One of the most infamously unseen films ever made finally has a path to the public. In 1972 Jerry Lewis starred in and directed The Day the Clown Cried, which purportedly tells the story of a European circus performer swept up in World War II who eventually winds up marching children to the Nazi gas chambers. Legal entanglements over rights is what initially kept the film, which was finished and supposed to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973, unreleased. It was virtually unseen by anybody other than Jerry Lewis and his editor. Over the years it became a legendary white whale for film buffs. A few people claim to have seen it, including Harry Shearer, but even assuming these people are telling the truth it must be only ten or so people total. Maybe. After Jerry eventually got the rights to the film he kept it in his own personal safe, mostly refusing to even talk about it much less release it. Over time it appears that Jerry became embarrassed by his own finished film.
There was logical hope among many of us waiting to see this movie that once Roberto Benigni's acclaimed Life is Beautiful, which has similar themes, started winning and being nominated for just about every prestigious film award there was the world over that PERHAPS Jerry's legendary ego would get the better of him and that to prove how ahead of his time he was he might, at long last, release The Day the Clown Cried. Alas, it was not to be.
As recently as 2013 Jerry Lewis publicly insisted that this movie will never, ever be seen. He is now eighty-nine years old and his health has been up and down for many years. Thus we film freaks who have longed to see this quite probably awful misstep have had to keep dark hope that maybe after he passes away somebody will crack open that vault, and assuming Jerry hasn't destroyed it, perhaps only then would we see it? Ltierally over his dead body.
Such ghoulish speculation can now end. The United States Library of Congress, which has a film registry intended to protect important movies as art to be cherished for all time, recently confirmed that they have a print - the original film negative - of The Day the Clown Cried. Given to them by Jerry Lewis himself. The only caveat: they cannot screen or release the film in any way for ten years. Given his age and health it appears even Jerry Lewis assumes he will die at some point during this embargo. But at least we know the film still exists, it is being protected by a facility that stores film as its primary mission, and that in ten years the public will be able to see the fu*ker.
We won't know until we get much closer to that magical date what form that public presentation will take? Will they partner with a studio to have it released theatrically? Will they handle distribution through somebody like The Criterion Collection? Will it be streamed online or aired on TMC? Those details will be worked out down the line but whatever the delivery system by 2025 The Day the Clown Cried will get its much belated premiere.
Coooooooooooooool.
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
Last edited by Holden Pike; 01-15-21 at 08:20 PM.