I want to get back to political comments, but a recent trip over to the Jabootu chat room has called my attention to commentary on one of filmland's ghastliest apparitions. Ask yourself this question - What is the worst possible idea for a major motion picture? How about a movie about a lovable concentration camp clown who entertains little children on their way to the gas chambers at Auschwitz? And who better to play the clown than France's favorite funnyman Jerry Lewis? Yes indeed, this movie was actually put on film as The Day the Clown Cried. Fortunately, for the sake of our sanity in general, legal hassles have prevented its release. Currently it seems to be gathering dust in a vault somewhere.
While it may be impossible to actually watch this film, Subterranean Cinema has kindly put the entire shooting script for it online! I quite understand that it may be a bit much to ask even the most masochistic to actually read through the whole thing, but at least check out S.C.'s page on the film and follow links to articles on it. Harry Shearer, as one of the few living people to have both seen the film and avoid institutionalization, has this to say about it:
The closest I can come to describing the effect is if you flew down to Tijuana and suddenly saw a painting on black velvet of Auschwitz. You'd just think, 'My God, wait a minute! It's not funny, and it's not good, and somebody's trying too hard in the wrong direction to convey this strongly held feeling.'
