘an obscenity symptomatic of our national disease of censorship’.

Paul and Michelle is a sequel to 1971’s Friends with the same director and lead actors.

Flesh for Frankenstein was released in the US as Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, although Frankenstein is the title on the print. The film was presented in 3D and rated X. Director Paul Morrissey and actor Joe Dallesandro had come to Italy to make a film for producer Carlo Ponti. Roman Polanski had suggested Morrissey make a 3D film about Frankenstein, which Morrissey thought was absurd but he convinced Ponti to fund both the Frankenstein movie and a Dracula movie, Blood for Dracula. Both films would star Dallesandro and Udo Kier. Carlo Rambaldi, best known later for his work on Alien, did the film’s special effects. Warhol had little involvement with the film outside of visiting the set once and making a brief visit during the editing process.

My Name Is Nobody is one of the few films related to Sergio Leone where 80% of the outdoor scenes were filmed in the United States. Leone’s contribution to the film was the story, but he stepped in to direct for one day while director Tonino Valerii was suffering from an ear infection.

Ghost Story was set in England but filmed in India, much of it at Bangalore Palace.

The Super Cops is based on the book The Super Cops: The True Story of the Cops Called Batman and Robin by L. H. Whittemore. The film was adapted into a 30-minute TV pilot that aired on CBS in 1975. For years the film was unavailable on home video until director Edgar Wright requested a DVD release from the Warner Archive. The studio responded and released a remastered edition of the film on September 30, 2011. In 2015, Wright introduced the film with Robert Osborne on TCM and revealed he watched the film again while making Hot Fuzz and lifted the idea of an over-eager cop making busts at his new precinct before actually reporting for duty from the film. Wright also mentioned that the screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. also wrote for the Batman TV series and notes the many reference to the show in the movie.

1984

March 14 – Carmen (France, Gaumont)
March 16 – Sole Survivor (USA, limited, International Film Marketing)
March 16 – Tank (USA, Universal Pictures)
March 16 – The Ice Pirates (USA, MGM/UA Entertainment Company)
March 18 – Germany, Pale Mother (USA, limited, New Yorker Films)

Carmen, a film version of Bizet’s opera Carmen, was released in the US on September 20, 1984 through Triumph Films. Germany, Pale Mother was originally released in West Germany as Deutschland bleiche Mutter on September 26, 1980 through Basis-Film Verleih.

Carmen was Golden Globe nominated for Best Foreign Film. Sole Survivor marked the directorial debut of Thom Eberhardt. The tank used in Tank was a 1942 M4 Sherman which had also made an appearance in The Blues Brothers.

The Ice Pirates was originally titled The Water Planet, and had a budget of $20 million. MGM was in financial trouble at the time and the budget was reduced to no more than $8 million, along with every other film the studio had in production. The studio also had Robert Urich under contract for a TV series and insisted he star in the film. Producer John Foreman also wanted his friend Anjelica Huston to be in the film. John Matuszak was cast because one of the financiers liked him.

1994

March 16 – A Business Affair (France, Les Films Number One)
March 18 – Monkey Trouble (USA, New Line Cinema)
March 18 – Mother’s Boys (USA, Dimension Films)
March 18 – Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (USA/Canada, Paramount Pictures)

A Business Affair opened in the US on December 8, 1995 through Castle Hill Productions. The UK version of the film has a run time of 102 minutes, but the US version runs 98 minutes due to the removal of several scenes with nudity.

Director Franco Amurri dedicated Monkey Trouble to his daughter Eva (Susan Sarandon is her mother), and named Thora Birch’s character after her. Mother’s Boys was the first time Jamie Lee Curtis played a villain in a suspense thriller.

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult was the directorial debut of Peter Segal. The film’s original title was Naked Gun 33⅓: Just for the Record, but the studio felt audiences would not get the reference to the speed of a long-playing record (LP) at 33⅓ revolutions per minute so the title was changed. In some early promotional videos, the film’s title was The Naked Gun 3: The Final Insult. The film was the last for O.J. Simpson. Several scenes in the film had actually been planned for the first two films. The film’s dream sequence parodies the train station shoot-out in 1987’s The Untouchables, which is itself an homage to the ‘Odessa Steps’ scene in the 1925 silent Battleship Potemkin. The film won two Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Supporting Actor (Simpson) and Worst New Star (Anna Nicole Smith).

2004

March 16 – Strange James (AUS, Violent Velcro)
March 17 – Les Choristes (France, Pathé Distribution)
March 18 – Walk on Water (Israel, Lama Films)
March 18 – The Eye 2 (Hong Kong, Go Film)
March 19 – Dawn of the Dead (USA/Canada, Universal Pictures)
March 19 – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (USA, Focus Features)
March 19 – Grand Theft Parsons (UK, Redbus Film Distribution)
March 19 – Taking Lives (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Strange James has no known US theatrical release date. Les Choristes first opened in the US on December 22, 2004 through Miramax. Walk on Water opened in limited release in the US on March 4, 2005 through Roadside Attractions. The Eye 2 premiered in the US on home video on August 9, 2005. Grand Theft Parsons was released in the US on June 18, 2004 through Swipe Films.

Les Choristes is an adaptation of the 1945 film A Cage of Nightingales (La Cage aux rossignols). The story is inspired by the origin of the boys’ choir the Little Singers of Paris. The film was Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song. The film was Christophe Barratier’s directorial debut.

Dawn of the Dead, written by James Gunn and directed by Zack Snyder (his first feature film), is a ‘reimagining’ of George A. Romero’s 1978 classic, with the original film’s actors Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini, and Ken Foree making cameo appearances (Synder also cameos with them). The setting for the remake has been changed from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. The film was shot in the Thornhill Square shopping mall in Toronto that had been scheduled for demolition. Snyder strove to keep the film as grounded in reality as possible. Romero had a strong disdain for the film. Jake Weber audition for the role of Steve the same day as Ty Burrell auditioned for the role of Michael, with Weber being cast as Michael and Burrell as Steve, which pleased Burrell because he didn’t think he had the right characteristics for the ideal leading man that Weber could play. This was Weber’s first studio film in a major leading role. Snyder introduced the concept of running zombies which made them a real threat to the characters, and he and Gunn agreed to keep the origin of the outbreak an unknown because in a fallen society you wouldn’t know how the plague started. The mall in the film was completely redone with a new water feature and 14 stores stocked with merchandise, but with fake names as only two brands agreed to be featured in the film. The makeup effects were created by David LeRoy Anderson, with assistance from his wife Heather Langenkamp (Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street). Hundreds of zombie extras had to be available for the duration of the shoot which began on June 9, 2003. 200 to 400 extras were used on any given day. For scenes which required thousands of zombies, a combination of extras and CGI characters was used. A parking lot scene with tens of thousands of zombies used 200 extras composited with CGI zombies to create a realistic crowd simulation. The film’s opening title sequences used real human blood.

The title Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a quotation from the 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope. The film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and scored a nomination for Kate Winslet (Clementine) as Best Actress. Nicolas Cage was the original choise for the role of Joel, but he was making Leaving Las Vegas at the time so the part went to Jim Carrey. Björk was the original choice for the role of Clementine, but she turned it down fearing she would be emotionally affected. Seth Rogen auditioned for the role of Patrick, which went to Elijah Wood. While Charlie Kaufman was writing the script for the film, which was about the opportunity to erase people from your memory, Christopher Nolan’s Memento was released causing Kaufman concern about the similarities, nearly abandoning the script but the producers urged him to complete it. Kaufman’s original title for the film was 18 words long, wanting something that couldn’t possibly fit on a theater marquee. The 1968 French film Je t’aime, je t’aime directed by Alain Resnais has been cited as an influence on the film. The film was shot in and around New York City, with some days lasting 17 hours in harsh conditions. The film used minimal CGI for the effects, most of which were done ‘in camera’. Ellen Pompeo and Tracy Morgan shot scenes for the movie but were cut from the film.

Grand Theft Parsons is based on the true story of country rock musician Gram Parsons (played by Gabriel Macht), who died of an overdose in 1973.

Taking Lives is loosely adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Pye. The film was shot on location in Montréal and Quebec City. Jennifer Lopez was originally in talks to star in the film in 2001. By 2002, Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke were in talks and eventually joined the project. Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow had also shown interest in the lead role. Jolie earned a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress. Hawke called the film terrible.

2014

A24

March 13 – Veronica Mars (Germany, Warner Bros. Pictures)
March 14 – U Want Me 2 Kill Him? (USA, limited, The Weinstein Company)
March 14 – Bad Words (UK, Focus Features)
March 14 – Better Living Through Chemistry (USA, Samuel Goldwyn Films)
March 14 – Dark House (USA, limited, Paladin Video)
March 14 – Guilty of Romance (USA, limited, Olive Films)
March 14 – Le Week-End (USA, limited, Music Box Films)
March 14 – Patrick: Evil Awakens (USA, Umbrella Entertainment)
March 14 – Queen (USA, limited, Viacom18 Motion Pictures)
March 14 – The Den (USA, IFC Midnight)
March 14 – The Single Moms Club (USA/Canada, Lionsgate Films/Entertainment One)
March 14 – Under the Skin (UK, StudioCanal)
March 18 – Buck Wild (USA, Millennium Entertainment)
March 19 – Free to Play (USA, documentary, limited, Valve)
March 19 – The Missing Picture (USA, documentary, Strand Releasing)
March 20 – Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (Canada, Zentropa Entertainments)

Veronica Mars received a limited release in Canada and the US on March 14, 2014. Bad Words opened in limited release in the US on March 14, 2014 and expanded on March 28. Guilty of Romance originally opened in the UK on September 30, 2011. Le Week-End was released in the UK on October 11, 2013. Patrick: Evil Awakens was originally released in Australia as Patrick on October 17, 2013. Queen originally opened in the UK on March 7, 2014. The Den originally opened in Russia as смерть в сети, Death Online on December 23, 2013. Under the Skin was released in the US on April 18, 2014 through A24. The Missing Picture originally opened in Denmark on November 15, 2013.

Veronica Mars is a continuation of the TV series with original cast members reprising their roles, minus Leighton Meester, who was making a different movie at the same time on the opposite side of the country. She was replaced with Andrea Estella. When Warner Bros. declined to fund the movie after the series ended, creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell started a Kickstarter campaign that raised $2 million in 11 hours, with $5.7 million total raised by the end of the campaign, and production began in June 2013. The film received a limited theatrical release through Warner Bros. in the US and was also available through Video On Demand on March 14, 2014, a first for a major Hollywood studio. The film’s success led to a fourth season revival on Hulu.

Bad Words was the feature directorial debut of Jason Bateman, who also starred after two other actors declined to take the lead role. The story was originally set at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but no one expected Scripps to allow the use of the name so it was changed to a fictional bee. Bateman asked friends Kathryn Hahn and Allison Janney to appear in the film rather than go through the casting process, and he reached out to Philip Baker Hall whom he admired. Bateman cast child actor Rohan Chand, who sent in a taped audition and interviewed with Bateman over Skype.

Better Living Through Chemistry was the directorial debut of David Posamentier and Geoff Moore, who also teamed on the screenplay. Jennifer Garner was set for the lead but had to drop out due to her pregnancy. She was replaced with Olivia Wilde. Sam Rockwell replaced Jeremy Renner, who departed due to a hectic schedule. The film was shot in Maryland locations including Annapolis, Baltimore, Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore.

Patrick: Evil Awakens is a remake of the 1978 film Patrick.

Queen was an international box office success, and is one of the highest-grossing Indian films featuring a female protagonist. Priyanka Chopra was offered the lead role but turned it down. Cinematographer Bobby Singh died from an asthma attack with about 90% of the film completed.

The Den, released in some countries as Hacked, is the feature directorial debut of Zachary Donohue. The Single Moms Club was adapted into a 2014 TV series on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Zulay Henao was the only actress from the film to reprise her role.

Under the Skin is loosely based on the 2000 novel by Michel Faber. Aside from Scarlett Johansson, the majority of the cast had no acting experience, and many scenes were filmed with hidden cameras with participants told after the fact that a movie was being made. Gemma Arterton, Eva Green, January Jones, Abbie Cornish and Olivia Wilde were all considered for the lead role. Arterton was the first choice but director Jonathan Glazer needed a big name star to get financing. Johansson was committed to the project for four years before the film was made.

The Missing Picture was Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II originally opened in Denmark on December 25, 2013. It made its US debut through Video On Demand services on March 20, 2014 followed by a limited theatrical release on April 4 through Magnolia Pictures.

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