The following article includes references to suicide, drug addiction, sexual assault, and racial violence.
Movies serve a multitude of purposes, from providing escapist entertainment to shining a spotlight on important issues. They are supposed to make us laugh, scream, cry, and think, but generally speaking, they’re not supposed to ruin our lives.
Unfortunately, every so often a film will come along that just completely screws someone over. Maybe it ruins a filmmaker’s career, or perhaps it embarrasses someone involved with the production. In some extreme cases, movies have been involved in murder plots, suicide attempts, and terrorist attacks. Sadly for the people on this list, their lives were touched by the power of the cinema, and things didn’t end well for those involved.
Read More: https://www.looper.com/71027/movies-ruined-peoples-lives/As it was the first animated feature-length film ever made, you’d think “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” would’ve turned its leading lady, Adriana Caselotti, into a major star. After all, the film was a big hit and a cinematic landmark. But despite playing in one of the most beloved movies ever made, Caselotti largely vanished from the Tinseltown scene after working on the Disney film. True, you can briefly hear her voice in both “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but aside from those few roles, she never got much work in the movie business. Most people blame the film that got her started in the first place.
Some conspiracy theories claim that Walt Disney refused to let Caselotti work anywhere ever again, keeping her under a tight contract so she couldn’t use her iconic voice in any other film. However, Disney didn’t start contracting actors until 1946, so that theory is unlikely. Instead, it’s possible that Caselotti’s own talent betrayed her. If you’ve seen “Snow White,” you’ll know the actress has one of the most recognizable voices in Disney history, and it’s said the titular movie mogul wouldn’t cast her again because her voice was just too easy to identify. Sadly, it seems the rest of Hollywood felt the same way, and other movie studios — especially those involved with animation — didn’t want audiences saying, “That character sounds like Snow White!”
On the flip side, Disney did use her multiple times over the years to promote “Snow White.” Whenever the company planned to re-release the film, Caselotti was hired for publicity tours. And in 1994, she was given the honor of becoming a Disney Legend. Still, if Caselotti could do it all over again, you’ve got to wonder if she’d choose a steady career over one great film.
Read More: https://www.looper.com/71027/movies-ruined-peoples-lives/Once upon a time, Michael Powell was one of the most beloved filmmakers in Great Britain. With his frequent collaborator Emeric Pressburger, the director created some of the greatest films of English cinema, such as “Black Narcissus” and “The Red Shoes.” But everything changed in 1960 when Powell directed “Peeping Tom,” a wild departure from his previous work. Similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (which came out the same year), “Peeping Tom” focuses on a shy, sexually repressed young man who gets his kicks by murdering women. Only instead of stabbing them in the shower, this guy films their deaths while murdering them with a blade attached to his camera tripod.
While it’s tame by today’s standards (but still pretty disturbing), audiences at the time were absolutely shocked. “Peeping Tom” deals with all kinds of uncomfortable topics, including child abuse and pornography. As a result, British critics lost their minds, labeling the film as “perverted” and “beastly.” One critic wrote it was “the sickest and filthiest film I remember seeing,” and another wrote the movie should be “flushed swiftly down the nearest sewer.” That’s pretty much what happened, too. According to Powell himself, the film’s British distribution was canceled, and the producers sold the negative.
After “Peeping Tom,” Powell was basically exiled from the British film industry and forced to make movies in other countries, none of which lived up to his old classics. As a result, the man and his movie faded into obscurity until 1979, when Martin Scorsese re-released the film, kickstarting a newfound appreciation for the early serial killer flick. These days, “Peeping Tom” is considered one of Powell’s best films. Roger Ebert added it to his list of “Great Movies,” and the British Film Institute labeled it the 78th greatest British film ever. Still, there’s no denying this 1960 flick completely killed Powell’s career.
Read More: https://www.looper.com/71027/movies-ruined-peoples-lives/Released in 1960, “The Alamo” was a passion project for John Wayne, marking the movie star’s directorial debut. Unfortunately, the production was beset with all sorts of problems. One of the lead actors broke his foot, a flood wiped out the set, and about 80% of the crew came down with a nasty bug. But in between dealing with out-of-control fires and automobile accidents, the cast and crew of “The Alamo” found themselves in the middle of a murder investigation.
It all started when a group of actors known as the Hollywood Starlight Players auditioned for the film. They were all cast as extras except for one actress named Lagene Ethridge. She was given a much larger role, complete with actual lines, and as a result, she got to live closer to the set. However, this didn’t sit well with her actor boyfriend, Chester Harvey Smith, who had to get a room in a town 20 miles away. Angry about the living arrangements, Smith demanded that Ethridge move into town with him, and when she refused, Smith responded like a mature adult by stabbing her to death with a 12-inch knife.
Smith was quickly arrested, and the Duke later said he thought Smith should receive the death penalty. Instead, the actor was sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
Read More: https://www.looper.com/71027/movies-ruined-peoples-lives/Coming off hit films like “Bullitt” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” Steve McQueen hoped to do something a little different with his next project. He wanted to make the greatest racing movie ever. McQueen’s plan was to star in a documentary-style film about the 24 Heures du Mans, an event where drivers compete for 24 hours straight. The King of Cool thought it would be the perfect subject for his new movie.
Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out the way McQueen hoped. The film’s original director, John Sturges (“The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape”), wanted to make a more conventional narrative film, and the two clashed so hard that Sturges eventually left the project. Soon, the movie had gone so far over budget that McQueen was forced to give up his salary, any future profits, and control of the picture if he wanted to finish the film. Worse still, the making of “Le Mans” ultimately caused his company, Solar Productions, to collapse.
But at the end of the day, at least McQueen made it out of “Le Mans” in one piece. The same can’t be said for David Piper. A Formula One racer working on the film, Piper was driving a Porsche 917 for a scene when one of the tires deflated. Piper lost control of the car, and in the ensuing accident, the driver majorly injured his leg. Sadly, the wound became infected, and the doctors were forced to amputate the lower part. The injury effectively ended his racing career, and it was all for a movie that’s largely been forgotten by most moviegoers.
Read More: https://www.looper.com/71027/movies-ruined-peoples-lives/