The Day the Clown Cried (1972)

Director:

Jerry Lewis

Writers:

Joan O'Brien (story) and
Charles Denton (story) ...
(more)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A circus clown is imprisoned by the Nazis and goes with Jewish children to their deaths.

Plot Keywords:

Clown | Holocaust | Nazi | Unreleased Film | Based On Novel

Cast

Jerry Lewis	...	Helmut Doork
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Ahlm	...	1st New Prisoner
Lars Amble	...	Guard
Harriet Andersson	...	Ada Doork
Jonas Bergström	...	Franz
Claude Bolling
Tomas Bolme	...	Adolf
Curt Broberg	...	Galt
Bo Brundin	...	Ludwig
Johnny Cacao
Anton Diffring	...	Captain Curt Runkel
Pierre Étaix
Victor Fratellini
Serge Gainsbourg
Michel Garland
Ronald F. Hoiseck	...	Uhlmann
Sven Lindberg
Lars Lind	...	2nd New Prisoner
Åke Lindman	...	Stout Prisoner
Michael Mansson	...	Prisoner
Sandy Mansson	...	Prisoner
Armand Mestral
Fredrik Ohlsson	...	Herman
Ulf Palme	...	Johann Keltner
Roberto

Directed by
Jerry Lewis

Writing credits
Joan O'Brien		(story) and
Charles Denton		(story)
Jerry Lewis		(screenplay)

Produced by
Nat Wachsberger	....	producer

Cinematography by
Rune Ericson

Production Design by
Max Douy

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jean-Jacques Beineix	....	second assistant director

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Europa Studios, Bromma, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Trivia:

One of the most talked about, yet little seen, films in history, only a select few have ever seen the film. Among them, actor Harry Shearer who told Spy Magazine that the film was "perfect" in its awfulness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Brother's Light (2002)

Tasteless tale of a Nazi Clown who both entertains and gasses Jewish children...unfortunately, you read correctly

After playing an astronaut, a mad scientist and other challenging roles in the 1950's and 1960's, what was left for comedian Jerry Lewis to do? Sadly, this rarely-released movie proved sufficient for the aging star, as he finally committed to what he termed "my first serious film". Quite simply, a premise which concerns the gassing of Jewish children requires a sophisticated and subtle direction to succeed. Unfortunately, the audience receives exactly the opposite perspective.

Basically, Jerry Lewis plays the role of a Nazi Clown who works at Auschwitz, entertaining jewish children just before they are to be gassed. Apparently the point of the film is to establish a certain Emotional bond and conflictual problem between the joy of 'clowning' and the role that the Nazis have for him. Unfortunately it comes out as a poorly-edited and particularly tasteless WWII drama - with the predefined role of Jerry as a comedian not helping matters in the very least.

To fully understand the rationale behind this film, you have first to accept the comments made by Jerry Lewis himself - "It is he [the clown] who is assigned to try to keep the kids in the camp happy - and it is he, in the end, who is expected to lead the children - into the ovens". Sensitive? Go figure.