US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis on set of The Day the Clown Cried, March 22, 1972. Photo: AFP
US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis on set of The Day the Clown Cried, March 22, 1972. Photo: AFP
US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis on set of The Day the Clown Cried, March 22, 1972. Photo: AFP
US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis on set of The Day the Clown Cried, March 22, 1972. Photo: AFP

Controversial Jerry Lewis film to screen in public for first time after 52 years


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One of cinema’s most sought-after films is set to be screened in public for the first time.

Comedian Jerry Lewis’s controversial holocaust film The Day the Clown Cried, shot in 1972 but never released due to myriad issues with the production, has never been made available in any form, leading the project to reach mythical status in the global film community.

The project, potentially in a semi-unfinished form, is set for a June screening due to a stipulation from Lewis himself. Several years before he died in 2017, a copy was given to the Library of Congress in the US with an agreement it could not be screened in any capacity until this year, though it has since been reported that it may be a rough version.

US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis (R) jokes with Pierre Etaix, on March 22, 1972, during the shooting of The Day the Clown Cried. Photo: AFP
US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis (R) jokes with Pierre Etaix, on March 22, 1972, during the shooting of The Day the Clown Cried. Photo: AFP

The film tells the story of a German circus clown who is imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for mocking Adolf Hitler and is then forced to lure children to their deaths as punishment.

In addition to directing the film, Lewis plays the role of the clown Helmut Doork. The film’s cast also includes French and Swedish actors.

Why the film was never released

While there were several alleged issues during the shoot itself, problems reportedly arose between Lewis and producer Nat Wachsberger once filming stopped, the main catalyst for the film being shelved.

Lewis was reportedly unhappy with the film’s financing and announced that Wachsberger did not fulfill his obligations. Hearing this, Wachsberger threatened to sue Lewis for breach of contract, resulting in a fallout between the two that caused Lewis to leave with a rough cut of the film, according to a 2018 feature in The New York Times.

While never shown in public, Lewis showed it to some friends and colleagues in private over the years. Harry Shearer, one of The Simpsons' voice actors, told Spy Magazine in 1992 that he watched the rough cut and branded it a “perfect object”.

American actor and comedian Jerry Lewis sits open mouthed below a picture of Adolf Hitler and holds a film clapper on the set of the film, The Day The Clown Cried, April 14, 1972. Photo: Express Newspapers/Getty Images
American actor and comedian Jerry Lewis sits open mouthed below a picture of Adolf Hitler and holds a film clapper on the set of the film, The Day The Clown Cried, April 14, 1972. Photo: Express Newspapers/Getty Images

In an interview with The New York Times in 2018, Chris Lewis, Lewis’s son, said: “It was something that was very close to his heart."

At other times, however, Lewis denounced the film. In 2013, footage of Lewis surfaced on YouTube in which he stated: "It was bad, and it was bad because I lost the magic. No one will ever see it, because I'm embarrassed at the poor work."

US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis (L) talks to Pierre Etaix, on March 22, 1972, during the shooting of the film he directed at the Cirque D'Hiver in Paris. Photo: AFP
US comedian, director and singer Jerry Lewis (L) talks to Pierre Etaix, on March 22, 1972, during the shooting of the film he directed at the Cirque D'Hiver in Paris. Photo: AFP

Lewis apparently had a change of heart, as an agreement was reportedly struck with Rob Stone, the library's moving image curator, in 2014 for a screening 10 years later.

Some have suggested that part of his mixed feelings is the personal cost the film's production took on him. After shooting wrapped, Lewis reportedly found out that cheques from the producer were bouncing and that staff went unpaid. In attempting to close the gaps himself, Lewis lost approximately $2 million, according to his memoir.

Chris recalls the ordeal, saying: “I know my mom was unhappy that he sold our beachfront property on Vancouver Island.”

Where and when will Jerry Lewis's The Day the Clown Cried screen?

No details have been announced however, in 2015, film archivists told New York Post the screening would be held at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Centre, Virginia in June of 2024.

Who will be able to attend is not yet clear. Many have hope that it will receive wider distribution than a single screening, though no announcement has been made as of yet.

Lewis said “the picture must be seen” in his autobiography from 1982.

Looking back at cinema's lost works

The Day the Crown Cried is an example of one of the many films that were once thought lost for ever or not fit for public screening.

Similar films include 1976’s Chess of the Wind by Iranian director Mohammad Reza Aslani.

Lon Chaney as the vampire in the 1927 MGM silent, London After Midnight. Photo: Bettman Archive
Lon Chaney as the vampire in the 1927 MGM silent, London After Midnight. Photo: Bettman Archive

Until it was rediscovered in 2020, the film could only be watched on low-quality VHS tapes. Since then, the film has been restored and screened around the world.

One of the best-known lost films is The Passion of Joan of Arc from 1928. After being lost for years, a copy was found in a Norwegian hospital in the 1980s. The film is now considered one of the most important historical film artefacts.

London After Midnight, a 1927 horror film directed by Tod Browning starring Lon Cheney, is still a veritable white whale for fans after the last known copy was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire.

Other films that have not yet screened because of filmmaker stipulations include 100 Years starring John Malkovich. The short film is from 2015 but has been placed in time-locked safes which won’t open until 2115, 100 years after the film was made.

The candidates

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Tony Booth, professor of education

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Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

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German intelligence warnings
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Need to know

The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours. 

The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.

When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend  are  January-February and September-October.  Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.

Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)

Second legs:

October 23

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New schools in Dubai
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8

Price, base: Dh853,226

Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm

Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km

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Losses: 4

Updated: April 01, 2024, 12:45 PM`