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One topic that I find endlessly fascinating is lost films. The desire to entertain both oneself and others is simply a part of human nature, and over the years, that’s exactly what we do. Not all of it inevitably gets preserved properly and, in turn, is lost. There are entire online communities dedicated to investigating and finding works that have been lost to time. While I personally don’t take part in any of these searches myself, I do often watch YouTube videos related to missing shows and films, and I also enjoy browsing the Lost Media Wiki to see what kinds of obscure works can’t easily be found.
Sometimes, lost media can come from the most unexpected of places. When it comes to famous directors, one would expect their entire filmography to be readily available to view somewhere. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. The early days of film are especially important to consider, as back in the early 20th century, not every work ever made was able to be properly restored. Even more unfortunately, this problem isn’t limited to more obscure films. A few of the most prominent figures from the early days of Cinema have produced films that are now unable to be found anywhere.
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Jerry Lewis ‘The Day the Clown Cried’
‘The Day the Clown Cried’ is an unfinished drama film starring the comedian Jerry Lewis. The story concerns a washed-up circus clown who, after getting drunk and publicly mocking Adolf Hitler, gets captured and imprisoned by the Nazis. He is eventually used by the prison commandant to lead Jewish children onto a train to Auschwitz, and eventually into the gas chambers. On top of the very dark plotline, the film had a troubled production. Lewis himself was understandably iffy about playing the main character Helmut, and wound up heavily rewriting the script. The film’s two original writers, Charles Denton and Joan O’Brien were apparently unhappy with the changes he made, as apparently the main character (originally named Karl Schmidt) was more of a jerk who had a redemption arc, while Lewis’ reworking put him in a more sympathetic light while giving the movie itself a more darkly comedic edge. On top of that, numerous problems plagued the actual filming, from filming equipment coming in late to money that would finance the film not being received. Eventually, despite plans to premiere the film at Cannes in 1973, ‘The Day the Clown Cried’ wound up not even being finished, though Lewis did hold on to a rough cut.
Technically, this lost film actually won’t be lost for long…to an extent, that is. Not only is the found script available to read online, but the Library of Congress owns the film in its incomplete state, and is not allowed to let it see the light of day until June 2024. The library has plans to screen it at their Audio Visual Conservation campus located in Culpeper, Virginia, when the time comes. However, this will be the only place the film will be able to be seen, because it won’t have any kind of physical, digital, or even limited release afterwards. It’s doubtless that pirated cam-rips will surface online regardless, and who knows? Maybe one day, decades from now, we’ll finally see a proper release of ‘The Day the Clown Cried’, unfinished as it may be. But for the time being, we can be thankful for the fact that this rather bizarre part of film history will eventually be seen.
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Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Mountain Eagle’
Yes, even the great Alfred Hitchcock has directed a movie that’s no longer publicly accessible. ‘The Mountain Eagle’ was the second movie he ever helmed; it was a silent drama film released in 1926. Set in Kentucky, the story concerns a complicated relationship between a schoolteacher, a storekeeper, and his son. It was filmed in Germany, where Hitchcock had more creative freedom as a director. Despite that, ‘The Mountain Eagle’ ran into several problems during filming that ranged from Hitchcock suffering from altitude sickness and the film crew failing to get along well with the locals. Nevertheless, the film was eventually completed and released first in Germany, but it wasn’t until Hitchcock struck success with ‘The Lodger: The Story of the London Fog’ that the film was given a release in the UK.
‘The Mountain Eagle’ was received very poorly, and even Alfred Hitchcock himself was unafraid to say how bad he thought the movie was, to the point where he once told François in an interview that he was glad it became lost. Despite no known prints of the film existing today, a handful of stills from the film have been found, as well as a lobby card. However, unlike ‘The Day the Clown Cried’, the chances of this film even showing up are next to none, which is a shame, as despite how almost nothing positive about it has ever been said, it’s still an important part of film history as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s first films.
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Andy Warhol’s ‘Batman Dracula’
Andy Warhol is a bit different from Hitchcock and Lewis career-wise, as he’s produced all sorts of art, not just movies. However, because he made movies, I certainly feel that he still counts for this list. He’s known for more avant-garde type stuff, such as an eight-hour film consisting of a single shot of the Empire State Building, as well as films of people he knew doing things like eating and sleeping. But what’s (arguably) even more interesting than that is the fact that Warhol is responsible for the first ever ‘Batman’ film…even if it is completely unauthorized. Yes, in 1964, Andy Warhol directed ‘Batman Dracula’, a film where…Batman fights Dracula. While there’s little information on this film in particular, we do know that it starred underground filmmaker Jack Smith as both Batman and Dracula, and that the film was screened at Andy Warhol’s art exhibits. Heck, due to it being unlicensed, there’s a pretty good chance the film was never even meant to be seen outside of these exhibits. A few scenes of the movie are featured in the 2006 documentary ‘Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis’.
Curiously enough, this wouldn’t be the last time an unauthorized fan film about Batman fighting Dracula would end up becoming lost to time. In 1967, a film called ‘Batman Fights Dracula’ was made in the Philippines. Both of these films, being unofficial works based on a pre-existing IP, were no doubt a large factor as to how they became lost, but it’s still insane to think that we live in a world where two separate fan-made films from the 60s about Batman being pitted against Dracula not only exist, but are both lost. And all of this was decades before we got an official story about Batman fighting Dracula!
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Conclusion
Films can become lost due to a variety of means. Whether it be due to any of the reasons the films I’ve discussed today became lost, or some other reason, such as a failure to find a distributor, the simple fact of the matter is that sometimes, films just get lost. This was especially the case back in the early to mid-20th century, before everything could be instantly and conveniently backed up on computers.
However, while it would be nice if every piece of art and/or entertainment were properly preserved and available for anyone to view at any time, there’s a certain charm surrounding lost media as a concept. As mentioned earlier, its very existence has brought together so many different people who dedicate surprising amounts of time to finding works that haven’t publicly surfaced in years. No matter how improbable it might be that something might actually be found, people are always going to be searching for it via any possible methods, and in a way, it’s admirable.
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By Austin Oguri
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I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
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Austin Oguri is a screenwriter and has deep appreciation for the art of film in general, he aims to offer unique perspectives through his film reviews and feature articles. He also has a soft spot for lesser-known works, and enjoys spotlighting them whenever he can. Austin has always found it necessary for people to encourage and bring out the best in each other, and as a writer at The Hollywood Insider, he can combine that ideology with his ability to think outside the box and truly express his love for the arts in the best ways possible.
Austin Oguri is a screenwriter and has deep appreciation for the art of film in general, he aims to offer unique perspectives through his film reviews and feature articles. He also has a soft spot for lesser-known works, and enjoys spotlighting them whenever he can. Austin has always found it necessary for people to encourage and bring out the best in each other, and as a writer at The Hollywood Insider, he can combine that ideology with his ability to think outside the box and truly express his love for the arts in the best ways possible.
