5 Movies that Were Destroyed Before Hitting the Theaters
Whether for legal reasons or for artistic decisions, there are film projects that have not come to fruition. Great directors like Quentin Tarantino , Tim Burton and even Charles Chaplin decided to send their films to the last minute guillotine.
While some of these stories arouse our curiosity, and we would have liked to see them, there are others that are surely better forgotten.
Little is known about the silent film produced by Charlie Chaplin in 1926. It is said that it was beautifully filmed, but its plot was so boring that Chaplin himself burned all the copies in 1933. The film was shown only once, behind the famous director, before a select audience of critics.
In the seventies, Bruce Lee rose to fame in Asia thanks to the film The Big Boss . With ultra violent scenes, such as the moment in which Bruce Lee split the head in two, the story did not sit well with the authorities in Hong Kong. Although there is a very censored version of the film that was shown, the censors were in charge of ending forever with the original film.
Considered a masterpiece of terror, Nosferatu is one of the tapes that was about to disappear. It was all because the story basically adapts the story of Dracula to the big screen, without first obtaining the rights to exploit the story of Bram Stoker.
When Stoker's widow found out about the tape, he sued the production company Prana Film and ordered that the existing copies be destroyed. The producer filed for bankruptcy in order not to pay the widow. If today we can see scenes from the film it is because a single copy was saved from the purge, and was sent to the United States, where the exclusive rights of Bram Stoker over his work had already expired.
While the comic talent of the Marx brothers is legendary in film, their first short film, released in 1921, was so bad that Groucho Marx destroyed the only existing copy. Only the film was screened once, before an audience of teenagers who mocked the story so much that it managed to bury it in oblivion.
Conversations With Vincent (1994) was a documentary made by Tim Burton about the legendary actor Vincent Price. Tim Burton was an admirer of the actor and came to film a couple of conversations with Price before putting the documentary on hold for filming Batman Returns. Later the situation was complicated with the death of Vincent in 1993.
Although it had been announced that Burton would publish the documentary, the director finally decided that the project was too personal to display.
While some of these stories arouse our curiosity, and we would have liked to see them, there are others that are surely better forgotten.
For you to decide, We present the story of 5 movies that were destroyed before reaching the cinemas :
1. Woman of the sea
Little is known about the silent film produced by Charlie Chaplin in 1926. It is said that it was beautifully filmed, but its plot was so boring that Chaplin himself burned all the copies in 1933. The film was shown only once, behind the famous director, before a select audience of critics.
2. The movie that made Bruce Lee famous
In the seventies, Bruce Lee rose to fame in Asia thanks to the film The Big Boss . With ultra violent scenes, such as the moment in which Bruce Lee split the head in two, the story did not sit well with the authorities in Hong Kong. Although there is a very censored version of the film that was shown, the censors were in charge of ending forever with the original film.
3. The legal suit of Nosferatu (1922)
Considered a masterpiece of terror, Nosferatu is one of the tapes that was about to disappear. It was all because the story basically adapts the story of Dracula to the big screen, without first obtaining the rights to exploit the story of Bram Stoker.
When Stoker's widow found out about the tape, he sued the production company Prana Film and ordered that the existing copies be destroyed. The producer filed for bankruptcy in order not to pay the widow. If today we can see scenes from the film it is because a single copy was saved from the purge, and was sent to the United States, where the exclusive rights of Bram Stoker over his work had already expired.
4. Humor Risk
While the comic talent of the Marx brothers is legendary in film, their first short film, released in 1921, was so bad that Groucho Marx destroyed the only existing copy. Only the film was screened once, before an audience of teenagers who mocked the story so much that it managed to bury it in oblivion.
5. Tim Burton's personal project
Conversations With Vincent (1994) was a documentary made by Tim Burton about the legendary actor Vincent Price. Tim Burton was an admirer of the actor and came to film a couple of conversations with Price before putting the documentary on hold for filming Batman Returns. Later the situation was complicated with the death of Vincent in 1993.
Although it had been announced that Burton would publish the documentary, the director finally decided that the project was too personal to display.