As a huge fan of Jerry Lewis and his groundbreaking work in comedy, I have long been intrigued by the enigma that is “The Day the Clown Cried.” This film, which has never seen the light of day due to Lewis’s wishes, has become the subject of endless debate and speculation within the film community.
Jewish filmmakers and authors have effectively elicited emotion from the Holocaust experience through works of fiction. However, none have tackled this subject as uniquely as Jerry Lewis did with his 1972 project “The Day the Clown Cried.” This unfinished film, which aimed to convey a message of redemption, remains infamous and has never been released due to a specific provision in Lewis’ will.
Lewis requested that the incomplete film he gave to the Library of Congress in 2015 not be screened until after June 2024. However, it seems that parts of the movie will be shown to the public shortly after that date, during the Venice Film Festival in August. These previously unseen segments will be incorporated into a documentary titled “From Darkness to Light,” which details Lewis’ efforts to produce the film. The documentary will be featured in the Venice Film Festival’s Classics section.
In this heartfelt story, the focus is on Helmut Doork (Lewis), a jaded circus clown past his prime, who finds himself wrongly imprisoned in a concentration camp for making fun of Adolf Hitler in public. Despite his haughty demeanor, he forms an unlikely bond with Jewish children housed on the other side of the camp’s barbed wire fence. Initially opposed by the guards, they soon recognize Doork’s unique talents and exploit them for their own gain, forcing him to entertain children being transported to extermination camps. Ultimately, Doork discovers his own redemption as he chooses to stand with the kids instead of abandoning them, even joining them in the gas chambers. This poignant tale is a heavy exploration of human resilience and compassion amidst unimaginable horrors – a role Lewis reportedly found challenging to portray.
Jerry Lewis was never happy with how the movie turned out
During the filming of “The Day the Clown Cried,” Jerry Lewis encountered significant financial problems. Despite his efforts to keep production going and pay the cast and crew, the final product left him feeling unhappy. He expressed regret during a 2013 Cannes Film Festival press conference, as reported by Reuters, stating, “You won’t see it, no one will see it. I’m embarrassed by the subpar result.”
According to Lewis, the film wasn’t publicly shown, but Harry Shearer asserted he attended a private screening in a 1992 Spy Magazine article. Shearer described the experience as breathtaking, expressing that it’s not often one encounters a flawless creation. “This movie is so off the mark, its emotional and comedic elements are so out of place, that you couldn’t even imagine in your mind what it could be like – it surpasses those expectations.” He was left speechless, exclaiming “Oh My God!”
According to film critic Jean-Michel Frodon, among others, the movie was perceived in a favorable light during additional viewings.
After Lewis passed away in 2017, at the age of 91 due to heart problems, we’ll unfortunately never know his thoughts on more of his allegedly weakest work being released. However, viewers will eventually have the chance to form their own opinions about the movie and its leading actor.
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2024-07-25 06:29