6 Controversial Films You Never Got to See

BBC rounds up Hollywood's buried tales
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 3, 2014 10:00 AM CDT
6 Controversial Films You Never Got to See
Alfred Hitchcock   (Wikimedia Commons)

Ever hear about an upcoming movie that somehow disappears before its release—or perhaps shortly thereafter? Well, there's a good chance that flick got "buried," or made and then locked away, just like these controversial films rounded up by the BBC:

  1. The Day the Clown Cried: Of this movie about a clown who performs in a concentration camp, director and star Jerry Lewis said, "I was ashamed of the work ... and never let anyone see it. It was bad, bad, bad."
  2. Memory of the Camps: Alfred Hitchcock went into a week-long depression producing this documentary on Nazi death camps. It was scrapped for fear it would stir up too much anti-German sentiment, though it did eventually debut in 1984. You can watch it here.
  3. The Brave: Johnny Depp's first attempt in the director's chair, a modern-day Western, was bashed by critics at Cannes in 1997. Depp then prevented its US release and hasn't directed since.
  4. Nailed: It appears the man who brought you American Hustle wasn't as happy with this political satire about a congressman who exploits a woman's sexual urges caused by a nail to the head. The film is done, but David O. Russell says there are no plans to release it.
  5. Who Killed Bambi?: Think A Hard Day's Night but with the Sex Pistols. It went into production in the 1970s, but the heads at 20th Century Fox deemed it not worth a release.
  6. Song of the South: This Disney flick based on African-American folktales took flak from the NAACP for giving "the impression of an idyllic master-slave relationship." It was seen in some cinemas, but never released to home video, though its song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," is still popular.
Click for the full list, or check out 5 of the best films that never even got made. (More movies stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X