Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #281 :: December 11•17

This was a pretty big week for major film releases, offering several firsts, and many awards nominations and wins. Several 1925 films survive and have been preserved, and one film made a star out of its lead actress. A 1935 film was one in a series featuring a blonde bombshell comedy duo. 1945 had a notable documentary that was used as evidence in a major trial, while a comedy film brought popular characters back to the big screen. 1955 had the first of three Shakespearean adaptations, and two films that won Oscars for their lead actress and actor. 1965 saw Elvis play a sheik, and gave us the second Shakespearean film for which all of its principal actors were Oscar-nominated. 1975 saw a popular comedic actor and writer try his hand at directing as well. 1985 gave us a sequel neither of its stars wanted, and a mystery-comedy film that has gone on to become a cult classic. 1995 saw an actress turn to writing, and being honored for her work, had the pairing of two major actors for the first time, produced a film with groundbreaking special effects, and gave us the third of the Shakespeare films (with the same title as the second) that finally cast its lead character properly. 2005 saw the return of a giant ape to the silver screen, and 2015 had another multiple Oscar nominee. Scroll down to see all of the films that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1925

• December 11 – Pals (USA, Phil Goldstone Productions)
• December 12 – Hogan’s Alley (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• December 12 – The Desperate Game (USA, Blue Streak Western)
• December 12 – The Lure of the Wild (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 13 – Flaming Waters (USA, Associated Arts Corporation)
• December 13 – Stella Maris (USA, Universal Pictures)
• December 13 – The Cowboy Musketeer (USA, Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation)
• December 13 – The Desert’s Price (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• December 13 – The Man from Red Gulch (USA, Stellar Productions)
• December 13 – The Masked Bride (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• December 13 – The Pinch Hitter (USA, Oscar Price Productions)
• December 13 – Wages for Wives (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• December 14 – Joanna (USA, Edwin Carewe Productions)
• December 15 – The Perfect Clown (USA, Chadwick Pictures Corporation)
• December 15 – The Plastic Age (USA, B.P. Schulberg Productions)
• December 16 – Who’s Your Friend (USA, Otto K. Schreier Productions)

The survival statuses for Pals, The Desperate Game, The Cowboy Musketeer, and The Pinch Hitter are unknown, while The Desert’s Price, The Masked Bride, Wages for Wives, and Joanna are considered lost films.

Hogan’s Alley survives in an incomplete or abridged version in the French archive Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée in Fort de Bois-d’Arcy. A print of The Lure of the Wild survives in the Library of Congress collection and also in the Library and Archives Canada. A print of Flaming Waters is preserved in the Library of Congress archive.

Stella Maris, starring Mary Philbin, is a remake of the 1918 film, which starred Mary Pickford. A print survives at UCLA Film & Television Archive. Outtakes from Stella Maris were preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016. Prints of The Man from Red Gulch are held at the Cineteca Italiana in Milan and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

The Masked Bride director Josef von Sternberg was so frustrated with star Mae Murray’s behavior he ordered the cameraman to film the rafters of the soundstage. He walked off the picture after two weeks and was replaced with Christy Cabanne. Murray wears an alleged one-of-a-kind ‘violet phosphorescent’ diamond necklace in the film, which was supposedly insured for $300,000.

The Pinch Hitter is a remake of the 1917 film of the same name. Joanna was the first motion picture to feature Dolores del Rio. The Perfect Clown features an early performance from Oliver Hardy. Prints of the film are held in the collections of the Cineteca Italiana (Milan), Museum of Modern Art (New York City), UCLA Film and Television Archive (Los Angeles), and Academy Film Archive (Beverly Hills).

The Plastic Age is known as the first hit film for Clara Bow, pushing her to stardom. Paramount head Adolph Zukor proposed a merger with B.P. Schulberg’s company, Preferred Pictures, in order to bring Bow to the studio as Zukor saw her potential as an actress. Schulberg agreed on the condition Zukor would allow him to produce and control the projects assigned to him for Bow, including script, casting, production crew and wardrobe, and he wanted an Associate Producer position at Paramount. Zukor agreed and the deal was made in November 1925. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union were concered about the film’s portrayl of alcohol consumption as acceptable, and were even more upset with the dancing and jazz music, commenting that the film depicted ‘behaviour which is desperately in need of purification by the cleansing powers of Holy water.’

Who’s Your Friend survives, but a 2015 DVD release presented reel 3 and 4 in the wrong order.

1935

• December 11 – Lawless Border (USA, Ray Kirkwood Productions)
• December 12 – Millions in the Air (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• December 12 – Murder in Harlem (USA, Micheaux Film)
• December 12 – The Courageous Avenger (USA, Supreme Pictures)
• December 12 – Swifty (USA, Walter Futter Productions)
• December 13 – Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (UK, Warner Brothers-First National Productions)
• December 13 – Seven Keys to Baldpate (USA, RKO Radio Pictures)
• December 13 – Your Uncle Dudley (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• December 14 – Miss Pacific Fleet (USA, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• December 15 – Texas Jack (USA, Reliable Pictures Corporation)
• December 15 – The Passing of the Third Floor Back (USA, Gaumont British Picture Corporation)
• December 15 – Trigger Tom (USA, Reliable Pictures Corporation)
• December 16 – Joy Ride (UK, Basil Humphrys Productions)
• December 16 – Old Faithful (UK, George Smith Productions)
• December 16 – The Singing Vagabond (USA, Republica Pictures)
• December 17 – Heir to Trouble (USA, Larry Darmour Productions)
• December 17 – The Ghost Goes West (London, London Film Productions)

Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk was released in the US on February 12, 1936. The Passing of the Third Floor Back first opened in the UK in September 1935. Joy Ride first opened in London on June 19, 1935, and made its US premiere on television in New York City on June 4, 1949. Old Faithful first opened in London on August 28, 1935, but has no known US theatrical release date. The Ghost Goes West opened in New York City on January 10, 1936, and entered general release in the US on February 7, and in the UK on March 9.

Murder in Harlem is also known as Lem Hawkins Confession and Brand of Cain. It is a remake of his 1921 silent film The Gunsaulus Mystery. Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk is also known as Father Takes a Walk.

Miss Pacific Fleet was one of a series of five films starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell as a blonde bombshell comedy duo. The Ghost Goes West was director René Clair’s first English-language film, and was the first of two films Clair made in England for producer Alexander Korda.

1945

• December 11 – The Nazi Plan (USA, documentary, 20th Century Fox)
• December 13 – Fallen Angel (Canada, 20th Century Fox)
• December 13 – Life with Blondie (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• December 13 – The Cherokee Flash (USA, Republic Pictures)
• December 13 – The Woman Who Came Back (USA, Walter Colmes Productions)
• December 13 – Who’s Guilty? (USA, serial, Sam Katzman Productions)
• December 14 – Follow That Woman (USA, Pine-Thomas Productions)
• December 14 – Frontier Gal (New York City, Fessier Pagano Productions)
• December 14 – Pillow of Death (USA, Universal Pictures)
• December 15 – Black Market Babies (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• December 17 – I Know Where I’m Going! (UK, The Archers)
• December 17 – The Echo Murders (UK, British National Films)

Fallen Angel first opened in limited US release on November 15, 1945, and expanded on December 14. Frontier Gal expanded nationwide in the US on December 21, 1945. I Know Where I’m Going! was released in the US on September 27, 1946. The Echo Murders made its US debut on television on May 5, 1952.

The Nazi Plan was produced and presented as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials for Hermann Göring and twenty other Nazi leaders.

Alice Faye, who had been on a career hiatus before Fallen Angel, did not appear in another film for sixteen years due to her part being substantially cut during editing to bring out Linda Darnell’s character. Darnell ended up working with director Otto Preminger four more times. Dana Andrews only accepted his role in the film, which he felt was terrible, in bad taste and not a vehicle for Faye, after being threatened with suspension by Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck.

Life with Blondie was a return to the screen for the Dagwood and Blondie characters after Columbia Pictures’ decision to cancel the series in 1943 was met with protest. It is the 16th of 28 Blondie films.

Who’s Guilty? was a rare attempt at creating a whodunit mystery serial. The serial’s villain, The Voice, was purposely designed to look like The Shadow on the film’s poster. The murder mystery format did not work for a serial which relied on fast action, fistfights and chases in outdoor settings. The serial featured mostly indoor settings with characters lurking around an old house. The storyline has been called ‘plodding’.

Frontier Gal was to star Maria Montez and Rod Cameron, but Montez refused the role, and was replaced with Yvonne De Carlo in her second starring role. De Carlo claimed Montez did not want to work with Cameron, and did not want to play the mother of a young girl. De Carlo later wrote, ‘The studio knew I would play opposite Rin Tin Tin if they told me to, and would gladly agree to be the mother of the seven dwarfs.’ Peter Coe was to play the villain, but he had just been medically discharged from the Marine Corps and Universal feared he was not up to it, so the role went to Alan Curtis. Curtis, however, refused to play the role and he was replaced with Sheldon Leonard.

Pillow of Death is the sixth film in the Inner Sanctum Mysteries series. It was the only entry in the series to dispense with the introduction by a disembodied head in a crystal ball, as well as the only one to feature comic-relief characters to alleviate the grim tone. Lon Chaney Jr. stars in the film but is billed as Lon Chaney.

At the time of production on Black Market Babies, the Hays Code forbid showing any changes to a woman’s body during pregnancy, and the studio was cautioned that actresses should not wear padding to simulate pregnancy.

Powell and Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going! was originally to star Deborah Kerr and James Mason, but Kerr could not get out of her MGM contract so Wendy Hiller was cast. Hiller had originally been cast in Powell and Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, but had to withdraw when she became pregnant, and was replaced with Kerr. Mason pulled out of the project six weeks before production began because he didn’t want to go on location. Powell was unsure about Roger Livesey as his replacement, feeling he was too old and portly, but Livesey lost 10-12 pounds and lightened his hair, convincing Powell to cast him. In 2023, the film was restored and scanned in 4K resolution, by the British Film Institute. The process was overseen by Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker Powell.

The Echo Murders is the second of two films in which David Farrar played the character Sexton Blake.

1955

• December 12 – A Yank in Ermine (UK, William Gell Productions)
• December 13 – An Alligator Named Daisy (UK, Raymond Stross Productions)
• December 13 – Richard III (UK, London Film Productions)
• December 13 – The Rose Tattoo (USA, Hal Wallis Productions)
• December 14 – Alias John Preston (USA, Danziger Photoplays)
• December 14 – The Rains of Ranchipur (USA, 20th Century Fox)
• December 15 – A Lawless Street (USA, Scott-Brown Productions)
• December 15 – Fun at St. Fanny’s (UK, David Dent Productions)
• December 15 – The Fighting Chance (USA, Republic Pictures)
• December 15 – The Man with the Golden Arm (USA, Otto Preminger Films)
• December 16 – Storm Fear (New York City, Theodora Productions)

A Yank in Ermine has no known US theatrical release date. An Alligator Named Daisy was released in the US on October 6, 1957. Richard III was released in the US on March 11, 1956. Fun at St. Fanny’s has no known US theatrical release date. Storm Fear entered wide release in the US on February 1, 1956.

The star of An Alligator Named Daisy was a 6 year-old, five foot long, 44 pound alligator.

The 1955 production of Richard III also incorporated elements from Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 3 in the opening scene to help introduce the situation at the beginning of the story. Laurence Olivier produced, directed and starred. It was the only one of the three Shakespearean films directed by Olivier that did not receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, though his performance was nominated. While not received as well as the other two films, it is now regarded as the best of Olivier’s Shakespeare screen adaptations. The film’s cast, all of whom were British, included four knights: Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Cedric Hardwick, which the US distributor used as a selling point. Near the beginning of the film Richard’s herald drops his coronet, a mistake that Olivier decided to keep in, as part of the motif of accidental loss of the crown continued in the final battle. Unusual for the time, Olivier chose to address his soliloquies directly to the film audience. During filming, Olivier’s portrait was painted by Salvador Dalí. The painting remained one of Olivier’s favourites until he had to sell it to pay for his children’s school fees. Olivier was urged by the producers to film in the CinemaScope process, but he felt it was a gimmick and used VistaVision instead. Besides Olivier’s Best Actor Oscar nomination, the film won its single Golden Globe nomination for Best English-Language Foreign Film, and it won all three of its BAFTA nominations: Best Film from Any Source, Best British Film and Best British Actor.

The Rose Tattoo was originally written as a play for Anna Magnani to star on Broadway in 1951, but she turned it down because of her difficulty with the English language at the time. By the time of the film’s production, she was prepared for the role, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Pavan), Best Costume Design – Black-and-White, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score, and won Best Art Direction – Black-and-White and Best Cinematography – Black-and-White. Magnani and Pavan were also nominated for the BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress, with Magnani winning. They were also both nominated for Golden Globes in Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories, each winning their award. The film was shot on location in Key West, Florida, though no specific setting is mentioned. Maureen Stapleton had played the lead role on Broadway, but playwright Tennessee Williams insisted Magnani play the role on film as Stapleton was felt to be too young and too American.

The Rains of Ranchipur is a remake of 1939’s The Rains Came, based on the novel of the same name. The 1955 film changes the novel’s ending. A Lawless Street is also known as The Marshal of Medicine Bend, which is the title of the 1953 novel upon which the film is based.

John Garfield bought the rights to The Man with the Golden Arm in 1949 as a starring vehicle, but the Production Code Authority objected to the story’s subject matter of drug trafficking and addiction, and the film was delayed. Garfield died in 1952, and the rights were obtained by Otto Preminger. Preminger had been successful with The Moon is Blue, despite being denied a Production Code seal due to its sexual subject matter, and his deal with United Artists gave them the right to withdraw from distribution if the film failed to get the seal. Preminger set up his own company to handle distribution of the film, although he continued to have problems with the PCA during production. Frank Sinatra jumped at the chance to play the lead without reading the script, which had also been offered to Marlon Brando. Sinatra was still angry at Brando for beating him out for the lead role in On the Waterfront. Sinatra spent time at drug rehabilitation clinics observing addicts going cold turkey. He also learned to play drums from drummer Shelly Manne. Saul Bass designed the crooked arm symbol used in the film’s advertising campaign, which Preminger liked so much that he threatened to pull the picture if an exhibitor changed the advertisements. Preminger decided to release the film before submitting it to the PCA, and UA agreed to distribute, believing the negative portrayal of drug addiction would provide a public service. The PCA ultimately did not grant the seal initially or on appeal, and UA resigned from the MPAA (it would rejoin a few years later). The National Legion of Decency gave the film a ‘B’ instead of the dreaded ‘C’, for Condemned, and many large theater chains refused to ban the film despite the lack of a Code seal. As a result, the MPAA revised production codes, allowing later movies more freedom to deeply explore hitherto taboo subjects such as drug abuse, kidnapping, miscegenation, abortion, and prostitution. The film finally received a seal in June 1961, which allowed the film to be reissued and sold for television broadcast. ABC aired the film uncut in 1967. The film earned three Oscar nominations: Best Actor (Sinatra), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration – Black-and-White, and Best Original Score (Elmer Bernstein). Sinatra also received a BAFTA nomination. The Academy Film Archive preserved The Man with the Golden Arm in 2005, and it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2020. The film is now in the public domain.

Storm Fear was the feature directorial debut of Cornel Wilde, who also starred in the film.

1965

• December 13 – A Thousand Clowns (USA, Harrell Inc.)
• December 14 – Life at the Top (USA, Romulus Films)
• December 15 – Harum Scarum (USA, Four Leaf Productions)
• December 15 – Othello (USA, BHE Films)
• December 15 – The Flight of the Phoenix (USA, The Associates & Aldrich Company)
• December 16 – Battle of the Bulge (USA, Sidney Harmon-United States Pictures Productions)
• December 16 – Four in the Morning (UK, West One)
• December 16 – The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (USA, Salem Films Limited)
• December 17 – Lady L (UK, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion)

Four in the Morning has no known US theatrical release date. Lady L was released in the US on May 18, 1966.

A Thousand Clowns was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning Best Supporting Actor for Martin Balsam. It also earned three Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture – Musical or Comedy. Life at the Top is a sequel to the film Room at the Top. Four actors from the first film reprised their roles: Laurence Harvey, Donald Wolfit, Ambrosine Phillpotts and Allan Cuthbertson.

Harum Scarum was released in the UK as Harum Holiday. It was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino’s 1921 movie The Sheik. Elvis Presley loved the idea of his character as being similar to a sheik, but then he grew tired of the film because his character was made to look like a fool. He was happy, though, about his million dollar salary and half of the profits from the box office. Colonel Tom Parker thought the film was a comedy and suggested introducing a talking camel. The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson’s book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.

Othello marked the debuts of Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. The production used enlarged duplicates of the original stage settings, rather than having elaborate new sets built. It is the second major film adaptation of Shakespeare’s work following Orson Welles’ 1952 film. In the US, the film only received a two-day roadshow presentation release. Laurence Olivier played the role of Othello in blackface. It is the only Shakespeare film in which all of the principal actors were nominated for Oscars: Olivier, Maggie Smith, Joyce Redman and Frank Finlay. Finlay was in the Supporting Actor category despite having about 300 more lines than Olivier, but Olivier was on screen three times as much as Finlay.

The Flight of the Phoenix was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Ian Bannen) and Best Film Editing, and Golden Globe nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Supporting Actor (Hardy Krüger), and Most Promising Newcomer – Male (Bannen). Battle of the Bulge inspired the Battle of Hoth scene in The Empire Strikes Back. Judi Dench won the 1965 BAFTA for Most Promising Newcoming to Leading Film Roles for Four in the Morning.

The West Berlin exterior scenes in The Spy Who Came In from the Cold were filmed in Dublin, Ireland. A recreation of Checkpoint Charlie was constructed in Dublin’s Smithfield Plaza. The film earned two Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor (Richard Burton). It received six BAFTA nominations, including Best Film, winning four: Best British Film, Best British Actor (Burton), Best British Art Direction – Black-and-White, and Best British Cinematography – Black-and-White. Oskar Werner was nominated for and won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

MGM spent $2 million on pre-production for Lady L before cancelling the project. It was later restarted as a co-production between France, Italy and the UK. Director Peter Ustinov blamed the years of delay in getting the film produced on the novel’s macabre ending, which he feared movie audience would laugh at. After years of debate, his solution was to cut the scene.

1975

• December 12 – Psychic Killer (USA, Lexington Productions)
• December 14 – Deadly Hero (USA, City Time Partners)
• December 14 – The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (USA, Jouer Films)
• December 15 – Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman (USA, Orphée Arts-Parafrance Films)
• December 17 – Emilio and His Magical Bull (USA, Nassour Studios Inc.)

The original title of Psychic Killer was The Kirlian Force, but the title was changed to emphasize the more sensational horror scenes of the film. This was the last theatrical film for Jim Hutton and Paul Burke.

Deadly Hero was the film debut of Treat Williams. Danny DeVito has a role as an usher, and Deborah Harry and Chris Stein appear uncredited as venue performers.

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother was the directorial debut of Gene Wilder, who also wrote the screenplay and starred in the film. Douglas Wilmer, who played Sherlock Holmes in the 1960s BBC TV series, plays Holmes in the film. Thorley Walters, who plays Watson, appeared as Watson in three other films. Wilder began writing the script as production was wrapping on Young Frankenstein, writing in parts for his co-stars Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman.

Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman is also known as Emmanuelle 2. The script for Emilio and His Magical Bull was originally titled Ring Around Saturn.

1985

• December 11 – The Jewel of the Nile (USA/Canada, Michael Douglas Productions)
• December 11 – Trouble in Mind (Los Angeles, Pfeiffer/Blocker Productions)
• December 13 – Clue (USA/Canada, Guber-Peters Productions)

Trouble in Mind entered general US release in March 1986.

The Jewel of the Nile featured the song ‘When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going’, by Billy Ocean, which was a Number 1 hit in the UK, and a Number 2 hit in the US. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner only made the sequel to Romancing the Stone because they were contractually obligated, but Douglas also had a financial interest as a producer. Turner did try to back out because she hated the script, and the studio threatened her with a $25 million breach of contract lawsuit. Douglas intervened on her behalf and ensured a rewrite was made. Turner was disappointed Douglas had not hired the original film’s writer, Diane Thomas, but he did engage with her for the rewrites. Turner was still disappointed with the final result. The director was also not up to the task, forgetting to have a camera loaded with film before shooting a major night scene. The whole scene had to be refilmed another day after the missing film stock was located. Two weeks before production began, production designer Richard Dawking and production manager Brian Coates were killed in an airplane crash during location scouting. Diane Thomas died in an automobile accident six weeks before the film’s release. The film is dedicated to the memory of all three. Douglas and Turner had a near accident when the wing of their executive jet aircraft clipped the runway in a heavy landing.

Drag performer Divine appears in Trouble in Mind out of drag.

John Landis, who had originally been set to direct, developed the multiple endings for Clue. Landis claimed to have asked Tom Stoppard, Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins to write the screenplay. The script was finished by Jonathan Lynn, who was then invited to direct. Lynn has stated there was a fourth ending, with Wadsworth being the killer and then poisoning the champagne so all of the witnesses also died, but it wasn’t very good and was never filmed. Carrie Fisher was to have played Miss Scarlet, but withdrew to enter treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. She was replaced with Lesley Ann Warren. Leonard Rossiter was the first choice for Wadsworth, but he died before filming started. Rowan Atkinson was the second choice, but it was decided he wasn’t well-known enough at the time, so Tim Curry got the role. The entire cast received the same salary and billing, despite their different levels of fame at the time. The set for the mansion was purchased by the producers of Dynasty after filming and used on the series as The Carlton hotel. All interior scenes were filmed at the Paramount lot, except the ballroom scene. The ballroom and two driveway exteriors were filmed on location at a mansion in South Pasadena, California. This site was destroyed in a fire on October 5, 2005. Lynn screened His Girl Friday for the cast as inspiration for how to deliver their lines. Madeline Kahn improvised her monologue about ‘flames’. The film was adapted for a stage play in 2017, with a revised version performed in 2020. A national tour launched in 2024.

1995

• December 13 – Sense and Sensibility (USA/Canada, limited, Mirage Productions)
• December 15 – Heat (USA, Forward Pass Productions)
• December 15 – Jumanji (USA/Canada, Interscope Communications-Teitler Films)
• December 15 – Othello (USA, limited, Dakota Films-Imminent Films)
• December 15 – Sabrina (USA/Canada, Paramount Pictures-Constellation Films)

Sense and Sensibility entered wide US release on January 26, 1996. Othello expanded nationwide in the US on January 19, 1996.

Sense and Sensibility was the first screenplay written by Emma Thompson, although she tried to persuade producers to adapt Persuasion or Emma instead. She spent five years writing and revising the screenplay. The first draft came in at more than 300 handwritten pages, which required editing to a more manageable length. While pitching the film, producer Lindsay Doran found most studios were hesitant to finance the film because of Thompson’s inexperience at writing. Columbia’s Amy Pascal supported Thompson and agreed to produce and distribute the film. Thompson nearly lost the entire screenplay due to a computer glitch. She asked self-proclaimed ‘geek’ Stephen Fry for assistance, and while he went to work recovering the files Thompson had tea with Hugh Laurie, who was at Fry’s house at the time. Ang Lee was hired to direct as a result of his work on The Wedding Banquet. Lee was not at all familiar with Jane Austen, but Doran felt his style fit with Austen’s storylines. Fifteen other directors were interviewed, but Lee was one of the few to recognize Austen’s humor. Doran wanted the film to appeal to a wide audience, and Lee’s involvement prevented it from becoming just ‘some little English movie’. Thompson was hoping the studio would cast Natasha and Joely Richardson as the Dashwood sisters, but they wanted her after her successful role in Howard’s End. She felt she was much too old to play the 19-year-old Elinor, so it was suggested the character be aged up to 27 (Thompson was 35 at the time), which would also make the idea of spinsterhood easier to understand. Thompson wrote the role of Edward Ferrars with Hugh Grant in mind, and he agreed to accept a lower salary in line with the film’s budget. The Jane Austen Society of North America criticized his casting, saying he was too handsome for the part. 19-year-old Kate Winslet won the role of Marianne with one reading, and the film helped her become recognized as a significant actress. The film earned seven Oscar nominations, with Thompson winning for her screenplay, the first person to win for both acting and writing. It also received 12 BAFTA nominations. Lee was not Oscar-nominated for directing, which many perceived as Hollywood’s racism against him, but he was nominated for the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Directors Guild Award.

The script for Heat was first used for a 1989 TV pilot film titled L.A. Takedown. When the pilot didn’t sell Michael Mann turned it into a feature film. The film marked the first time Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appeared together on-screen. Mann did not want to shoot on soundstages, so all filming took place on location in Los Angeles.

TriStar Pictures agreed to finance Jumanji only if Robin Williams played the title role. Williams turned it down based on the script he received, but after rewrites he agreed to take the role. Director Joe Johnston was fearful of casting Williams because of his penchant for improvisation, but Williams understood it was a tightly constructed story, filming scenes as scripted. He was allowed to film duplicate scenes improvising with Bonnie Hunt. Digital effects were handled by Indistrial Light and Magic, which developed a new software program that created realistic digital hair for the first time, which was used for the monkeys and lion.

The 1995 version of Othello was the first released by a major studio that cast an African American in the title role. Previous versions used white actors in blackface, including those with Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier.

Sabrina is a remake of the 1954 Billy Wilder film, which is an adaptation of the 1953 play, Sabrina Fair. The film marks Greg Kinnear’s first starring role. John Williams’ score and Sting’s original song were both Oscar-nominated. Winona Ryder was offered the role of Sabrina, but turned it down. Gwyneth Paltrow auditioned, and Juliette Binoche and Julie Delpy were considered before Julia Ormond was cast. Tom Cruise wanted the role of David in order to work with Harrison Ford, but his asking price was too high. Ford never felt he was right for the role of Linus Larrabee, and his discomfort made the filming more difficult for him than Blade Runner.

2005

• December 14 – King Kong (USA/Canada, WingNut Films)
• December 16 – Lassie (UK, Samuel Goldwyn Films)
• December 16 – The Family Stone (USA/Canada/UK, Michael London Productions)

King Kong first opened in Norway on December 12, 2005. Lassie was released in the US on September 1, 2006. The Family Stone first opened in Iceland on December 14, 2005.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong is the second remake of the 1933 original, following the 1976 remake with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. Jackson was approached by Universal as far back as 1995 to direct the film, and after the success of the first two Lord of the Rings films, Universal went back to Jackson in 2003 to restart the stalled project. The film ended up being the most expensive film ever at the time, with a budget that ballooned to $205 million. Jackson and make-up artist Rick Baker, who designed and wore the ape suit for the 1976 film, were the pilot and gunner on the plane that kills Kong. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody were the first and only choices for their roles. For preparation, Watts met with original King Kong actress Fay Wray. Jackson hoped to have Wray appear in a cameo and say the film’s final line, but she died during pre-production at age 96. Jackson, a huge Kong fan, initially turned down Universal’s offer to direct, but then feared someone else would make it into a terrible film instead so he said yes. Kate Winslet and Minnie Driver were originally considered for the role of Ann Darrow in 1996, but the upcoming Godzilla and Mighty Joe Young remakes in 1998 caused Universal to halt progress on the film. Most of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings crew were brought on to Kong when it restarted following post-production of the third Lord of the Rings film. The film received three Academy Awards for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.

Sarah Jessica Parker was nominated for the Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for The Family Stone.

2015

• December 11 – In the Heart of the Sea (USA/Canada, Cott Productions-Enelmar Productions, A.I.E.)
• December 11 – The Big Short (USA, limited, Plan B Entertainment)

In the Heart of the Sea first opened in Australia on December 3, 2015. The Big Short expanded in the US and was released in Canada on December 23, 2015.

In the Heart of the Sea was first in development in 2000, with Barry Levinson set to direct for Miramax Films. The project moved to New Regency in 2009, with Edward Zwick directing. The film finally went into production in 2013 for Warner Bros. with Ron Howard directing. Before Benjamin Walker was cast as the Captain, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Henry Cavill were considered.

The Big Short received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also earned five BAFTA nominations, again winning for adapted screenplay, and four Golden Globe noms including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.