Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #220 :: October 10•16

Transcona Enterprises

The second week of October produced several classic and iconic films, many of them recognized by various awards organizations. One 1924 film, though, has a tragic history. 1934 gave us a film adaptation of a Broadway musical with two iconic stars. 1954 gave us two classic musicals, one with a holiday theme and the other featuring the ‘comeback’ of a major Hollywood star. 1964 produced a romantic comedy that featured its three stars together for the last time. 1974 gave us two classic horror films, and another cult classic from the heart of Baltimore. 1984 gave us a film set in a dystopian version of that year, while 1994 saw the screen debuts of two actresses who have gone on to very acclaimed careers, and the year also gave Quentin Tarantino his signature film. 2004 brought puppetry back to the screen in the filthiest way possible, and 2004 saw the origin of a popular horror character, while giving J.K. Simmons the role of a lifetime. Scroll down to see all the films that premiered this week and tell us if your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1924

• October 10 – The Western Wallop (USA, Universal Pictures)
• October 12 – Butterfly (USA, Universal Pictures)
• October 12 – Christine of the Hungry Heart (USA, Thomas H. Ince Corporation)
• October 12 – Dynamite Smith (USA, Thomas H. Ince Corporation)
• October 12 – Helen’s Babies (USA, Sol Lesser Productions)
• October 12 – The Hansom Cabman (USA, short, Mack Sennett Comedies)
• October 12 – The Warrens of Virginia (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• October 12 – Winner Take All (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• October 13 – Dangerous Money (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• October 13 – Open All Night (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• October 13 – The Navigator (USA, Buster Keaton Productions)
• October 14 – The Measure of a Man (USA, Universal Pictures)
• October 15 – The Diamond Bandit (USA, Ben Wilson Productions)
• October 15 – The Painted Flapper (USA, Chadwick Pictures Corporation)
• October 15 – Those Who Judge (USA, Banner Productions)

A print of Butterfly is maintained in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. A fragment of a print from Christine of the Hungry Heart exists in the George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection. Dynamite Smith was presumed lost until 2023, with the discovery of an 8mm print with Dutch titles.

Helen’s Babies is based on the 1876 novel of the same name by John Habberton. The film is preserved at Cineteca Italiana in Milan, Gosfilmofond or Moscow, The Library of Congress, BFI National Film and Television and UCLA Film and Television Archive.

During production of The Warrens of Virginia, Martha Mansfield’s hoop dress caught fire and she died at the hospital the next day. Most of her scenes had been shot so the film’s production continued. Sadly, the film is now considered lost. Dangerous Money is also a lost film.

Open All Night is based on Paul Morand’s 1922 short story collection Open All Night. Co-stars Viola Dana and ‘Lefty’ Flynn married soon after completing the film. Copies of the film survive at the Library of Congress, UCLA Film and Television Archive, George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection, and Cineteca Del Friuli.

The Navigator was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2018. Star Buster Keaton was having difficulties with director Donald Crisp, who was hired to handle the more dramatic moments while Keaton focused on the comedy. Keaton eventually declared filming was complete just to get rid of Crisp, and continued filming without him.

The Painted Flapper is considered a lost film.

1934

• October 11 – The Green Pack (UK, British Lion Film Corporation)
• October 12 – Crimson Romance (USA, Mascot Pictures)
• October 12 – The Gay Divorcee (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• October 13 – Kansas City Princess (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• October 13 – Madame Du Barry (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• October 13 – When the Kellys Rode (AUS, Imperial Feature Films)
• October 15 – A Girl of the Limberlost (USA, W.T. Lackey Productions)
• October 15 – A Successful Failure (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• October 15 – Java Head (UK, Associated Talking Pictures)
• October 15 – Lady by Choice (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• October 15 – Port of Lost Dreams (USA, Invincible Pictures Corp.)

The Green Pack and When the Kellys Rode have no known US theatrical release dates. Java Head was released in the US on August 30, 1935.

The low budget Crimson Romance relied on a lot of footage that had been shot for Hell’s Angels. Ben Lyon was the star of both films which helped with the intercutting of the footage.

The Gay Divorcee is based on the Broadway musical Gay Divorce, written by Dwight Taylor, with Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. The film was released in the UK as The Gay Divorce. Many of Cole Porter’s songs from the musical were left out of the film with the exception of ‘Night and Day’. New song ‘The Continental’ by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel was added and won the first Oscar for Best Original Song. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Art Direction, Music Scoring and Sound Recording. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Eric Blore reprised their roles from the show. The film was the second of ten films starring Rogers and Astaire. Rogers drove her own car in the film, a 1929 Duesenberg Model J. Due to censorship concerns, none of the actors were allowed to be shown wearing only pajamas.

Kansas City Princess was the third film to feature Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell as a comedy duo of blonde bombshells. The film’s working title was Princess of Kansas City.

Madame Du Barry was being edited just as the Hollywood Production Code was going into effect, causing many issues with the censors. In May 1934 it was reported that a reel and a half had already been cut from the film, including a bedroom scene.

When the Kellys Rode is considered the first film to adapt the story of the Kelly Gang. A Girl of the Limberlost is the second film adaptation of Gene Stratton-Porter’s 1909 novel of the same name.

A Successful Failure was the first film directed by Arthur Lubin. This film is based on the short story ‘Your Uncle William’ by Michael Kane, published in The Saturday Evening Post.

Java Head is an adaptation of a novel by Joseph Hergesheimer of the same name. Thorold Dickinson got his first directorial experience after taking over when director J. Walter Ruben became ill.

1944

• October 12 – My Buddy (USA, Republic Pictures)
• October 16 – Storm Over Lisbon (USA, Republic Pictures)

Storm Over Lisbon was restored by Paramount Pictures, The Film Foundation and Martin Scorsese, and screened at the Museum of Modern Art on February 9, 2018, as part of the museum’s program of showcasing 30 restored films from the library of Republic Pictures curated by Scorsese.

1954

Paramount Pictures

• October 11 – Final Appointment (UK, United Productions)
• October 14 – White Christmas (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• October 15 – Die Hexe (West Germany, Capitol Film)
• October 16 – A Star Is Born (USA, Transcona Enterprises)

Final Appointment was released in the US as The Last Appointment, but the date is unknown. Die Hexe (‘The Witch’) has no known US theatrical release date.

White Christmas features a new version of the title song which was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. It is the first film to be released in the new VistaVision widescreen process which had been developed by Paramount. It was also the first to use the Perspecta directional sound system at limited engagements. The film was intended to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third musical together. Astaire read the script and declined, and Crosby left shortly after to be with his children following the death of his wife, Dixie Lee. Donald O’Connor joined the production but dropped out just before filming began due to illness, and he was replaced by Danny Kaye and Crosby eventually returned. The film features future stars Barrie Chase and George Chakiris in small roles. The film was adapted into a stage musical in 2004, which has toured the US and had a limited Broadway run.

A Star Is Born is an adaptation of the original 1937 film. This was Judy Garland’s first film since she left MGM in 1950, with the film being billed as her ‘comeback’. She was Oscar nominated for Best Actress. The film is the second of four official adaptation of the story. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2000. George Cukor was approached to direct but initially turned it down as being too similar to his 1932 film What Price Hollywood? The opportunity to direct his first Technicolor musical with Judy Garland was appealing and he accepted. Cukor wanted Cary Grant as the male lead, but he turned down the role to travel with his wife, Betsy Drake. Cukor never forgave Grant. Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra were suggested but studio head Jack Warner rejected them both. Garland wanted former The Harvey Girls co-star James Hodiak, but he was unavailable. Stewart Granger was the front-runner but could not adjust to Cukor’s directorial style, so James Mason ultimately got the role. The film was originally announced to be filmed in 3D, but Warner Bros. later announced the use of WarnerSuperScope with no 3D. After filming the musical number ‘The Man That Got Away’ for eight days in standard and CinemaScope versions, the studio decided to use the CinemaScope process instead. After Cukor completed production and had left for Europe to unwind, with mixed feelings about the film, the long ‘Born in a Trunk’ number was added, supervised by Garland’s mentor Roger Edens. The first cut ran 196 minutes and received an enthusiastic response at a test screening, but Cukor decided to trim the film to 182 minutes for the New York premiere. The studio was still concerned about the running time and made drastic cuts without Cukor’s involvement, cutting it further to 154 minutes, losing two musical numbers and a crucial dramatic scene. At $5 million, it was one of Hollywood’s most expensive films at the time. The film received six Oscar nominations total including Best Actor for Mason, and Best Song for ‘The Man That Got Away’. Garland was also nominated for a BAFTA, and she and Mason won Golden Globes in their categories.

1964

• October 10 – To Trap a Spy (AUS, Arena Productions)
• October 11 – Blood on the Arrow (USA, F & F Productions)
• October 14 – Invitation to a Gunfighter (USA, Stanley Kramer Productions)
• October 14 – Send Me No Flowers (USA, Martin Melcher Productions)
• October 14 – The Earth Dies Screaming (UK/USA, Lippert Films)
• October 15 – Cheyenne Autumn (UK, Ford-Smith Productions)
• October 16 – La Ronde (France, Interopa Film)

To Trap a Spy was released in the US on January 19, 1966. Cheyenne Autumn was released in the US on December 22, 1964. La Ronde was released in the US on March 24, 1965 as Circle of Love.

To Trap a Spy is the feature-length film version of the 70-minute television pilot of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The pilot was filmed in color so if it was rejected it could still be released theatrically. As it was picked up, it was broadcast in black-and-white, as was the rest of the first season. The film version was trimmed for network broadcast and modified to substitute Leo G. Carroll’s Alexander Waverley for Will Kuluva’s Mr. Allison.

Invitation to a Gunfighter was based on a 1957 teleplay by Larry Klein that appeared on Playhouse 90.

Send Me No Flowers is based on the play of the same name by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore. It is the third and final film to star Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall.

The Earth Dies Screaming was written by Harry Spalding as Henry Cross. Spalding hated the title, saying someone said it as a joke and it stuck. The film served as the inspiration for a 1983 Atari 2600 videogame. UB40 also used the title for a 1980 song which spent 12 weeks on the UK chart, peaking at Number 10.

Cheyenne Autumn was the last Western directed by John Ford. Early drafts of the screenplay drew on Howard Fast’s novel The Last Frontier, but the film ultimately took its plot and title from Mari Sandoz’s Cheyenne Autumn. The character of Captain Archer remained from the Fast novel (named Murray), as did the depiction of Secretary Carl Schurz and the Dodge City, Kansas scenes. Ford’s original cut of the film ran 158 minutes, but Warner Bros. cut it down to 145 minutes, removing the ‘Dodge City’ sequence from the film. It was later restored for home video releases. William H. Clothier was Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography, and Gilbert Roland was Golden Globe nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.

La Ronde garnered controversy for Jane Fonda’s nude scene, the first by a major American actress in a foreign film. Fonda began a romantic relationship with director Roger Vadim that continued for several years. The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Vadim and five of the film’s actors were charged with obscenity in Italy in 1967.

1974

Dreamland

• October 10 – The Cars That Ate Paris (AUS, Royce Smeal Film Productions)
• October 10 – Vampira (UK, World Film Services)
• October 11 – Black Christmas (Canada, Canadian Film Development Corporation)
• October 11 – Female Trouble (USA, Dreamland)
• October 11 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (USA, Vortex Inc.)
• October 16 – The Black Godfather (USA, Cougnar Productions)

The Cars That Ate Paris was released in the US on June 11, 1976. Vampira was released in the US in 1975 as Old Dracula, to capitalize on the success of Young Frankenstein. Black Christmas was released in the US on December 20, 1974.

The Cars That Ate Paris was director Peter Weir’s first feature film. The film is considered part of the Australian New Wave genre. The film was originally conceived as a comedy but evolved into a horror-comedy.

Black Christmas was originally titled Silent Night, Evil Night in the US, and retitled Stranger in the House for television broadcast. The film was written by Roy Moore as Stop Me. The film is noted for being one of the earliest slasher films, pre-dating Halloween by four years. Olivia Hussey signed to star in the film after being told by a psychic that she would ‘make a film in Canada that would earn a great deal of money’. The role of Mrs. Mac was offered to Bette Davis, but she turned it down. Gilda Radner was cast as Phyllis Carlson but dropped out a month before filming due to commitments to Saturday Night Live. The role went to fellow Second City performer Andrea Martin. Edmond O’Brien was cast as Lt. Fuller, but producers realized his health was failing, mainly due to Alzheimer’s disease, so the role was offered to John Saxon, who was always director Bob Clark’s first choice, but miscommunications between Clark and Saxon’s agent led to O’Brien being cast. Lynne Griffin stated her shock at the killer lunging at her from a closet was real as she didn’t know when he was going to jump out. Griffin had to wear a real plastic bag over her head for extended periods of time for scenes of her character’s corpse. Griffin was an experienced swimmer and could hold her breath for long periods, and keep her eyes open without blinking. The film has gone on to develop a large cult following and has been named as one of the best horror films of all time.

Director John Waters dedicated Female Trouble to Manson Family member Charles “Tex” Watson. Waters’ visits to Watson in prison inspired the ‘crime is beauty’ theme of the film. A wooden toy helicopter Watson made for Waters is seen in the film’s opening credits. Production designer Vincent Peranio created Dawn Davenport’s apartment in a condemned suite above a friend’s store. Divine chose to do his own stunts, including a trampoline act and crossing a river in drag in the sleet and rain. Waters took Divine to a local YMCA to perfect the trampoline stunt without his wig being dislodged. Dawn’s birth scene was saved until the end when Dreamlander Susan Lowe gave birth, agreeing to let Waters film her son as Dawn’s baby. The umbilical cord was made out of prophylactics filled with liver and the baby was covered in fake blood. Waters has stated the film’s working title was Rotten Mind, Rotten Face. He changed it so critics couldn’t call the film ‘Rotten Mind, Rotten Face, Rotten Movie’. Cookie Mueller gave Waters the idea for the new title when she was hospitalized for pelvic inflammatory disease, telling him it was ‘just a little female trouble, hon.’ It was the last film Waters made with David Lochary, who died a few months after the film was released. Many of the cast and crew family members made of the jury in the trial scene. The original 16mm cut of the film shown at colleges ran 92 minutes, but it was cut to 89 minutes and blown up to 35mm. The short version was the only version seen by the public for many years until a restoration brought the film back to its original run time.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was billed as based on a true story, and while elements were inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein, the plot is largely fictional. Director Tobe Hooper found it difficult to secure a distributor for the film due to the violent content. He limited the amount of gore to get a PG-rating but the MPAA still gave it an R. The film was banned in several countries. It is credited with originating many elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons and the depiction of the killer as a hulking masked figure. Many members of the cast at the time were relatively unknown Texas actors. John Larroquette performed the opening narration, and was paid in marijuana. Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, said it was 95-100 degrees every day of filming and he only had one costume which was never washed for fear the cleaners would lose it or it would change color. He wore the mask 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week for a month. Special effects were limited by the budget, and much of the blood used was real. Marilyn Burns’ costume was so drenched with stage blood it was practically solid by the end of the shoot. A real chainsaw was used for the scene in which Kirk was dismembered, and Hansen brought the saw to within three inches of actor William Vail’s face. All of the cast had sustained some type of injury during filming with Hooper stating most of them hated him by the end of production.

1984

• October 10 – Nineteen Eighty-Four (UK, Virgin Films)
• October 12 – Garbo Talks (USA, United Artists)
• October 12 – Rocktober Blood (USA, limited, Sebastian International Pictures)
• October 14 – Songwriter (USA, TriStar Pictures)

Nineteen Eighty-Four, aka 1984, received a limited US release from December 14, 1984, expanding to a general release on March 22, 1985.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is based on George Orwell’s 1949 novel of the same title. The film was the last for Richard Burton, who died two months before the film’s release. The film was dedicated to him. Paul Scofield was originally cast in the role Burton played, but broke his leg while filming The Shooting Party. Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery and Rod Steiger were considered, but Burton was cast six weeks into the film’s shooting schedule. He insisted on his costume being a boiler suit custom made for him in Savile Row. Director Michael Radford wanted to shoot the film in black-and-white, but the financial backers objected. Instead, cinematographer Michael Deakins used a bleach bypass process to wash out the film’s colors. This process was used on every release print instead of the interpositive that was struck from the original camera negative, allowing the prints to retain the silver, giving a depth to the projected image. Eurythmics were approached to create a score for the film after David Bowie was deemed too expensive. Radford objected because an orchestral score had already been composed by Dominic Muldowney. Virgin Films exercised its option of final cut and replaced Muldowney’s score with Eurythmics’ contributions Their song ‘Julia’ was heard in its entirety during the closing credits. Muldowney’s main theme was still prominently used in the film. Radford disowned Virgin’s cut of the film and expressed his displeasure at Eurythmics’ music being foisted on him, and withdrew the film from BAFTA consideration. MGM now holds the rights to the film, and in 2003 restored the film’s normal color levels and entirely removed Eurythmics’ music and restored Muldowney’s score as Radford intended. That DVD release was quickly discontinued and is out of print, while the 2004 UK DVD release contains the desaturated version with the mix of Muldowney’s and Eurythmics’ music. A limited edition Blu-ray was released in 2015 with separate audio tracks containing both soundtracks as well as the desaturated color palette. A 2019 release from Criterion Collection also includes both soundtracks.

Betty Comden makes an uncredited appearance as Greta Garbo in Garbo Talks. The film features the first appearance of Mary McDonnell, and the final performances of Howard Da Silva and Hermione Gingold. Anne Bancroft earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

1994

• October 12 – The Browning Version (USA, Percy Main Productions)
• October 14 – Exit to Eden (USA, Savoy Pictures)
• October 14 – Heavenly Creatures (New Zealand, WingNut Films)
• October 14 – Hoop Dreams (USA, documentary, Kartemquin Films)
• October 14 – I Like It Like That (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• October 14 – Imaginary Crimes (USA, Morgan Creek Entertainment)
• October 14 – Little Giants (USA, Amblin Entertainment)
• October 14 – Pulp Fiction (USA, A Band Apart)

The Browning Version first opened in France on June 8, 1994. Heavenly Creatures received a limited US release from November 16, 1994. Pulp Fiction first opened in South Korea and Mexico on September 10, 1994.

The Browning Version is based on the 1948 stage play of the same name by Terence Rattigan. The film earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay.

Exit to Eden is adapted from Anne Rice’s novel of the same name. Half of the film consists of a new comedic detective story written by the film’s director, Garry Marshall. New characters played by Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O’Donnell were also created.

Heavenly Creatures featured the film debuts of Melanie Lynsky and Kate Winslet. The story is based on the notorious Parker–Hulme murder case. The film was Oscar nominated for Original Screenplay. Director Peter Jackson and writer Fran Walsh decided to remove the titillating aspects of the murder case that captured the attention of the public to focus on the deep friendship of the two girls accused of murdering the mother of one of them. To give the film an authenticity, people who were close to the real girls or involved in the case were interviewed. The diaries of one of the girls, Pauline, were also used, with all of the film’s voice-overs taken directly from the diaries. Lynsky was cast after Walsh scouted schools all over New Zealand to find a Pauline look-alike. Winslet was cast from among 175 girls who auditioned, impressing Jackson with the intensity she brought to the part. The film’s visual effects were created by the newly former Weta Digital.

Hoop Dreams was originally to be a 30-minute film for PBS, but the production of the special led to five years of filming and 250 hours of footage. The film required three years of editing which cut down an initial 10-hour film to six hours. Editing continued for another 18 months to prepare the film for a theatrical release. A public outcry arose when the film was not nominated for an Academy Award. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2005.

I Like It Like That was the directing debut of Darnell Martin, who became the first African-American female filmmaker to take helm of a film produced by a major film studio. Imaginary Crimes is an adaptation of Sheila Ballantyne’s 1982 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name.

Little Giants was inspired by a 1992 McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial which Steven Spielberg saw and said he wanted the commercial made into a movie so he could have his Home Alone.

Quentin Tarantino wrote Pulp Fiction in 1992 and 1992, using scenes that were originally written for True Romance. TriStar Pictures turned down the screenplay as ‘too demented’. The film reignited John Travolta’s career. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2013. The original inspiration for the film was the three-part horror anthology film Black Sabbath. While Tarantino wrote the film with Roger Avary, he asked Avary to accept a ‘Story by’ credit so the credit ‘Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino’ could appear on screen. Tarantino won the Golden Globe for the screenplay and failed to mention Avary in his acceptance speech. The film received seven Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing. Both Tarantino and Avary were winners for the screenplay.

2004

• October 13 – Arsène Lupin (France, Hugo Films)
• October 15 – Being Julia (USA, limited, Serendipity Point Films)
• October 15 – Shall We Dance? (USA, Miramax)
• October 15 – Team America: World Police (USA/Canada, Scott Rudin Productions)
• October 15 – The Final Cut (USA, limited, Industry Entertainment)

Arsène Lupin, based on the popular series of crime novelscreated by Maurice Leblanc, has no known US theatrical release date. Being Julia first opened in Russia on September 16, 2004.

Being Julia is based on the novel Theatre (1937) by W. Somerset Maugham. Annette Bening was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe, winning the Globe.

Shall We Dance? is a remake of the 1996 Japanese film of the same name. The film’s on-screen title does not include the question mark, which was meant to differentiate the film from 1937’s Shall We Dance, which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Team America: World Police uses miniatures and puppetry similar to Supermarionation used in classic 1960s TV series Thunderbirds. The film ran into issues with the MPAA, which kept giving the film an NC-17 rating because of an explicit sex scene involving the puppets. Nine edits of the scene were submitted to the MPAA before they reduced the NC-17 rating to an R. The board had no issues, though, with puppets having their heads blown off and covered in blood. After the ‘hassle’ of producing the South Park movie, Trey Parker and Matt Stone had vowed to never create another movie, but that film’s producer championed the new production. The studio liked the lack of ‘political correctness’ but were confused by the use of puppets. Studio executives were won over after seeing dailies from the production. Parker and Stone were forced to rewrite the script constantly due to the limitations of the puppets. The original script had more jokes, but the duo found puppets doing jokes was not funny, but puppets doing more melodramatic things, spitting up blood and talking about how they were raped as children was funny. While drawing inspiration from action films like Top Gun, the film was mainly inspired by the 1982 cult classic Megaforce, of which Parker and Stone were fans. The pair also strove for realism, down to creating Kim Jong Il’s eyeglasses with hand-ground prescription lenses. Rather than rely on CGI effects, nearly every stunt was captured live on film. The film was barely completed before its October 15 release date, and members of the press were shown a 20-minute highlight reel on October 5 as there was still no complete print available. Many of the film’s producers hadn’t seen the completed film with the sound mix until the premiere. Of the celebrities parodied in the film, Alec Baldwin thought it was hilarious and offered to voice his character. Sean Penn was less thrilled and sent them an angry letter than ended with ‘fuck you’. George Clooney and Matt Damon are friends with Parker and Stone, and Clooney said he would have been insulted had he not been included in the film. Damon was confused as to why they depicted him as someone who could only say his own name. The pair later clarified that came from seeing the Damon puppet which they felt looked ‘mentally deficient’. Kim Jong Il had no comment, but North Korea had tried to get the film banned in the Czech Republic.

2014

Michael De Luca Productions

• October 10 – Addicted (USA, Codeblack Entertainment)
• October 10 – Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (USA/Canada, 21 Laps Entertainment)
• October 10 – Dracula Untold (USA/Canada, Michael De Luca Productions)
• October 10 – The Canal (USA, The Orchard)
• October 10 – The Judge (USA, Big Kid Pictures)
• October 10 – Whiplash (USA, limited, Blumhouse Productions)
• October 10 – You’re Not You (USA, limited, Daryl Prince Productions)
• October 16 – Sexo fácil, películas tristes (Argentina, Icónica Producciones)
• October 16 – Son of a Gun (AUS, Southern Light Films)

Dracula Untold first opened in France on October 1, 2014. The Judge first opened in Australia and New Zealand on October 9, 2014. Sexo fácil, películas tristes (‘Easy Sex, Sad Movies’) has no known US theatrical release date. Son of a Gun premiered on Video On Demand services in the US on December 11, 2014, and received a limited theatrical release on January 16, 2015.

Addicted is based on the novel of the same name by Zane. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is loosely based on Judith Viorst’s 1972 children’s book of the same name. The film was co-produced by The Jim Henson Company, and is the company’s only film to not feature Muppets.

Dracula Untold was the feature directorial debut of Gary Shore. The project was first announced in 2007 as Dracula: Year One, to be directed by Alex Proyas and star Sam Worthington, but Universal ended the deal with Proyas due to the high budget. Shore became attached to the project in 2012, and a new script was written. Worthington exited the project with Proyas and Luke Evans was cast as the lead. Samanthan Barks was cast as Baba Yaga, but her scenes were cut from the film. Charlie Cox was cast as Caligula, but his scenes were also cut.

Robert Duvall was nominated for his role in The Judge by the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Satellite Awards for Best Supporting Actor. Jack Nicholson was originally considered for the role but he turned it down.

Whiplash originated as an 18-minute short film, starring Johnny Simmons and J.K. Simmons (no relation) which garnered attention at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, attracting investors to finance a feature film. Damien Chazelle based his screenplay on his own experience in a very competitive Studio Band in High School, and wrote the film while frustrated trying to get La La Land produced. Miles Teller took over the role played by Johnny Simmons while J.K. Simmons remained attached to the film. The film had a 19-day shooting schedule at 14-hours per day. During the third week of filming, Chazelle was in a serious car accident and was hospitalized with a possible concussion, but he returned to the set the next day to wrap up the shoot on time. Teller had taught himself to play the drums at age 15 and did most of the drumming in the film himself. Professional drummer Kyle Crane served as drum double for some scenes. Even though Chazelle wrote the feature film’s screenplay first and produced the short after to attract investors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences deemed the screenplay as an adapted work because the short was released a year before the feature. The Writers Guild of America categorized it as an original screenplay. The film earned five Oscar nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for Simmons and Sound Mixing. It also received five BAFTA nominations, winning three for Simmons, Best Editing and Best Sound. Simmons was also nominated for and won the Golden Globe for Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

You’re Not You is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Michelle Wildgen.