Book Review: The Greatest Movies You’ll Never See / Editor: Simon Braund / Publisher: Aurum Press / Release Date: November 1st
Over the years, being a film fan one comes across news items and studio pitches which never come to fruition, often leaving oneself wondering, years down the line: “what ever happened to that..” This new book aims to highlight many of these aborted films and attempt to find out what exactly happened.
Divided into decades (although the first chapter covers the twenties to the fifties), this enlightening and compelling book unearths many ‘what ifs’ of cinema. Although pitched at general film fans, there is plenty to interest STARBURST readers. Be it MGM’s original intended animated version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, with Bugs Bunny animator Bob Clampett at the helm, Darren (Pi, Black Swan) Aronofsky’s attempt to film Batman: Year One or the Kevin Smith scripted Tim Burton version of Superman Lives.
There are some which are better known than others and some made it past the planning stages and were almost completed. Jerry Lewis’ infamous 1972 concentration camp comedy-drama The Day The Clown Cried, which has only ever been seen by a select few close to Lewis, being one. Alejandro (Santa Sangre) Jodorowsky’s planned version of Dune which is featured is now the subject of an upcoming documentary.
Accompanying each entry is a mock-up film poster by two fantastic artists, Akiko Stehrenberger and Heath Killern whose work between them has promoted such films as Funny Games and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Some of the pieces on display in the book are simply beautiful.
It’s a fascinating read, and what with Christmas looming on the horizon, would also make a fabulous present for that film buff in your life.
