DAY THE CLOWN CRIED - Footage Leaked to Youtube!

[AndyDursin]

The infamous DAY THE CLOWN CRIED is a film many have talked about but none outside Jerry Lewis' inner circle have ever seen...so this video is the first chance most of the world has ever had to witness this much discussed disaster.

Watch it, download it before it's gone...


The Holy Grail for film fans emerged, unexpectedly, on YouTube tonight as nearly seven minutes of footage from Jerry Lewis's unrelased Nazi clown film The Day The Clown Cried found way to the video sharing website.

The plot of the film—considered Lewis's disastrous attempt at making "serious cinema"—revolves around a clown in a concentration camp who entertains Jewish children as they are led to their deaths.

The film was reportedly such a disaster, both aesthetically and financially, that its rightsholders refuse to allow it ever to be seen. Lewis himself has only one copy, having screened portions for a handful of people over the years. You can read the reactions of some of those people here.

The uploader of this to YouTube claims it is a behind-the-scenes program presented in Flemish. Its date of broadcast isn't provided.





http://deadspin.com/footage-from-infamo ... socialflow

[Paul MacLean]

Amazing find! Even though this piece doesn't include any actual footage from the film itself, there's a palpable air of "this movie just isn't working".

I have to be honest, I never though Jerry Lewis was the least-bit entertaining. The only good performance he ever gave was in The King of Comedy (where he was playing an unfunny SOB).

[mkaroly]

I never found Lewis to be funny or entertaining. Those bits did nothing to change my mind...lol...

[AndyDursin]

I'm not sure this movie was supposed to be funny...more like horrifying...but I guess it was horrifying in a totally different way. lol.

[Paul MacLean]

Fittingly, Lewis was the man who originally coined the term "You can't polish a turd".

[Jedbu]

Lewis makes Jim Carrey seem like the height of subtlety by comparison-never really found him funny, either.

I wonder if Roberto Bergnini was inspired to make LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL by this idea...thought that film was a bit tasteless myself and his Oscar is another one of those I felt was totally undeserved. Along with Robin Williams JACOB THE LIAR...what is it about comedians who feel that if their character is put into a tragic situation, it legitimizes their art? It all stems back to Chaplin, who was somehow able to perfectly balance laughter and pathos in a way that did not descend into bathos, which is what killed Harry Langdon's career (if you don't know what I am talking about, try and watch THREE'S A CROWD, probably one of the most leaden paced, unfunny comedies of the silent era-Langdon's directorial debut and a financial misfire) and what Keaton and Lloyd were able to avoid, due to the stoicism and determination-respectively-of their characters.

This is what I think has hurt Billy Crystal's career as well-CITY SLICKERS was one very funny comedy until his character became obsessed with Norman, the cow, to the point where that relationship was beginning to make me uncomfortable. Woody Allen was able to pull off a serious note in his comedies like ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN because they were totally grounded in reality and did not have sudden change in tone in mid-film like so many comedies try for these days that is both totally unexpected and also completely bogus. Almost any rom-com made these days fits that description, and the only film in the last 20+ years that comes to mind that did not cop-out and betray its dark comedic themes was THE WAR OF THE ROSES, which, while not totally successful, did at least have the guts not to tack on a bulls*** happy ending.

I think so many comic artists feel that, in order to be taken seriously, to quote Woody Allen: "want to sit at the grown-up table" and make their mark as a "serious" artist by playing it straight and discarding their comic roots. Lewis tried it with DAY THE CLOWN CRIED and I don't think his film career-with the exception of KING OF COMEDY-ever recovered. I think that is what hurt Crystal, Williams and Adam Sandler tried for with PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, but their fans want laughs, not real life.

[Paul MacLean]

I think after a while successful comedians realize success is not an end in itself and want to so something more "substantial". Allen managed to make non-comedic films -- but he was smart not to cast himself in Interiors or Match Point.

But I think audiences become so used to seeing comedians be funny, it's impossible to take them seriously. Everyone laughed -- in the wrong way -- at Steve Martin in Pennies from Heaven.

Then there was Eddie Murphy's foray into sentimental ballads...

[AndyDursin]

Allen is definitely different because he's not acting in his "serious" fare -- so that's a whole other ball of wax.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Jim Carrey's, mainly because of the poor career choices he's made, but I do think his turn in THE TRUMAN SHOW was one of the best "serious" roles I've seen from a comedian, mainly because it enabled him to tap into his dramatic as well as comedic strengths. That was a good movie at the time (haven't seen it in a while).

And I disagree Jeff with Billy Crystal in this regard: the original CITY SLICKERS had a lot of heart and I found the whole Norman subplot to be its most satisfying emotional element. One of the best parts of the film! Crystal's problem was trying to recapture that and the emotional aspects of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in his subsequent work, which often turned into schmaltz (like MR. SATURDAY NIGHT or FORGET PARIS).

[Eric Paddon]

Back in the days of radio, all the star comedians of the age would take their turn at least once playing "serious" on a show like "Suspense". Over time, you'd get to hear the likes of Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny etc. as killers/criminals etc. but the difference is that they weren't trying to do career-changing things, they were just dabbling in this for fun. Bob Hope was bright enough to know that he could never do that in a movie.

The audience is usually savvy enough to know the difference between the pure comedian and the actor who can be funny and serious depending on the role. The pure comedians should have enough sense to know they aren't considered part of the latter category.

[Paul MacLean]

We might finally get a chance to see this movie...in ten years.

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news ... s-20150807

[Jedbu]

Already have Fandango bookmarked for the big day .

[Paul MacLean]

Excerpts from a German documentary about The Day the Clown Cried, including clips from the film itself (albeit dubbed in German) have been leaked to Youtube...

[AndyDursin]

Looks horrific in every sense of the word.

[Paul MacLean]

Harry Shearer has actually seen this film, and was interviewed by Howard Stern about what he saw...