Originally posted by blackfog
howard stern covers this topic a lot. he has interviewed 1 or 2 people who have actually seen it (it sits in someone's vault in their beverly hills home). jerry lewis will never let it be released. it turned out to be the worst piece of sh*t, and alomst made a mockery of the holocaust. jerry lewis plays a clown in a concentration camp who entertains kids on there way to the showers to try and cheer them up in line. whoever gave this the green light should be ashamed. trust me, this is supposed to be NO life is beautiful.

This comedic opus begins with a once great, now down and out clown by the name of Helmut Doork (played by Mr. Jerry Lewis) as he is fired from the circus where he is not appreciated. After being dropped, Doork heads to the local watering hole where he attempts to drown his sorrows. After a few pops, Doork begins to poke fun at Mr. Hitler, much to the chagrin of the Gestapo agents sitting in the bar. He is promptly arrested and sent off to a prison camp.

...

While Helmut is in solitary, the Nazis come upon a uniquely Nazi dilemma - they have to get the children to another camp, as they are no use in a work camp. They have the children rounded up in a boxcar awaiting the train that will take them away, however the cries of the children are an annoyance. Since they want to get rid of the children while drawing as little attention to themselves as possible, they decide to send Helmut to the boxcar to keep the children quiet. In exchange for his performance, they tell him that his appeal for release will be reviewed. Helmut agrees to perform for the children and does so, making them laugh and convincing them that they are going to a "better place." He is accidentally locked in with the children when the train arrives and arrives with the children the next day at Auschwitz.

...

[The Commandant at Auschwitz] goes on to tell Helmut that as he has lead the children this far and that he now has a special bond with them, almost as if he is "one of them," he should lead them for the remainder of their journey. It is then, in the last ten pages of the screenplay, that the true dementia of the film truly takes hold. Helmut replies "No... no! I'm not one of them. I'm not! I'm a German. A loyal German. You can't kill me, I'm not one of them. I swear it. I'm not." The Commandant explains that he doesn't have to die, "I'm just asking you to lead them." Helmut looks unwilling to comply. "Not... even to save your own life?" Helmut gives in. "I'm glad to see you're not a self-appointed martyr. Just think! Now you're really one of us."

Helmut asks for some time with the children and they grant him a half hour. He joins the children in the room where they are being kept. "Now I want everyone to put on a big smile and sit down, because we're going to have more fun than we've ever had." Once more Helmut Doork clowns with the children. The guards come to get the children. The children want to know what is going on. Helmut tells them "They... want us to move to another building... where we'll have more room... to play. Tell you what. Let's make it a big circus parade. Everybody get in line behind..." With that, Helmut marches the children through the prison yard, all the while hoping for some miracle, and to the open doorway of the gas chamber. He stops outside the door and reluctantly steers the children through. A little girl stops beside Helmut and puts out her hand for him to take. At first he hesitates and the child pulls away, but he then takes her hand and walks through the door with her. The guards lock the door behind them and Helmut gathers the children around him. They all begin to laugh "until the chamber resounds with gentle laughter."

CUT TO: INSERT: "IF ANOTHER MAN'S CHILD IS THREATENED AND YOU MOVE NOT TO PROTECT IT, THE CHILDREN OF ALL MEN ARE IN JEOPARDY AND YOU STAND AS GUILTY AS THOSE WHO THREATEN."
FADE OUT: THE END

In 1972 the “King of Comedy” Jerry Lewis was at the peak of his career. Driven by the ambition to play a dramatic role for a change, he set out to craft a very special movie project for himself, The Day the Clown Cried. It turned out to be an epic fiasco, becoming an elusive ghost of a movie with Lewis leaving the set and never speaking about what happened. The movie was never completed and has become the ultimate Hollywood myth. Now, after years of research, extensive materials have been found, restored and put into their production context. This documentary tells the story as daring as the original project itself, with Lewis playing a German clown in a concentration camp long before any other director had narrated the Holocaust on the big screen in fiction. Featuring exclusive interviews with cast and crew members like Pierre Étaix, Rune Ericson, long-time friend and companion Martin Scorsese and ultimately Jerry Lewis himself, From Darkness to Light finally uncovers the story of one of the most ambitious US- European coproduction projects of its time, the storm surrounding its shooting and the almost unbearable pressure it put on its protagonist, the “total filmmaker” Jerry Lewis.


Director's statement:
The Day the Clown Cried is a project shrouded in mystery and controversy, a film that has lived in the collective imagination of cinema enthusiasts for decades despite never being released. As directors, the allure of this enigmatic film by Lewis presented an irresistible challenge and an invaluable opportunity for exploration. Our documentary project has become a journey into the heart of artistic ambition, human frailty and the complex nature of comedy and tragedy. Lewis’ attempt to tackle the harrowing subject of the Holocaust through the lens of a comedic performer highlights the precarious balance between humor and horror, and it invites us to ponder the boundaries of taste, sensitivity and artistic risk. The film seeks to honor Lewis’ bold vision while critically examining the ethical and artistic dilemmas it presents. It is a tribute to the relentless pursuit of creativity and the often-painful realities that accompany it.