Jerry Lewis: curious, risk-taking craftsman



Very few people have seen Jerry Lewis' “The Day the Clown Cried."

This hasn't kept the never-released 1972 film — in which Lewis directs himself as an alcoholic circus clown in Auschwitz who finds redemption entertaining children on their way to the gas chambers — from becoming an inside joke among cineastes and comedy nerds. The sheer, misguided hubris of such an undertaking fits perfectly with our image of late-period Lewis: the maudlin telethon host; the obnoxious, out-of-touch elder statesman; the egocentric self-mythologizer.

And yet as critic Richard Brody points out, the Holocaust as we now know it was rarely discussed in the early 1970s. The term itself had yet to come into widespread use. Long before Claude Lanzmann or Steven Spielberg or Roberto Benigni (whose “Life Is Beautiful” won two Academy Awards with a similar premise), Lewis “went where other directors didn't dare to go, taking on the horrific core of modern history and confronting its horrors.”

Lewis was always one to take big swings. In 1960 he launched his career as a director by producing, writing, directing, and starring in “The Bellboy,” a plotless tribute to comedies of the silent era that Paramount was nervous would be a flop. Audiences loved it.

Lewis continued to push himself as a filmmaker, not only with his unforgettable performances and stunning set pieces, but also with his technical mastery. Insatiably curious, Lewis prided himself on knowing every member of his crew and understanding just what they did. This led to innovation: Lewis developed and was the first to use the now-ubiquitous video assist.

Long before he became a legend, Lewis thought of himself as “the total filmmaker.” In his 1971 book of the same name, he is frank that his intense, all-in approach comes at a cost.

It is often torture when you have complete personal control. … Eventually, you may beg not to have autonomy so that the morons can pass judgment. You can lie back and bleed, whimpering safely, "Look what they did to me."

Whatever his artistic failures and personal foibles, it is to Lewis' credit that he never succumbed to this temptation.

Legendary filmmaker Woody Allen is 'on the fence' about making another film, says 'the romance of filmmaking is gone'



Legendary filmmaker Woody Allen is reportedly "on the fence" about whether he will step into another directorial role after the release of his latest film, "Coup de Chance." With the release of his latest cinematic production, Allen has 50 films under his belt that span 58 years.

During an interview with AirMail, Allen confessed that he doesn't perceive the process of filmmaking the same way he used to. Concerning his latest flick, "Coup de Chance" — an erotic thriller that translates to "Stroke of Luck" — he said: "It doesn’t matter to me whether I get distributed here or not. Once I make it [the film], I don’t follow it anymore. Distribution is no longer what it was. Now distribution is two weeks in a cinema.”

The filmmaker continued: "And then that’s it. I mean, 'Annie Hall' played in movie houses in New York for a little bit over a year. It’d be in one theater for six, seven months, and then somebody would pick it up and it would hang around another few months. The whole business has changed, and not in an appealing way. All the romance of filmmaking is gone.”

Another issue Allen has found with the film industry is the process of raising money for projects.

"I don’t want to have to go out to raise money," Allen said. "I find that a pain in the neck. But if someone shows up and calls in and says we want to back the film, then I would seriously consider it. I would probably not have the willpower to say no, because I have so many ideas.”

Deadline reported that "Coup de Chance" was released in the U.S. by MPI Media Group, and it's set to be released on digital and VOD platforms starting April 12. While the film has received some good reviews, the process of distribution has made Allen pessimistic about the future of filmmaking.

The report mentioned that Allen has seen his core fanbase wither over the years due to the controversy over allegations made by his former partner Mia Farrow. Allen has denied all of the accusations.

During the interview, he addressed the concept of being "canceled," saying: "Someone asked me about cancel culture, and I said, ‘If you’re going to be cancelled, this is the culture that you want to be cancelled from.’ Because who wants to be part of this culture?”

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Disney releases another box office bomb; 'Wish' cursed with some of the worst reviews the House of Mouse has ever received



The Walt Disney Company marked its 100th anniversary with yet another box office bomb. "Wish," which reportedly cost between $175 million and $200 million to produce, drew a paltry $19.5 million domestically over the weekend.

Box office analysts figured the film would bring in at least $45 million in its first five days, but it failed to crack $32 million, reported CNBC.

By way of contrast, "Frozen 2" brought in over $125 million over the same five-day period in 2019.

As of Monday, "Wish" had earned a worldwide total of $48.9 million.

The animated picture's abysmal opening week bookends a year of similar flops, including "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "The Little Mermaid" remake, "The Marvels," and "Haunted Mansion."

While continuing the trend of ostensibly cursed releases, "Wish" nevertheless managed to outperform Disney's last November flop, "Strange World" — a work of climate alarmist agitprop featuring the studio's first openly gay on-screen teen. "Strange World," which only brought in $11.9 million over a post-pandemic Thanksgiving weekend, reportedly amounted to a loss for Disney of $197.4 million.

"Wish" will, however, still register as one of Disney's worst opening weekends in modern times.

Not only is "Wish" ostensibly a costly mistake but widely disliked.

The film ranks 64th out Disney's 73 animated theatrical movies according to Rotten Tomatoes, whereon "Wish" presently has a 49% rating.

Kevin Maher of the Times (U.K.) wrote, "Just like The Marvels, Wish is an emotionally inert and personality-free movie that appears to have been assembled from the outside in."

Maher appears to have been referencing "Wish" director Jennifer Lee's June suggestion to the Guardian that "[w]hen you manage characters from outside in, they don't resonate. And if it's not authentic, no one comes."

Wendy Ide of the Observer called the film a "grimly cynical marketing exercise wrapped in the sparkly cloak of an escapist animated fairytale."

Although critics have suggested the film is devoid of personality, sincerity and emotional stimuli, Deadline suggested the film's under-performance is actually the result of a poorly conceived trailer that failed to provide a clear sense of what the film was about, promising only another "plug-and-play princess movie" with an unclear narrative hook.

Blaze News previously reported that ahead of the film's release, the Walt Disney Company filed its annual financial report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, detailing both its woke bona fides and the price it has paid for its involvement in culture wars.

"We face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products, which impact demand for our entertainment offerings and products and the profitability of any of our business," said the SEC filing. "Our businesses create entertainment, travel and consumer products whose success depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways."

The company indicated that this "misalignment" with customers has impacted its various products and services as well as its reputation.

CEO Bob Iger told investors in September that Disney would work to "quiet the noise" in the culture war, reported the New York Post. However, it appears the damage already done may be irreversible. After all, the company has both made its activist position on various sensitive issues extremely clear in recent years and demonstrated its contempt for the democratic will of the American people, throwing around its weight in hopes of undoing legislative efforts to protect children and shore up parental rights.

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