The Most Infamous Never-Released Movie Of All Time Getting Remake
It is not often that a movie that was never even released winds up getting a remake. The original The Day the Clown Cried is infamous for the damage that it did to the career of comedian Jerry Lewis, who critics felt was a total miscast to star in a movie as serious as one about the Holocaust. But public interest has grown in the film since then, to the point that producer Kia Jam is now trying to remake the movie for a modern audience.
The Day The Clown Cried And Its Backlash
The original The Day the Clown Cried never got an official release. Backlash to the film’s premise and Jerry Lewis being attached when he was only known for his comedy made those in Hollywood feel too uneasy about being involved with it. But as Lewis later got involved in more dramatic roles, many now feel his intentions at the time were misjudged and that he could have made a very moving movie about the subject matter.
Jerry Lewis rewrote the script for The Day the Clown Cried to be a vehicle for himself in the movie, but the original script was said to still be excellent. The movie that Kia Jam wants to make would be based on that original script from before Lewis made any changes to it.
Clowning Around During Troubled Times
The Day the Clown Cried is about a German circus clown during the time of the Holocaust who can no longer find work. After being arrested for being overhead disparaging Hitler, he is put into a Nazi concentration camp to keep the Jewish children there calm with his clown routine. But seeing the horrors that the prisoners must endure, the clown battles with his conscience in being complicit with doing anything to assist the Nazis.
At the time, everything about The Day the Clown Cried was viewed as audacious. It seems many critics feared it would be making light of the Holocaust and be in bad taste. But in more recent years, several films have walked that delicate tightrope of telling the stories of Nazi Germany while also incorporating tasteful humor. Films like Life is Beautiful or Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit have both been highly praised for their handling of such subject matter.
A Profound Story That Will Move You To Tears
Kia Jam got recommended the script for The Day the Clown Cried by a rabbi friend of his who felt it deserved to make it to the screen.
After reading it, Jam said, “When it was done, I was sobbing. I ended up just going home. I couldn’t really do anything for the rest of the day. I called [the rabbi] up and I said, I read and it is as powerful as you said. I said, tell me you own the chain of title. I’ve been down the chain of title rabbit hole a few times. And he is like, ‘Yeah, I got it all.’”
New Version Will Be Based On Original Screenplay
Though the original version of The Day the Clown Cried does exist out there somewhere on film, Kia Jam has made it clear he has no desire to even see it. He feels the original script of the movie is superior and he wants to bring his vision for it to life rather than recreating a movie that never got released. Though Jam did say he hopes releasing this new version of the film will show audiences how powerful the original could have been, and clear up misconceptions about Jerry Lewis’ intentions.
An Important Movie That Needs A Proper Release
Kia Jam has purchased the rights to the original script for The Day the Clown Cried, but is still seeking a film maker willing to take on the project. But he believes he will quickly find one to help share the story soon.
After sharing the script with a friend, he said, “I called and he was in tears. ‘Why did you do this to me?’ he asked. ‘This is the most powerful thing.’ So that helped me really feel that we are onto something here. And again, this is an important movie that needs to get made.”
Source: Deadline
