Unfinished or Unreleased films...
by elderesek | created - 10 Apr 2012 | updated - 10 Apr 2012 | PublicMost of this films are unavalible to the public for whatever reason. The reason for many of them is that they were never finished but, refusing to die, still pop up in IMDB. Others are just private films or have legal issues that won't let them touch the silver screen.
Whatever the reason, I laugh at many of them, since they could be the masterpieces of an alternate universe, cult films in a stranger region of our multiverse or just normal movies that otherwise would not have been relevant and forgotten in time.
Please, enjoy.
List created at April, 2012.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. The Day the Clown Cried (1972)
90 min | Drama
A circus clown is imprisoned by the Nazis and goes with Jewish children to their deaths.
Director: Jerry Lewis | Stars: Jerry Lewis, Peter Ahlm, Lars Amble, Harriet Andersson
The Quintessencial Unreleased Film. Jerry Lewis put his soul in this piece of forgotten silver as a clown in a Nazi camp.
I guess it was not so funny after all...
2. Movie 43 (2013)
R | 94 min | Comedy
A series of interconnected short films follows a washed-up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Directors: Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin Dunne, Peter Farrelly, Patrik Forsberg, Will Graham, James Gunn, Brett Ratner, Jonathan van Tulleken, Bob Odenkirk | Stars: Emma Stone, Stephen Merchant, Richard Gere, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 112,352 | Gross: $8.83M
A great cast... a great idea (the ultimate parody fanfilm) but after the proyect was sold to another produtcion company, there's still no real reason to believe this is going to be released.
My theory is that it's stuck due copyright issues with DC Comics.
3. Falling (I) (2008)
R | 82 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Drama chronicling the tragic mental and spiritual collapse of a Hollywood videographer.
Director: Richard Dutcher | Stars: Richard Dutcher, Virginia Reece, Maria Eberline, Cesar Garcia
Votes: 82
Director Richard Dutcher has declared that this film will never be released in domestic format, due the extremely personal content it has. Only a couple of public screenings have take place after its short theatrical run, but it's officially unavailable to the public.
4. The Fantastic Four (1994)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Family
When dosed with cosmic rays, four intrepid explorers are given incredible powers.
Director: Oley Sassone | Stars: Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staab, Michael Bailey Smith
Votes: 7,546
Never intended to be released. It's just a chunck of a film, made to preserve copyright issues.
Still, bootlegs are common and easy to find. Watch it and ralize This: Tim Story's films are not THIS bad at least...
5. Theresienstadt (1945)
28 min | Documentary, Short, History
Nazi propaganda film depicting the notorious Theresienstadt concentration camp as a sort of idyllic rest stop, in an attempt to convince world opinion that there was no such thing as Nazi death camps.
Directors: Kurt Gerron, Karel Pecený | Stars: Paul Eppstein, Karel Fischer, Kurt Gerron, Frau Görtz
Votes: 163
"The film was intended to be shown in neutral countries to counter anti-Nazi propaganda about the persecution of Jews coming from the Allies. Influential organisations such as the International Red Cross and the Vatican would be given screenings. However, the progress of the war in that period (late 1944 to early 1945) made that impossible. After an initial screening in early April 1945 to senior members of the government and SS there were a few other screenings to international humanitarian groups in Theresienstadt in April 1945. Further distribution was halted by the defeat of Germany." (Taken from wikipedia article)
6. Cocksucker Blues (1972)
93 min | Documentary, Music
Follow the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour and their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont.
Director: Robert Frank | Stars: Truman Capote, Dick Cavett, Marshall Chess, Chris Collins
Votes: 875
"The film is under a court order which forbids it from being shown unless the director Robert Frank is physically present.[1] This ruling stems from the conflict that arose when the band, who had commissioned the film, decided that its content was embarrassing and potentially incriminating, and did not want it shown. Frank felt otherwise — hence the ruling." (Taken from wikipedia article)
7. Dark Blood (2012)
TV-PG | 86 min | Thriller
Dealing with nuclear testing and its deadly effects, the story portrays Boy, a young widower living in the desert on a nuclear testing site. Living as a hermit, he waits for the end of the world.
Director: George Sluizer | Stars: River Phoenix, Judy Davis, Jonathan Pryce, Karen Black
Votes: 1,435
River Phoenix died before the film was finished. Director George Sluizer said it's going to be recut and released in 2012.
I doubt it, since the late actor's family is against that.
8. The Last Film Festival (2016)
R | 90 min | Comedy
When the producer, director, stars and publicist of an independent film gather at what must be the worst film festival in America - held in a high school - embarrassing revelations, bitter rivalries and sexual shenanigans emerge.
Director: Linda Yellen | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Jacqueline Bisset, JoBeth Williams, Chris Kattan
Votes: 347
Dennis Hopper (the main lead) died and principal photography was never finished. It's just chuncks of celluloid somewhere, waiting to be stock footage or combustible...
I've wondered why it keeps showing in IMDB...
9. Nine Inch Nails: Broken (1993 Music Video)
20 min | Short, Horror, Music
Trent Reznor presents his dark vision of the EP 'Broken' by telling the story of a man kidnapped and forced to watch Nine Inch Nails videos, disturbing in their own right, while being ... See full summary »
Directors: Serge Becker, Peter Christopherson, Eric Goode, Jon Reiss | Stars: Trent Reznor, James Duval, Bob Flanagan, Nine Inch Nails
Votes: 1,140
Experimental 20 minutes long videoclip by Trent Treznor. Extreme violence and industrial metal all over the place. It seems to me that he released the almost full high quality bootleg that anybody can find.
10. Foodfight! (2012)
PG | 91 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The evil Brand X joins a supermarket that becomes a city after closing time.
Director: Lawrence Kasanoff | Stars: Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria
Votes: 11,896
"At the time Foodfight! was announced, the film was denounced for taking product placement to the extreme, and doing it in a film targeted at children. Celebrity voice talent was announced and scenes utilizing motion capture animation were filmed." (taken from Wikipedia article)
Still, Logorama made it to the Oscars...
11. Filming 'the Trial' (1981)
82 min | Documentary
After a screening of 'The Trial' at the University of Southern California, Welles discussed with the public and tried to answer their questions.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Scott Alexander, Joseph McBride, Todd McCarthy, Myron Meisel
Votes: 191
Orson Welles was THAT ahead of his time that he shot a making of for "The Trial", but it went unfinished... just like his own life.
12. Spiel im Sand (1964)
14 min | Documentary, Short
Unreleased Werner Herzog short concerning children playing and a rooster that at some point is buried in sand up to its neck.
Director: Werner Herzog
Votes: 41
The title means "Games in the Sand", and Wikipedia claims it is about "four children and a rooster in a cardboard box, and includes a scene where the chicken is buried in sand up to its neck."
Werner Herzog has said this is never going to be released as long as he's alive. In other words, we'll watch it in about 20 years, being optimistic.
13. Great Day (1930)
Musical
Directors: Harry Beaumont, Harry A. Pollard | Stars: Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown, John Miljan, Anita Page
Votes: 184
It was shut down several times until the involved people just got tired of trying put it on film.
The filmed cans are lost from MGM vaults somehow...
14. Hippie Hippie Shake
R | Comedy, Drama | Abandoned
An account of counterculturalist Richard Neville's misadventures in London at the end of the 1960s.
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Lee Ingleby, Chris O'Dowd
In production since 1998, this film has so many troubles (actor's personal life's scrutiny, low budget, director after director leaving the proyect, extreme rewrites, bad screening sessions) that it's a prime example that producers are morons when they don't let a film die when it refuses to survive.
15. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Not Rated | 169 min | Documentary, History
A documentary on how Los Angeles has been used and depicted in the movies.
Director: Thom Andersen | Stars: Encke King, Ben Alexander, Jim Backus, Brenda Bakke
Votes: 2,738
Stock footage of Los Angeles from several different films (see the full list here: http://www.twotreatises.org/409). Since it's not cleared for commercial purposes in the copyright viewpoint, chances are this is never going to be attended anywhere but in the director's house or in art house cinemas.
In the other hand, it must be boring to dead.
16. The Magic 7 (TV Movie)
Animation, Adventure, Family | Announced
The six archenemies of Earth are challenged by two kids and a five-toed dragon.
Director: Roger Holzberg | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Michael J. Fox, Meryl Streep
Animated ill-fated film. An actor died. Several rewrites ondergoing for almost 20 years and still no footage has been animated and still it's considered a film. Why?
17. Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1972 TV Movie)
25 min | Comedy
This mockumentary follows the fictional career of Harvey Wallinger, ostensible chief aide and adviser to Richard Nixon, from Nixon's time as Eisenhower's vice-president through his loss in ... See full summary »
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, David Ackroyd, Wil Albert, Conrad Bain
Votes: 631
Woody Allen wanted to mock Richard Nixon, but the powers-that-be were not so powerfull, fearing that the goverment would cut off its aids to them.
Conclusion: This film never shined thanks to Tricky Dick.
18. My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)
Not Rated | 69 min | Comedy
It's Mickey's Birthday and his girlfriend just left him, so that's when his friend Clarence shows him a birthday he'll never forget.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Craig Hamann, Quentin Tarantino, Crystal Shaw Martell, Allen Garfield
Votes: 4,778
"Quentin Tarantino has referred to this film as his "film school". Although the film was by his own admission very poorly directed, the experience gained from the film helped him in directing future films." (taken from Wikipedia article)
Orson Welles paying all characters from Moby Dick himself, with a a fake sea behind him. Nobody knows why on Earth's sake he shot this footage. My guess is that enjoyed wasting celluloid.
20. Moby Dick Rehearsed (1955 TV Movie)
75 min | Adventure, Drama
A play-within-a-play of Moby Dick by Orson Welles.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Gordon Jackson, Christopher Lee, Patrick McGoohan, Wensley Pithey
Votes: 72
Yet another Orson Welles / Moby Dick crossover. The guy must have been obssessed with Captain Ishmael's obssession with the while whale.
This time, its a theater company improvising the story with barebones scenary and propmastery, and speaking bad about the director (Welles himself) in his back.
Maybe this film was a real rehearsal for a meta-film. Maybe Welles was just nuts. Maybe both. Maybe none. Who cares! This film won't ever be seen in IMAX...
21. Orson Welles' Magic Show (1985 TV Movie)
27 min
Orson Welles was a big fan of magic and in this television broadcast develops a number of traditional tricks.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Allen Bracken, Angie Dickinson, Gary Graver
Votes: 128
Once again, Welles. This time in an unsold TV special full of magic tricks.
Welles... Welles... too much in one mind, so little of relevance.
22. The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
R | 122 min | Drama
At a media-swamped party to celebrate his 70th birthday and screen his avant-garde film-in-progress, a legendary but jaded Hollywood director is faced both with voracious fans and unsettling questions about what became of his lead actor.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: John Huston, Oja Kodar, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg
Votes: 8,051
This has been called the best film ever left unfinished. And it was shot by Orsen Welles, once again.
Actually, I think this could be interesting. Far before "Adaptation.", this could have been a meta-film as no other before. A small piece of footage can be seen here: http://youtu.be/D0kdTPd5XJM
Tell Your Friends