Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #54 :: August 4•10

DreamWorks Pictures

While there were no new movies released this week in 1921, it was still a pretty big week over the next 90 years with some very notable films, many of them award winners. 1931 gave us a notorious pre-Code Barbara Stanwyck, 1941 had Abbott & Costello in a spooky comedy (but not the one you think), 1951 gave us an Alec Guinness classic, 1961 had the first film ever shown on an intercontinental flight, 1971 gave us the second film based on a popular soap opera, 1981 had the first slasher movie satire, 1991 gave us two van Dammes for the price of one, 2001 gave us a haunting classic, and 2011 had a very popular film that has since become quite controversial. Do you know what these films are? Read on to see if any of your favorites premiered this week!

1921

• There were no new movies released this week in 1921.

1931

August 7 – Huckleberry Finn

• Cast: Jackie Coogan, Junior Durkin, Mitzi Green, Jackie Searl, Clarence Muse, Eugene Pallette, Oscar Apfel, Clara Blandick, Jane Darwell, Warner Richmond, Charlotte Henry, Lillian Harmer, Guy Oliver
• Director: Norman Taurog
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Based upon the 1884 novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The film is a follow-up to 1930’s Tom Sawyer, with substantially the same cast.

Warner Bros. Pictures

August 8 – Night Nurse

• Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable, Blanche Friderici, Charlotte Merriam, Charles Winninger, Edward J. Nugent, Vera Lewis, Ralf Harolde, Walter McGrail, Allan Lane, Willie Fung
• Director: William A. Wellman
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on July 16, 1931. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Dora Macy, the pen name of Grace Perkins. The film was considered risqué at the time due to a scene of Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Blondell in their lingerie. The part of ‘Nick the Chauffer’ was intended for James Cagney but his success in The Public Enemy prevented him from accepting the supporting role, so it went to Clark Gable. This was his last ‘bad guy’ role. The film has been preserved in the Library of Congress since the 1970s.

1941

August 4 – Turned Out Nice Again

• Cast: George Formby, Peggy Bryan, Edward Chapman, Elliott Mason, Mackenzie Ward, O. B. Clarence, Ronald Ward, John Salew, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Hay Petrie, Michael Rennie
• Director: Marcel Varnel
• Studio: Associated Talking Pictures, Ealing Studios, distributed by Ealing Distribution
• Trivia: The film premiered in London on May 27, 1941 before its general release on August 4. It did not receive a general release in the US, and made its first appearance at a screening in New York City on November 17, 1972. It was then screened again at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive on February 2, 1980.

August 8 – Hold That Ghost

• Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, Marc Lawrence, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, Russell Hicks, William B. Davidson, Ted Lewis, The Andrews Sisters, Milton Parsons, Harry Hayden, Paul Fix
• Director: Arthur Lubin
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on August 7, 1941. Abbott & Costello performed a 30-minute live version of the film on Louella Parsons’ Hollywood Premiere radio program on August 1, 1941. The film’s working title was Oh, Charlie. The film was made immediately after Buck Privates, but was delayed due to that film’s huge success prompting Universal to commission another Abbott & Costello service comedy, In the Navy. After completion of that film, Oh, Charlie was put back into production to add musical numbers by The Andrews Sisters to the beginning and end of the film. New scenes were also added for continuity. The film was retitled Hold That Ghost in June 1941. Abbott & Costello’s ‘Moving Candle’ routine was the inspiration for the film.

August 8 – Six-Gun Gold

• Cast: Tim Holt, Fern Emmett, Jan Clayton, Eddy Waller, Ray Whitley, Lee White, LeRoy Mason, Eddy Waller, Fern Emmett, Davison Clark, Harry Harvey, Slim Whitaker, Lane Chandler, Jim Corey
• Director: David Howard
• Studio: RKO

August 9 – Manpower

• Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, George Raft, Alan Hale, Sr., Frank McHugh, Eve Arden, Barton MacLane, Ward Bond, Walter Catlett, Joyce Compton, Lucia Carroll, Egon Brecher, Cliff Clark, Joseph Crehan, Ben Welden, Barbara Pepper, Dorothy Appleby
• Director: Raoul Walsh
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Edward G. Robinson and George Raft got into a fistfight on set that was splashed across the front pages of the nation’s newspapers. Victor McLaglen was originally cast in the Robinson role, which would have made it a supporting role, and Raft resented sharing leading man status after Robinson was cast. Ironically, they both appeared together again 14 years later in the B-picture A Bullet for Joey after both of their careers had seriously declined. Raft chose to make this film over pre-Code The Maltese Falcon remake to work with the veteran director Raoul Walsh over newcomer John Huston. He also didn’t think the remake would be able to live up to the pre-Code version. The remake made a star of Humphrey Bogart. The script for Manpower is one of many reworkings of the script for 1932’s Tiger Shark, which also starred Robinson. Walsh wanted to direct the film to soften his reputation as a ‘man’s’ director with Marlene Dietrich in a lead role. Lux Radio Theater broadcast a 60-minute adaptation of the film on March 16, 1942 with Dietrich, Robinson and Raft reprising their roles. Film debut of Jane Randolph and Audra Lindley, and the final film of Brenda Fowler.

1951

August 8 – Darling, How Could You!

• Cast: Joan Fontaine, John Lund, Mona Freeman, Peter Hansen, David Stollery, Virginia Farmer, Angela Clarke, Lowell Gilmore, Robert Barrat, Gertrude Michael, Mary Murphy, Frank Elliott, Billie Bird, Willard Waterman
• Director: Mitchell Leisen
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1905 J. M. Barrie play Alice Sit-by-the-Fire.

August 10 – The Man in the White Suit

• Cast: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Howard Marion-Crawford, Henry Mollison, Vida Hope, Patric Doonan, Duncan Lamont, Harold Goodwin, Colin Gordon, Joan Harben, Arthur Howard, Roddy Hughes, Stuart Latham, Miles Malleson, Edie Martin, Mandy Miller, Charlotte Mitchell, Olaf Olsen, Desmond Roberts, Ewan Roberts, John Rudling, Charles Saynor, Russell Waters, Brian Worth, George Benson, Frank Atkinson, Charles Cullum, F.B.J. Sharp, Scott Harold, Jack Howarth, Jack McNaughton, Judith Furse, Billy Russell
• Director: Alexander Mackendrick
• Studio: Ealing Studios, distributed by General Film Distributors
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival before its UK release on August 10. The film premiered in the US in New York City on March 31, 1952, before its general release in April. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing. Alec Guinness performed his own stunt climbing down the side of the mansion. He was told the piano wire holding him would not break, but it did break with him about four feet off the ground.

1961

August 6 – Whistle Down the Wind

• Cast: Hayley Mills, Bernard Lee, Alan Bates, Diane Holgate, Alan Barnes, Norman Bird, Diane Clare, Patricia Heneghan, John Arnatt, Elsie Wagstaff, Hamilton Dyce, Howard Douglas, Ronald Hines, Gerald Sim, Michael Lees, Michael Raghan, May Barton, Roy Holder, Barry Dean
• Director: Bryan Forbes
• Studio: Beaver Pictures, Allied Film Makers, distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors
• Trivia: The film premiere in London on July 20, 1961 before its general release on August 6. The film opened in Canada on December 25, 1961, and the US on April 21, 1962. Adapted from the 1959 novel of the same name by Mary Hayley Bell. Bell based the three children characters on her own children. The film’s star, Hayley Mills, was Bell’s daughter and was nominated for the BAFTA for Best British Actress. The film was also nominated for Best British Film, Best British Screenplay and Best Film from Any Source. Bryan Forbes was the original choice to direct by Bell and husband John Mills rejected him. Guy Green was hired, then quit after receiving an offer from MGM. Mills and Bell wanted producer Richard Attenborough to direct, but he had no interest at that time and once again suggested Forbes. The agreed to hear his pitch for the film, and eventually gave their approval. This was Alan Bates’ first starring role. The film has been adapted into a stage musical twice, the most famous of which was in 1996 by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, which relocated the story from the UK to Louisiana.

August 9 – Come September

• Cast: Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, Walter Slezak, Brenda de Banzie, Rossana Rory, Ronald Howard, Joel Grey, Ronnie Haran, Chris Seitz, Cindy Conroy, Joan Freeman, Nancy Anderson, Michael Eden, Claudia Brack
• Director: Robert Mulligan
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Before Gina Lollobrigida was confirmed, Marilyn Monroe was rumored to be cast. Lollobrigida was initially reluctant to take the role because she didn’t want to return to Italy where the film was to be shot. She accepted to work with Rock Hudson, and said it was a comedy that could only be done in Italy. This was Bobby Darin’s film debut. Darin and Sandra Dee met while making the film and were married shortly after production ended. The movie was shot mostly on location, and took nearly 12 months to shoot because of weather issues. A novelization of the screenplay was released in advance of the film written by Marvin H. Albert, a renowned crime and Western novelist and a prolific screenplay novelizer. This was the first film to be shown on transcontinental and intercontinental flights. Walter Slezak hand-delivered the film to the plane for the first in-flight screening.

August 9 – The Frightened City

• Cast: Herbert Lom, John Gregson, Sean Connery, Alfred Marks, Yvonne Romain, Olive McFarland, Frederick Piper, John Stone, David Davies, Tom Bowman, Robert Cawdron, George Pastell, Patrick Holt, Martin Wyldeck, Kenneth Griffith, Bruce Seton
• Director: John Lemont
• Studio: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (US), Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (UK)
• Trivia: The film opened in London on August 9, 1961 then expanded in the UK on August 18. The film was not released in the US until July 20, 1962.

1971

August 4 – Doc

• Cast: Stacy Keach, Faye Dunaway, Harris Yulin, Michael Witney, Denver John Collins, Dan Greenburg, John Scanlon, Richard McKenzie, John Bottoms, Ferdinand Zogbaum, Penelope Allen, Hedy Sontag, James Greene, Antonia Rey, Philip Shafer, Fred Dennis
• Director: Frank Perry
• Studio: FP Films, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: While the film tells the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it was filmed in Almeria, Spain.

August 4 – Johnny Got His Gun

• Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Kathy Fields, Marsha Hunt, Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland, David Soul, Anthony Geary, Charles McGraw, Sandy Brown Wyeth, Don ‘Red’ Barry, Diane Varsi
• Director: Dalton Trumbo
• Studio: World Entertainment, distributed by Cinemation Industries
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 1971, and the Atlanta Film and Video Festival on June 26. The film was initially set up at Warner Bros. Based on his 1939 novel of the same name. Dalton Trumbo wrote the film in collaboration with an uncredited Luis Buñuel, who wrote the Jesus Christ scenes. The film was largely forgotten until the group Metallica used footage in their music video for ‘One’, turning the movie into a cult film. Metallica eventually bought the film so the music video could continue to be shown without having to pay royalty fees. Dalton had considered Steve Martin for the lead role as Martin was dating his daughter at the time. Trumbo was bitterly disappointed when Walter Matthau turned down the role of Joe’s father, and considered Anthony Quinn for the role before it went to Jason Robards.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

August 4 – Night of Dark Shadows

• Cast: David Selby, Grayson Hall, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Lara Parker, Kate Jackson, James Storm, Diana Millay, Christopher Pennock, Thayer David, Monica Rich, Clarice Blackburn
• Director: Dan Curtis
• Studio: Dan Curtis Productions, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 3, 1971. Film debuts of David Selby and Kate Jackson, who were cast members of the daytime soap upon which the film is based. The film was intended to be a direct sequel to the hit House of Dark Shadows, reviving vampire Barnabas Collins but Jonathan Frid refused to play the role again for fear of being typecast, so an all-new storyline was created. The film’s original title was Curse of Dark Shadows. The film was shot after the TV show’s cancellation which allowed for a far more polished production than the previous film that was shot concurrently with the TV series, which required actors to travel between sets during production. Curtis’ first edit of the film ran about 129 minutes and MGM forced him to cut 35 minutes of the film in 24 hours, which many point to as the reason for the film’s incoherence. The cut footage was found in 1999 but without sound. A plan to restore the film had been in the works, but without the soundtrack and the deaths of key cast members, it would be impossible to re-dub the needed dialogue. The piano solo ‘Joanna’ from Dark Shadows was adapted into the love theme for the film. The Dark Shadows theme song is not used in this movie. Jerry Lacy was to reprise his role of witch hunter Reverend Trask but was unavailable. Virginia Vestoff was unavailable to reprise her role as Samantha Collins, so the part was rewritten for Diana Millay reprising her role as Laura Collins. It was her final film.

1981

August 7 – Condorman

• Cast: Michael Crawford, Barbara Carrera, Oliver Reed, James Hampton, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Dana Elcar, Vernon Dobtcheff, Robert Arden
• Director: Charles Jarrott
• Studio: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on July 2, 1981 before its US release on August 7. Inspired by The Game of X by Robert Sheckley, a novel published in 1965. Colin Chilvers, who worked on the first two Superman films, handled the film’s special effects, adapting and reusing equipment he’d previously used on the Superman films. Chilvers enforced a strict gag rule on his 12-man crew to never disclose the methods used to create the effects after the film’s release. The film was a flop but has gained a cult following. To get a genuine reaction from Barbara Carrera, Oliver Reed opened the door of the helicopter they were in and threatened to throw her out. After getting the shot, Reed sits back and smiles, and Carrera elbows him in the ribs, the pain of which is clearly seen on his face. Michael Crawford nearly drowned during a scene where Condorman falls into a river. The strength of the current was miscalculated and he was pulled nearly ten feet underwater. Crawford was willing to do the stunt again, but the director refused and put a stunt man in his place.

August 7 – Heavy Metal

• Voice Cast: Percy Rodriguez, Don Francks, Caroline Semple, Harvey Atkin, John Candy, Marilyn Lightstone, Susan Roman, Richard Romanus, Al Waxman, Jackie Burroughs, Martin Lavut, August Schellenberg, Rodger Bumpass, Joe Flaherty, Douglas Kenney, Eugene Levy, John Vernon, George Touliatos, Zal Yanovsky, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Patty Dworkin, Warren Munson, Thor Bishopric, Ned Conlon, Len Doncheff, Joseph Golland, Charles Joliffe, Mavor Moore, Cedric Smith, Vlasta Vrána
• Director: Gerald Potterton
• Studio: Guardian Trust Company, Canadian Film Development Corporation, Famous Players, Potterton Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 29, 1981. Based on the magazine of the same name. The film was not available on home video for several years to due to the large number of songs used in the film, providing a music rights nightmare. Taarna’s theme was written by Elmer Bernstein for the film Saturn 3, but was never used so he used it for Heavy Metal. The exploding mansion at the end of the film is the only non-animated element in the film. It was meant to be rotoscoped but the film’s release date was moved up to August and there was not enough time.

August 7 – Student Bodies

• Cast: Kristen Riter, Matt Goldsby, Cullen Chambers, Richard Belzer, Joe Flood, Joe Talarowski, Mimi Weddell, Dario Jones, Carl Jacobs, Peggy Cooper, Janice E. O’Malley, Kevin Mannis, Sara Eckhardt, Oscar James, Kay Ogden, ‘The Stick’ (Patrick Boone Varnell), Brian Batytis, Joan Browning Jacobs, Angela Bressler, Keith Singleton
• Director: Mickey Rose
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Michael Ritchie served as an uncredited co-director. This was the first film to satirize the slasher film genre. Richard Belzer is credited as Richard Brando. The majority of the cast were true unknowns and most never made another film. The film was shot on location in Texas.

1991

August 9 – Bingo

• Cast: Lacey, Cindy Williams, David Rasche, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., David French, Kurt Fuller, Joe Guzaldo, Robert Thurston, Sheelah Megill, Chelan Simmons, Kimberley Warnat, Glenn Shadix, Janet Wright, Wayne Robson, Suzie Plakson, Simon Webb, Tamsin Kelsey, Betty Linde, James Kidnie, Norman Browning, Blu Mankuma, Jackson Davies, Antony Holland, Bill Meilen, Stephen E. Miller, Drum Garrett, Howard Storey, Denalda Williams, Gloria Macarenko, Sylvia Mitchell, Frank Welker
• Director: Matthew Robbins
• Studio: TriStar Pictures, Thomas Baer Productions
• Trivia: The end of the film announces a sequel titled Bingo’s Bix Fix, which was never produced after the box office failure of the film. The last film Matthew Robbins directed.

August 9 – Delirious

• Cast: John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, Emma Samms, David Rasche, Charles Rocket, Dylan Baker, Jerry Orbach, Renée Taylor, Raymond Burr, Andrea Thompson, Zach Grenier, Marvin Kaplan, Milt Oberman, Mark Boone Junior
• Director: Tom Mankiewicz
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film used Prince’s 1982 song as its title theme. Robert Wagner and Margot Kidder appear in uncredited cameos.

August 9 – Double Impact

• Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Alicia Stevenson, Paul Aylett, Geoffrey Lewis, Alonna Shaw, Alan Scarfe, Philip Chan, Bolo Yeung, Corinna Everson, Peter Malota, Evan Lurie, Andy Armstrong, Sarah-Jane Varley, Wu Fong Lung, Eugene Choy, Kwok-Kai Ng, David Lea, Julie Strain, Shelley Michelle, Jennifer Stone, Rita Lau, John Sham
• Director: Sheldon Lettich
• Studio: Stone Group Pictures, Vision International, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in France on July 31, 1991 before beginning its US engagement on August 9. This was the third collaboration between Jean-Claude van Damme and director Sheldon Lettich, and the second for van Damme and Bolo Yeung. Van Damme’s decision to play a dual role was influenced by Jeremy Irons’ role in Dead Ringers. Lettich’s screenplay was influenced by Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novella The Corsican Brothers.

August 9 – Pure Luck

• Cast: Martin Short, Danny Glover, Sheila Kelley, Sam Wanamaker, Scott Wilson, Harry Shearer, Jorge Russek, Rodrigo Puebla, John H. Brennan, Jorge Luke, Abel Woolrich, Patricia Gage, Ariane Pellicer, Alexandra Vicencio, Sharlene Martin
• Director: Nadia Tass
• Studio: Universal Studios
• Trivia: Remake of the popular French comedy film La Chèvre. This was Nadia Tass’ only directorial effort on an American film. Gregory Hines was initially considered for the role that was cast with Danny Glover. This was Glover’s first comedic film.

2001

August 10 – All Over the Guy

• Cast: Sasha Alexander, Dan Bucatinsky, Adam Goldberg, Joanna Kerns, Lisa Kudrow, Andrea Martin, Christina Ricci, Doris Roberts, Richard Ruccolo
• Director: Julie Davis
• Studio: Lionsgate Films
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on May 30, 2001, followed by a screening at the Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on June 9 and the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on July 13 before beginning its US roll-out on August 10 in New York City. In a scene outside of a movie theater, the poster for The Opposite of Sex can be seen. Lisa Kudrow, Christina Ricci and Dan Bucatinsky appeared in the film, and executive producer Don Roos wrote and directed it. The name of the movie’s producer, Juan Mas, is used in a police report that Tom reads to Eli.

August 10 – American Pie 2

• Cast: Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy, Chris Owen, Molly Cheek, Denise Faye, Lisa Arturo, John Cho, Justin Isfield, Eli Marienthal, Casey Affleck, George Wyner, Steve Shenbaum, Joelle Carter, JoAnna Garcia
• Director: James B. Rogers
• Studio: LivePlanet, Zide/Perry Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 6, 2001. At just under $288 million worldwide, it is the highest grossing film in the American Pie franchise. Jennifer Coolidge appears uncredited as Stiffler’s Mom, and Adam Brody appears only in the unrated version. To receive an R-rating for theatrical release, 19 scenes were altered. The uncut, unrated version was released to home video. Seann William Scott sometimes improvised his dialogue which resulted in genuine reactions from his co-stars. Shannon Elizabeth refused to do a nude scene for the film for fear of being typecast. Scenes with Chris Penn as Stiffler’s Dad were removed after negative test screenings. Penn’s appearance in the film had been heavily promoted. New scenes were shot with Eli Marienthal reprising his role of Stifler’s Little Brother. Producer Craig Perry said John C. McGinley had auditioned for the role of Stiffler’s Dad. Bill Paxton had originally been cast but had to leave the film due to scheduling conflicts. Eddie Kaye Thomas was laughing so hard at Seann William Scott’s antics during the lesbian scene that he had to be cut out of a lot of the shots. This is why these scenes contain a lot of shots of just Stifler and Jim, even though Finch is supposed to be standing right next to them.

August 10 – Osmosis Jones

• Cast: Bill Murray, Elena Franklin, Molly Shannon, Chris Elliott
• Voice Cast: Chris Rock, Laurence Fishburne, David Hyde Pierce, Brandy, William Shatner, Ron Howard, Joel Silver, Steve Susskind, Carlos Alazraqui, Antonio Fargas, Rodger Bumpass, Paul Christie, Richard Steven Horvitz, Kid Rock, Joe C., Herschel Sparber, Eddie Barth, Robert Wisdom, Paul Pape, Al Rodrigo, Doug Stone, Anne Lockhart, Jonathan Adams, Sherry Lynn, Chris Phillips, Donald Fullilove, Rif Hutton, Eddie Frierson, ‘Stuttering’ John Melendez
• Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
• Studio: Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Conundrum Entertainment, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 7, 2001. The film was a box office bomb, earning $14 million against a $70 million budget. Even so, an animated spin-off series, Ozzy & Dix, aired on Kids’ WB from 2002-2004. Tom Sito and Piet Kroon directed the film’s animated sequences, but the Farrelly brothers’ contract stipulated they would be credited as the sole directors. The Farrellys had nothing to do with the animated scenes. Will Smith was interested in the role of Ozzy, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. The film received a PG-13 when it was submitted to the MPAA in 2000, so Warner Bros. re-edited the film to get a more family-friendly PG rating in 2001. Warner Bros. Animation was in serious financial trouble during the film’s production and had the option to produce this film or one from Brad Bird, who had directed The Iron Giant for the studio. Bird was so angry his film was passed over, he took it to Disney/Pixar. That film was The Incredibles. Bill Murray’s character mentions a ‘National Chicken Wing Festival’ in Buffalo, NY, which was not a real event until the film was released and prompted Buffalo to hold an annual festival on Labor Day weekend beginning in 2002.

August 10 – Session 9

• Cast: Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III, Jurian Hughes, Larry Fessenden, Paul Guilfoyle, Charley Broderick
• Director: Brad Anderson
• Studio: USA Films, Scout Productions, October Films, distributed by USA Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 31, 2001 before entering limited release in the US on August 10. This was Brad Anderson’s first horror film after directing two romantic comedies. The film’s plot was inspired by the Richard Rosenthal case, a murder that took place in Boston. Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now was also an inspiration for the film. The sets required little dressing as the film was shot mostly on location at Danvers State Asylum, where most of the props used in the film were already inside the building. The morgue was one room that needed to be dressed since it had been cleared out. One of the first motion pictures to be shot in 24p HD digital video, giving it a more film-like quality. This was the last film produced by October Films and released by USA Films.

August 10 – The Others

• Cast: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Alexander Vince, Eric Sykes, Elaine Cassidy, Keith Allen, Renée Asherson, Michelle Fairley, Gordon Reid
• Director: Alejandro Amenábar
• Studio: Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sogecine, Las Producciones del Escorpión, Dimension Films, Canal Plus, StudioCanal, distributed by Miramax (US), Buena Vista International (UK), Warner Sogefilms (Spain)
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 2, 2001. The film won seven Goya Awards including Best Film and Best Director. It was the first English-language film to be nominated at the Goyas without a single word of Spanish. Nicole Kidman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, and a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Alejandro Amenábar’s screenplay was also Golden Globe nominated, a rare occurrence for a horror film. The script was written in Spanish and translated to English. Kidman was reluctant to take such a dark role after coming off the bright and vibrant Moulin Rouge! She quit once during production because the film gave her terrible nightmares. This was Renée Asherson’s final acting role. This was the last collaboration between Kidman and Tom Cruise before their divorce. Earning over $200 million, it’s one of the highest grossing horror films of all time. A remake set in the modern day has been announced.

August 10 – The Parole Officer

• Cast: Steve Coogan, Om Puri, Steven Waddington, Ben Miller, Emma Williams, Stephen Dillane, Lena Headey, Justin Burrows, John Henshaw, Omar Sharif, Jenny Agutter, Richard Sinnott, Simon Pegg, Ty Glaser
• Director: John Duigan
• Studio: UK Film Council, DNA Films, Figment Films, Toledo Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened on August 10 in the UK and Ireland. Despite the title of the film, the Steve Coogan character is referred to as a probation officer in the film, which is the correct title for his job. Coogan wanted Roger Moore for a cameo.

2011

20th Century Fox

August 3 – Rise of the Planet of the Apes

• Cast: Andy Serkis, James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, David Hewlett, Jamie Harris, Chelah Horsdal, Karin Konoval
• Ape Cast: Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Richard Ridings, Devyn Dalton, Jay Caputo, Christopher Gordon
• Director: Rupert Wyatt
• Studio: Chernin Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Big Screen Productions, Ingenious Film Partners, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 28, 2011. The film opened in Iceland on August 3, followed by several international markets on August 4 including Denmark, Greece, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan, before opening in Canada, the US and other countries on August 5, France on August 10 and the UK on August 11. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Advances in motion capture technology allowed Rupert Wyatt the freedom to film in exterior environments instead of being confined to a sound stage. Original Planet of the Apes star Charlton Heston has a ‘cameo’ appearance when his film The Agony and the Ecstasy is shown on TV in the ape bunkhouse. The name for the ape ‘Bright Eyes’ came from what Dr. Zira called Heston’s character in the original film. Tobey Maguire was in talks for the film’s human lead but a deal fell through and James Franco was cast. Brandon Routh, Kellan Lutz, and Steven R. McQueen auditioned for the role of Dodge Landon before Tom Felton was cast. The name Dodge Landon is a reference to Taylor’s fellow astronauts Dodge and Landon in the original 1968 film. Wyatt liked working with Karin Konoval during her ape performance so much that he brought her back to play a human character as well. The film’s original ending had Franco’s character dying on screen to protect Caesar, but a month before the film was released mind were changed and Franco and Andy Serkis flew in over the July 4th weekend to film the scene that is now the ending of the movie.

August 5 – The Change-Up

• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Mircea Monroe, Gregory Itzin, Ned Schmidtke, Dax Griffin, Craig Bierko, Taaffe O’Connell, Fred Stoller, TJ Hassan
• Director: David Dobkin
• Studio: Original Film, Relativity Media, Big Kid Pictures, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 1, 2011. None of the female nudity in the film is real. It was either created with prosthetics or CGI. Alan Arkin’s wife Suzanne plays Arkin’s character’s wife Pamela in her film debut.

August 10 – The Help

• Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Ahna O’Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Chris Lowell, Mike Vogel, Cicely Tyson, Anna Camp, Ashley Johnson, Brian Kerwin, Aunjanue Ellis, Mary Steenburgen, Leslie Jordan, David Oyelowo, Dana Ivey
• Director: Tate Taylor
• Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, Image Nation, 1492 Pictures, Harbinger Pictures, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on August 9, 2011. Based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel of the same name. The film received four Oscar nominations, with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress. The film also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Spencer actually inspired the character of Minny in the original novel, and voiced her in the audio book. Katy Perry was almost cast in a small role but had schedule conflicts with the release of her new album ‘Teenage Dream’. Viola Davis has expressed regret over appearing in the film because of its ‘white savior’ narrative.