Denzel Washington names his most unfairly treated movie: “It got buried”
Sadly, many films have not seen the light of day or have been incorrectly handled by the marketing team and accidentally buried. Whether it be the recent Batgirl film that was scrapped despite having millions spent on its production or the tragically terrible marketing of Babylon that led it to become one of the greatest flops of recent years despite being an undeniable masterpiece. Perhaps what can be gleaned from this is that art and money do not merge very well together, with a wide array of bad decisions made by the suits that reflect a poor understanding of the film market and the desires of the audience.
For Denzel Washington, this became particularly frustrating after he witnessed first-hand how a poor marketing campaign butchered one of his most cherished projects. The actor described his lasting disappointment in the reception of what he considers some of his best work.
Washington is a creative force to be reckoned with. His rare combination of talent, kindness, and wit has contributed to his unique legacy in the industry. With award-winning performances in Training Day, Glory, and Malcolm X, the actor has shown his versatility and unwavering commitment to daring stories, despite how they may be received.
However, one movie played on his mind and left him feeling frustrated. It wasn’t received well at all, with few people seeing the film after the marketing team butchered its release.
The Hurricane, directed by Norman Jewison in 1999, follows the story of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, a boxer who was wrongly imprisoned for murder and the people who advocated for his innocence. The film is extremely physically and emotionally demanding of Washington, who gives an electric and absorbing performance as Carter, which is perfectly balanced with the social commentary from Jewison.
However, while Washington has described this as the performance he is most proud of in his career, along with his work with Spike Lee in Malcolm X, he openly spoke about the studio’s mishandling of the project: “The studio didn’t release it properly, and it got buried. They were trying too hard to position it for the Oscars, and they wound up hurting the movie.”
Adding: “But I think it’s one of those films whose reputation will gain over time. It’s the one I’m most proud of, right up there with Malcolm X. I think the director, Norman Jewison, was much more frustrated than anyone else, though. He was very proud of his work, as he should be, and he felt totally betrayed by the marketing people.”
This would be undeniably infuriating as a director, especially when pouring your soul into a performance only to have it seen by very few people. You can imagine that it would be easy to feel discouraged, with other artists such as Gene Hackman and Xavier Dolan discussing the struggle to pursue passion projects after not being given any attention for something so consuming. However, this didn’t deter Washington, and perhaps the film will find a new audience today.
