Paramount Pictures
This week was a big week for movie releases in every decade but 1921, and looking at the roster it’s obvious that a lot of these films were timed to hit at the start of ‘Awards Season’. And it worked because several of them are Oscar/Golden Globe/BAFTA nominees and winners, including a few that scored Best Picture. The films this week are also packed with stars including W.C. Fields, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Angela Lansbury, Gene Hackman, Jacqueline Bissett, Candice Bergen, Bette Davis, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liza Minnelli, Bruce Willis, Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman. There are also a few films that are more infamous than famous, so let’s take a look and see if any of your favorites are celebrating anniversaries this week!
1921
- No new films were released this week in 1921.
1931
October 10 – 24 Hours
- Cast: Clive Brook, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins, Regis Toomey, George Barbier, Adrienne Ames, Minor Watson, Lucille La Verne, Wade Boteler
- Director: Marion Gering
- Studio: Paramount-Publix Corporation
- Trivia: The film premiered on October 3, 1921 in New York City. Based on the novel Twenty-Four Hours by Louis Bromfield and the play Shattered Glass by Will D. Lengle and Lew Levenson.
1941
October 10 – Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
- Cast: W.C. Fields, Gloria Jean, Leon Errol, Billy Lenhart, Kenneth Brown, Margaret Dumont, Susan Miller, Franklin Pangborn, Mona Barrie, Charles Lang, Anne Nagel, June Preston, Neil O’Day, Irving Bacon, Jody Gilbert, Minerva Urecal, Emmett Vogan, Carlotta Monti
- Director: Edward F. Cline
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Known in some foreign markets as What a Man! W.C. Fields wrote the film’s story under the pseudonym Otis Criblecoblis. Fields’ preferred title for the film was The Great Man, which was also the original title for his previous film The Bank Dick. Fields’ finished film was so surreal that Universal recut it and quietly released both the film and Fields from his contract, as they had the popular comedy team of Abbott & Costello and no longer needed Fields. This was Fields’ last starring role.
1951
October 10 – Love Nest
- Cast: June Haver, William Lundigan, Frank Fay, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Paar, Leatrice Joy, Henry Kulky
- Director: Joseph Newman
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: Last film appearance of Frank Fay and Leatrice Joy.
October 10 – Painting the Clouds with Sunshine
- Cast: Dennis Morgan, Virginia Mayo, Gene Nelson, Lucille Norman, S.Z. Sakall, Virginia Gibson, Tom Conway, Wallace Ford
- Director: David Butler
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on August 31, 1951. Musical adaptation of the 1919 play The Gold Diggers by Avery Hopwood. Doris Day turned down the role that went to Virginia Mayo, believing it was too close to her other musical film roles.
October 11 – Slaughter Trail
- Cast: Brian Donlevy, Gig Young, Virginia Grey, Andy Devine, Robert Hutton, Terry Gilkyson
- Director: Irving Allen
- Studio: Justal Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
- Trivia: Howard Da Silva originally starred in the film but when he was accused of Communist leanings, RKO ordered his scenes be re-shot with Brian Donlevy. The film’s original negative has been lost and the Cinecolor could not be adequately reproduced so the VHS version of the film is in black and white. TCM has broadcast the movie in color, apparently from a 35mm print.
1961
October 6 – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, José Luis de Vilallonga, John McGiver, Dorothy Whitney, Stanley Adams, Elvia Allman, Alan Reed, Beverly Powers, Claude Stroud, Orangey
- Director: Blake Edwards
- Studio: Jurow-Shepherd, Spinel Entertainment, distributed by Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on October 5, 1961. Adapted from Truman Capote’s 1958 novella of the same name. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012. The part of Holly Golightly was originally intended for Marilyn Monroe, but was told playing a ‘lady of the evening’ would be bad for her image so she turned it down. Shirley MacLaine was also offered the role. John Frankenheimer worked on the film for three months, but Audrey Hepburn wanted a more established director, so Frankenheimer was fired. Paramount executives wanted to cut the song ‘Moon River’ from the film and Hepburn told them, ‘Over my dead body!’ (although the producers claim it was they who exclaimed ‘Over our dead bodies!’). The song was written specifically for Hepburn’s limited vocal range. Buddy Ebsen’s country character landed him the role of Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.
October 10 – Splendor in the Grass
- Cast: Natalie Wood, Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie, Barbara Loden, Zohra Lampert, Warren Beatty, Fred Stewart, Joanna Roos, John McGovern, Jan Norris, Martine Bartlett, Gary Lockwood, Sandy Dennis, Crystal Field, Marla Adams, Lynn Loring, Phyllis Diller, Sean Garrison
- Director: Elia Kazan
- Studio: An Elia Kazan Production for Newtown Productions Inc., NBI Company, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: Godfrey Cambridge, Lou Antonio and Eugene Roche appear in uncredited roles. Film debuts of Warren Beatty, Sandy Dennis, Phyllis Diller, Marla Adams and Eugene Roche. The film earned two Oscar nominations: Best Actress (for Wood) and Best Original Screenplay, winning the latter. Pat Hingle’s limp in the film is real. The actor had fallen 54 feet down an elevator shaft shortly before production on the film was to begin and he decided to remain in the role.
October 12 – Back Street
- Cast: Susan Hayward, John Gavin, Vera Miles, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey, Reginald Gardiner, Tammy Marlhugh, Robert Eyer, Natalie Schafer, Doreen McLean, Alex Gerry, Karen Norris, Hayden Rorke, Mary Lawrence
- Director: David Miller
- Studio: Ross Hunter Productions, Carrollton Inc., distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: Based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Fannie Hurst. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Color (Jean Louis).
1971
October 6 – Zeppelin
- Cast: Michael York, Elke Sommer, Peter Carsten, Marius Goring, Anton Diffring, Andrew Keir, Rupert Davies, Alexandra Stewart, William Marlowe, Richard Hurndall, Michael Robbins, George Mikell, Clive Morton, Gary Waldhorn, Alan Rothwell, Ronald Adam, Frazer Hines, Ruth Kettlewell, Ray Lonnen
- Director: Etienne Périer
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Trivia: The film originally opened in the UK on April 8, 1971.
Walt Disney Productions
October 8 – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
- Cast: Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, Cindy O’Callaghan, Roy Snart, Roddy McDowall, Sam Jaffe, Bruce Forsyth, Tessie O’Shea, John Ericson, Reginald Owen, Arthur Gould-Porter, Hank Worden, Cyril Delevanti, Alan Hewitt
- Voice Cast: Lennie Weinrib, Dallas McKennon, Bob Holt
- Director: Robert Stevenson
- Studio: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
- Trivia: A charity premiere was held in the UK on October 7, 1971 ahead of the general UK release on October 8. The film premiered in the US in New York City on November 11, then opened in general release on November 19. Based upon the books The Magic Bedknob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons (1943) and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947) by English children’s author Mary Norton. The film received five Academy Awards nominations, winning one for Best Special Visual Effects. Last theatrical film of Reginald Owen. The Sherman Brothers’ song ‘The Beautiful Briny’ was originally written for Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews was offered the role of Eglantine Price, but hesitated. When she decided to accept, she was informed Angela Lansbury had accepted the role. Ron Moody was replaced with David Tomlinson after the studio refused to grant Moody’s request for top billing. The film’s original 141 minute running time was cut by 23 for the Radio City Music Hall premiere to accommodate the theatre’s elaborate stage show. A 1979 re-issue cut another 20 minutes. The film was restored with most of the deleted material in 1996.
October 9 – The French Connection
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi, Frédéric de Pasquale, Bill Hickman, Ann Rebbot, Harold Gary, Arlene Farber, Eddie Egan, André Ernotte, Sonny Grosso, Alan Weeks
- Director: William Friedkin
- Studio: Philip D’Antoni Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film premiered in Los Angeles and New York City on October 7, 1971. Based on Robin Moore’s 1969 book of the same name. At the 44th Academy Awards, it won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Director (Friedkin), Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay (Tidyman). It was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Scheider), Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Mixing. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2005. William Friedkin opposed the casting of Gene Hackman and preferred Paul Newman, whose fee was larger than the film’s budget. Fernando Rey was dubbed while speaking French because his French was unacceptable. The film is often cited as containing one of the greatest car chase sequences in movie history.
1981
October 9 – Body and Soul
- Cast: Leon Isaac Kennedy, Jayne Kennedy, Perry Lang, Nikki Swasey, Michael V. Gazzo, Kim Hamilton, Muhammad Ali, Peter Lawford, Gilbert Lewis, J.B. Williamson, Mel Welles, Danny Wells, Johnny Brown, Roseanne Katon, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Jimmy Lennon
- Director: George Bowers
- Studio: Cannon Film Distributors
- Trivia: The film screened at Cannes on May 17, 1981. Remake of the 1947 film of the same name.
AVCO Embassy Pictures
October 9 – Dead & Buried
- Cast: James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield, Nancy Locke, Lisa Blount, Robert Englund, Bill Quinn, Michael Currie, Christopher Allport, Joseph G. Medalis, Macon McCalman, Lisa Marie, Estelle Omens, Barry Corbin, Michael Pataki, Glenn Morshower
- Director: Gary Sherman
- Studio: AVCO Embassy Pictures
- Trivia: A special US screening was held on May 29, 1981, and a premiere was held in Tucson, AZ on September 4. Jack Albertson’s last theatrical film role, he was able to see the finished film and died six months after its release. Director Gary Sherman purposely avoided the use of the color red in the film, even replacing car tail lights to make them purple, so the sight of blood during the murder scenes would be all the more shocking.
October 9 – Full Moon High
- Cast: Adam Arkin, Ed McMahon, Roz Kelly, Joanne Nail, Bill Kirchenbauer, Kenneth Mars, Elizabeth Hartman, Alan Arkin, Louis Nye, Demond Wilson, Cheryl Lockett Alexander, Jim J. Bullock, Tom Aldredge, Tom Clancy, Laurene Landon, John Blyth Barrymore, Bob Saget, Pat Morita, Armando G. Afernandez, Julius Harris
- Director: Larry Cohen
- Studio: Larco Productions, distributed by Filmways Pictures
- Trivia: The film has also been known as A Transylvanian Werewolf In America. First leading role for Adam Arkin, and the first film in which he starred with his father Alan, although Alan does not play Adam’s father in the film. Alan’s son and Adam’s brother Anthony is also in the film. Final film of Elizabeth Hartman.
October 9 – Gangster Wars
- Cast: Michael Nouri, Joe Penny, Brian Benben, Kathleen Lloyd, Madeleine Stowe, Markie Post, Allan Arbus, Louis Giambalvo, James Andronica, Joseph Mascolo, Kenneth Tigar, Richard S. Castellano, Jon Polito, Jonathan Banks, George DiCenzo, Robert F. Lyons, Richard Foronjy, Karen Kondazian
- Director: Richard C. Sarafian
- Studio: NBC, distributed by CIC
- Trivia: The film, a theatrical edit of a US TV mini-series, opened in West Germany on October 9, 1981, and played in other European markets and Argentina, but not in the US. Theatrical film debut for Madeleine Stowe.
October 9 – Montenegro
- Cast: Susan Anspach, Erland Josephson, Marianna Jacobi, Jamie Marsh, John Zacharias, Per Oscarsson, Marina Lindahl, Bora Todorović, Lisbeth Zachrisson, Svetozar Cvetković, Patricia Gélin, Dragan Ilić, Nikola Janić, Mile Petrović, John Parkinson
- Director: Dušan Makavejev
- Studio: Europa Film, Smart Egg Productions, Viking Film, distributed by Atlantic Releasing Corporation (US)
- Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 25, 1981, and at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18 before opening in Sweden on October 9. The film opened in the US in limited release on November 8. For its US release, the film was edited by a few seconds to avoid an X-rating.
October 9 – Rich and Famous
- Cast: Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, David Selby, Hart Bochner, Steven Hill, Michael Brandon, Meg Ryan, Nicole Eggert, Matt Lattanzi, Daniel Faraldo, Fay Kanin, Nina Foch, Dick Cavett, Ray Bradbury, Merv Griffin, Marsha Hunt, Christopher Isherwood, Gavin Lambert, Roger Vadim, Paul Morrissey, Frank De Felitta, Frances Bergen, Alan Berliner, Randal Kleiser
- Director: George Cukor
- Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by United Artists
- Trivia: The final film of George Cukor. Based on the 1940 play Old Acquaintance by John Van Druten. Screen debuts of an 8-year-old Nicole Eggert and also Meg Ryan. Robert Mulligan was the original director, but had to withdraw after an actors strike shut down production after four days of shooting. He was unable to return due to a conflict with the new post-strike schedule.
October 9 – Tattoo
- Cast: Bruce Dern, Maude Adams, Leonard Frey, Rikke Borge, John Getz, Peter Iacangelo, Alan Leach, Cynthia Nixon, Trish Doolan, Anthony Mannino, Lex Monson, Patricia Roe, Jane Hoffman, Robert Burr, John Snyder, Kate McGregor-Stewart
- Director: Bob Brooks
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Trivia: The film’s screenplay was written by Joyce Buñuel who is the daughter-in-law of Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Bruce Dern received a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor.
October 9 – The Prowler
- Cast: Vicki Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Lawrence Tierney, Farley Granger, Cindy Weintraub, Lisa Dunsheath, David Sederholm, Bill Nunnery, Thom Bray, Diane Rode, Bryan Englund, Donna Davis, Carleton Carpenter, Joy Glaccum, Timothy Wahrer, John Seitz, Bill Hugh Collins, Dan Lounsbery, Douglas Stevenson, Susan Monts
- Director: Joseph Zito
- Studio: Graduation Films, distributed by Sandhurst
- Trivia: The film was screened in Dayton, Ohio on June 26, 1981. Also known as Rosemary’s Killer and The Pitchfork of Death internationally. The film had been released in North and South Carolina as Pitchfork Massacre in 1984, but it’s unknown who the distributor was or if they had the legal right to do so.
October 9 – The Watcher in the Woods
- Cast: Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen, Richard Pasco, Frances Cuka, Benedict Taylor, Eleanor Summerfield, Georgina Hale, Katharine Levy
- Director: John Hough, Vincent McEveety (uncredited)
- Studio: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
- Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on April 17, 1980. It began theatrical engagements on July 3, 1981 in Brazil, July 9 in Australia, July 13 in Mexico City, and August 26 in the UK before opening in general US release on October 9, and in Canada on November 20. Based on the 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall. The film was pulled from release ten days after its premiere in 1980, with the pre-credits scene removed and a new ending filmed for the 1981 re-release. Bette Davis, who was 72 at the time, wanted to play the younger version of her character as well, but even with extensive hair and make-up, the director told her that she looked maybe 20 years younger but not 40, and she agreed.
October 9 – Ticket to Heaven
- Cast: Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster, Kim Cattrall, R.H. Thomson
- Director: Ralph L. Thomas
- Studio: Distributed by Miracle Films Ltd (Canada), United Artists (US and other territories)
- Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 23, 1981, and at TIFF on September 10. Based on the nonfiction book Moonwebs by Josh Freed.
October 11 – My Dinner with Andre
- Cast: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer, Roy Butler
- Director: Louis Malle
- Studio: New Yorker Films
- Trivia: The film was screened at the New York Film Festival on October 8, 1981. The film was shot over two weeks in an abandoned hotel in Virginia, in the winter. There was no heat, so the actors had to act warm while the crew resorted to electric blankets.
October 11 – Priest of Love
- Cast: Ian McKellan, Janet Suzman, Penelope Keith, Ava Gardner, Jorge Rivero, John Gielgud, Maurizio Merli, James Faulkner, Mike Gwilym, Massimo Ranieri, Elio Pandolfi, Adrienne Burgess, Jane Booker, Julian Fellowes, Patrick Holt, Niall Padden, Andrew McCulloch, Andrew Lodge, Daniel Chatto, John Hudson, Elizabeth Spender, Shane Rimmer, Burnell Tucker
- Director: Christopher Miles
- Studio: Milesian Films, Ronceval Inc.
- Trivia: Adapted from the biography The Priest of Love by Harry T. Moore. The film was re-edited and re-released in 1985 to greater success. Copies of the 1981 edit are no longer available. Liv Ullmann was initially cast to play Frieda Lawrence, but dropped out before filming began.
1991
October 9 – Homicide
- Cast: Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Ving Rhames, Natalia Nogulich, Vincent Guastaferro, J.J. Johnston, Lionel Mark Smith, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Roberta Custer, Charles Stransky, Bernard Gray, Paul Butler
- Director: David Mamet
- Studio: Triumph Films
- Trivia: The film was screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival on July 4, 1991, and at the New York Film Festival on October 6. The name of the city where the film takes place is never mentioned.
October 11 – City of Hope
- Cast: Vincent Spano, Barbara Williams, Stephen Mendillo, Chris Cooper, Tony Lo Bianco, Joe Morton, Jace Alexander, Todd Graff, John Sayles, Frankie Faison, Gloria Foster, Tom Wright, Angela Bassett, David Strathairn, Gina Gershon, Maggie Renzi, Tony Denison
- Director: John Sayles
- Studio: Esperanza Films, The Samuel Goldwyn Company
October 11 – Ernest Scared Stupid
- Cast: Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt, Austin Nagler, Shay Astar, Alec Klapper, John Cadenhead, Bill Byrge, Richard Woolf, Nick Victory, Jonas Moscartolo, Ernie Fosselius, Daniel Butler, Esther Huston, Larry Black, Denice Hicks, Jackie Welch, Barkley
- Director: John Cherry
- Studio: Touchstone Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners I, Emshell Producers Group, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
- Trivia: The fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell.
October 11 – Frankie and Johnny
- Cast: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Héctor Elizondo, Nathan Lane, Kate Nelligan, Jane Morris, Greg Lewis, Al Fann, Ele Keats, Fernando López, Sean O’Bryan, Glenn Plummer
- Director: Garry Marshall
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: Adapted by Terrence McNally from his own off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. To get a genuine reaction of surprise from Al Pacino when opening a door, director Garry Marshall had William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, who were filming Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country on a nearby stage, stand behind the door in full costume.
October 11 – Shattered
- Cast: Tom Berenger, Greta Scacchi, Bob Hoskins, Joanne Whalley, Corbin Bernsen, Scott Getlin, Judi Maddison, Bert Rosario, Jedda Jones, Kellye Nakahara, Dierk Torsek, Theodore Bikel
- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
- Studio: Davis Entertainment, Capella International, Palace Pictures, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- Trivia: The film opened first in France on September 25, 1991 before its US release. The film opened in the UK on November 8. Based on the novel The Plastic Nightmare by Richard Neely.
October 11 – Stepping Out
- Cast: Liza Minnelli, Bill Irwin, Ellen Greene, Robyn Stevan, Jane Krakowski, Sheila McCarthy, Andrea Martin, Julie Walters, Carol Woods, Shelley Winters, Luke Reilly, Nora Dunn, Eugene Robert Glazer, Géza Kovács, Raymond Rickman
- Director: Lewis Gilbert
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Trivia: The film first opened in the UK on September 20, 1981 before its US release on October 11. Adapted from the Broadway play by Richard Harris, who also wrote the screenplay. The film’s setting was transferred from North London to Buffalo, NY. Julie Walters was nominated for a BAFTA film award in the Best Supporting Actress category. The film was shot in sequence so the actors could realistically develop their characters. To date, this is the last leading film role for Liza Minnelli.
October 11 – The Taking of Beverly Hills
- Cast: Ken Wahl, Matt Frewer, Harley Jane Kozak, Robert Davi, Lee Ving, Branscombe Richmond, Lyman Ward, George Wyner, William Prince, Michael Bowen, Tony Ganios, Michael Alldredge, Raymond Singer
- Director: Sidney J. Furie
- Studio: Nelson Entertainment, distributed by Columbia Pictures
- Trivia: Pamela Anderson appears uncredited as a cheerleader in her first film role. The film’s release was delayed two years due to post-production problems and issues with Nelson Entertainment.
2001
October 12 – Bandits
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Troy Garity, Brían F. O’Byrne, Stacey Travis, Bobby Slayton, January Jones, Azura Skye, Peggy Miley, William Converse-Roberts, Richard Riehle, Micole Mercurio, Scott Burkholder, Anthony Burch, Sam Levinson, Scout LaRue Willis, Tallulah Belle Willis
- Director: Barry Levinson
- Studio: Hyde Park Entertainment, Empire Pictures, Cheyenne Enterprises, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, distributed by MGM Distribution Co. (United States), 20th Century Fox (International)[
- Trivia: Billy Bob Thornton & Cate Blanchett received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Real inmates portrayed inmates in the film, and correctional officers also played inmates but were positioned closer to the wall to maintain security. The film was to have been released in the Summer of 2001 but was delayed due to editing and Barry Levinson waiting for Hans Zimmer’s schedule to open up so he could score the film. Zimmer was unable to do the job and Christopher Young was hired.
October 12 – Corky Romano
- Cast: Chris Kattan, Vinessa Shaw, Peter Falk, Peter Berg, Chris Penn, Fred Ward, Matthew Glave, Richard Roundtree, Roger Fan, Dave Sheridan, Michael Massee, Vincent Pastore, Zach Galifianakis, Rena Mero
- Director: Rob Pritts
- Studio: Touchstone Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
- Trivia: It is said the film was made only because of a pending actors strike in September 2000. The film was written in ten days in May, filmed in June and wrapped production in August.
2011
October 7 – Johnny English Reborn
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, Richard Schiff, Tim McInnerny, Pik-Sen Lim, Stephen Campbell Moore, Burn Gorman, Lobo Chan, Togo Igawa, Mark Ivanir, Joséphine de La Baume, Williams Belle, Benedict Wong, Paul Che, Courtney Wu, Rupert Vansittart, Miles Jupp
- Director: Oliver Parker
- Studio: StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films, distributed by Universal Pictures
- Trivia: The film opened in several international territories throughout the month of September before its London premiere on October 2, and general UK release on October 7. The film opened in the US and Canada on October 21. Rowan Atkinson’s daughter Lily has a cameo as a girl whose helmet is stolen by Johnny. Gillian Anderson accidentally punched Burn Gorman in the face for real.
October 7 – The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)
- Cast: Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Maddi Black, Kandace Caine, Dominic Borrelli, Lucas Hansen, Lee Nicholas Harris, Dan Burman, Daniel Jude Gennis, Georgia Goodrick, Emma Lock, Katherine Templar, Peter Blankenstein, Bill Hutchens, Vivien Bridson, Peter Charlton
- Director: Tom Six
- Studio: Six Entertainment Company, distributed by Bounty Films (United Kingdom), IFC Midnight (United States)
October 7 – The Ides of March
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella, Jennifer Ehle, Gregory Itzin, Michael Mantell
- Director: George Clooney
- Studio: Columbia Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures, Appian Way Productions, Exclusive Media, Cross Creek Pictures, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
- Trivia: The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2011, and was screened at TIFF on September 9, the Athens Film Festival on September 23, and the Zurich Film Festival on September 24. The New York City premiere was held on October 5. An adaptation of Beau Willimon’s 2008 play Farragut North. Brad Pitt was cast as Paul Zara but was replaced by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ryan Gosling earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, and the screenplay was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.
October 7 – Real Steel
- Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Olga Fonda, Karl Yune, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Gregory Sims
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment, ImageMovers, Montford Murphy Productions, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Trivia: There were four premieres for the film: Paris (September 6, 2011), London (September 14), Sydney (September 28), Los Angeles (October 2). The film opened internationally on October 6, followed by more territories including the US and Canada on October 7. Based on the short story ‘Steel’, written by Richard Matheson, which was also adapted into a 1963 Twilight Zone episode. The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 84th Academy Awards. Robots in the film were both real animatronics and CGI. The film takes place in 2020.
October 7 – Tyrannosaur
- Cast: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Paul Popplewell, Samuel Bottomley, Sian Breckin, Ned Dennehy, Sally Carman, Julia Mallam, Andrew Milburn, Natalia Carta
- Director: Paddy Considine
- Studio: Warp X, Inflammable Films, Film4 Productions, UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire, EM Media, Optimum Releasing
- Trivia: The film was screened at several festivals including Sundance (January 21, 2011), TIFF (September 16), and the Vancouver International Film Festival (September 29) before opening in limited UK release on October 7. The film received a limited US release on November 18. Tyrannosaur is an expansion of Dog Altogether, a short film for Warp Films that Paddy Considine wrote and directed. Feature directorial debut of Paddy Considine.
The Weinstein Company
October 12 – The Artist
- Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, Uggie, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Bitsie Tulloch, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Jen Lilley, Nina Siemaszko, Jewel Shepard, Basil Hoffman, Ben Kurland, Ken Davitian, Bill Fagerbakke, Adria Tennor
- Director: Michel Hazanavicius
- Studio: La Petite Reine, ARP Sélection, Studio 37, La Classe Américaine, France 3 Cinema, U Film, Jouror Productions, JD Prod, distributed by The Weinstein Company
- Trivia: The film premiered at Cannes on May 15, 2011, and played many film festivals, including TIFF on September 9. The film opened in France and Belgium on October 12, and received a limited release in the US beginning November 25 for awards consideration, and entered general release on January 20, 2012. The film received six Golden Globe nominations and won three including Best Picture and Best Actor. It was also nominated for twelve BAFTAs and won seven, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, making Jean Dujardin the first French actor to win in the category. The climactic dance scene was rehearsed for five months. There are no ‘zoom’ shots in the film because the technology did not exist in the film’s time period. The movie was shot in color and converted to black and white. The film’s screenplay is 42 pages long, the shortest to be nominated for any major award.
Share this post
