Roesch NJJFF: From Darkness to Light

The story of Jerry Lewis’ notorious, lost 1972 Holocaust film The Day the Clown Cried, including fully-edited scenes for the first time.

Spotlight Film

Post-screening Q&A with Jerry Lewis’ former archivist Bob Furmanek, Founder & CEO of 3-D Film Archive

Directors: Eric Friedler & Michael Lurie
2024, USA & Germany, 108 minutes
English and French with English subtitles
Documentary

In 1972, movie legend and comedy auteur Jerry Lewis gambled his career and his own money to direct and star in a Holocaust film called The Day the Clown Cried. A series of troubles ensued and the film never saw the light of day, becoming an object of fascination for 50+ years. The documentary From Darkness to Light chronicles the doomed production comprehensively (including new interviews with Lewis before his death) and breaks new ground in film history by including fully edited scenes from The Day the Clown Cried – the first time they have ever been seen publicly.

Co-sponsored by Pam Heller; Lara Stolman & Michael Watzky; Elliot & Susan Stupak