Original subtitles

There's never been anyone else but you.

No.

Idiots.

Sat -masters.

There was a time, you know, when you didn't mind good old -fashioned happy

endings.

Are you still here?

I'm still here.

Is it time?

No, not yet.

Why don't you poop or get off the pot?

Because you're not ready to leave.

Oh, for the lover.

Andrew, I'm 102.

I've got nothing but phlegm and gas in here. My time has come to call the boss.

Get the green light. Let's get it over with.

Why are you in such a hurry to die?

There's no reason to stick around.

Ah, but there is.

There's a very good reason.

And it's right down on the street.

Right on Hollywood Boulevard.

Chandler Crown. I've never heard of him.

Oh, he directed all those depressing, violent movies.

Excuse me!

Uh, excuse me.

We're filming here, if you don't mind.

By the way, Chandler Crown's movies are not depressing.

They're prophetic metaphors for an unforgiving world.

Now, if you please.

That's a pretty bleak view of things, young lady.

It is a lousy, meaningless world. And he knew that.

Eighty years ago he knew that.

That's why he's a visionary.

And that's why I'm making this documentary.

So please move and allow me to film the one surviving tribute to a great man.

Thank you.

I remember Chandler Crown.

Failure has a longer memory than success, I'm afraid.

Oh, you didn't fail, baby.

Some assignments just take longer to finish, that's all.

Yes, 80 years.

Makes you wonder what God was waiting for.

Oh, I know what he was waiting for.

He was waiting for her.

I will rise and I will walk with you.

I'll walk with you till the sun don't even shine.

Walk with you every time I tell you I'll walk

with you.

32 films later, the work of Chandler King Crown still resonates with the

themes he established in his first great silent film, Damnation.

The mark he made on Hollywood reminds us that he was, in his own words, born

under a dark star.

Well, I don't know, Stevie. There are 43 students competing for 12 spaces. If

you want one of those spaces, you're going to have to do a lot better than

What do you mean? I mean, I've chased his entire career here.

And what's your conclusion?

What is your thesis?

My thesis is that The Damnation was Mr.

Crown's watershed work. I mean, it was the dividing line between his earlier

comedies and his classic dramas.

Every film student knows that, Stevie.

What nobody has ever found out is why.

Why did a director suddenly change his entire worldview and start making dark

philosophical films?

What changed?

I don't know. A man like Chandler Crown probably had a vision of some kind, some

manifestation of a great truth.

Maybe he had a dream and it came to him.

Documentaries aren't about maybes.

You have a theory. Now you have to prove it.

If you can't do that, well, I can't say that you'll be back next year.

You have three days, Stevie.

Now go home and get a good night's sleep.

You'll figure it out.

Yeah.

I'll just go home.

Bell doesn't work.

Well, I can hear it ring.

You calling me a liar?

Mr. Crown, I'm Stevie Noonan. Go away.

I'm making a documentary about you.

Over my dead body.

Well... It will be over your dead body, Chandler. If you don't get something to

eat, and that's not going to happen if you don't open this door right now.

You got lemon bars today?

Six of them.

I'm fine, Mr. Crown, and I'm very happy to see you again.

And lunch will be ready in a minute.

I don't do interviews. It's part of my charm.

Well, I just thought maybe you might want to do just one, at least, before

you... Before I die.

Do you know something that I don't? Have you two been talking?

No, actually, we've never met, but I do think it would be a very good idea for

you to talk to her.

Oh, you do, do you?

Who are you talking to?

Who do you think?

I'm talking to the angel of death.

That is so surreal.

Do you talk all the time?

Oh, this doesn't bother you.

It sure bothers the hell out of me. No, I mean, this is just the sort of weird,

dark, visionary thing that I was hoping for.

Oh, God, a fan.

I feel a heart attack coming on.

Nice try, Chandler.

Not yet.

Hey, food lady!

Hurry up!

I'm being picked on by the angel of death.

The vampire -filled student from hell.

Oh, shame.

All the nice people in the world, and they picked you.

Uh -uh, uh -uh. No interview, no food.

Thick lemon bar.

Thick.

You've got dirt on your lips.

Oh, oh, uh, that's, uh, lips.

Well, the dishes are done, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Good. We're trying to shoot here.

Okay, um, Sandler King Crown, you became known as the director of the

dark realism genre, uh, but your earlier films were much lighter.

Shallow.

Naive, all about nothing.

But all of that changed in 1926 with your breakthrough film, Damnation,

it? Yes.

Everything changed then.

Even the title changed, right?

Yes.

The original title was Redemption.

Then it became Damnation after it premiered.

Why? Don't ask me. That's Zydlowski.

He ran the studio.

He called the shots.

Miserable skinflint.

I can't ask him.

Sid Lumsky died in 1957.

At good riddance.

I hope it hurt.

Behave. Why? Why should I?

Just keep talking. You'll see.

Are you talking to him again?

Oh, and what's that to you, dirt lips?

Okay, forget about the title.

Just tell me, when you decided to make Damnation, was it one single epiphany?

Or did you always have this visionary grasp of the existential void?

What do you know about the existential void?

More than you think.

And I have a feeling that you know more than you're telling.

Chandler, she needs to hear the truth.

And you need to tell it.

I'll tell her whatever the Sam Hill I choose to tell her.

Okay. We're still rolling. Fine.

Now, this was my first big picture for Lumsky Studios.

He cranked out two movies a week.

Rolling! Mostly shooting with cowboys.

Slapstick. cops.

You're content, Ruby, not blissful.

Love your father.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Cut!

I said content, not gleeful. This is home sweet home here, not the carnival.

you shot these scenes in order, Chandler, maybe a person could keep

what they're supposed to feel. I just told you how to feel. I cannot feel it

you. Oh, boy, here we go again.

And what's that supposed to mean?

If I'm not good enough for you, maybe you should just get someone else.

I didn't say that.

I cannot work like this.

Ruby. We shot the ending yesterday and now we're shooting the beginning.

All right, that's lunch, everybody.

Hey, guys.

That's lunch.

Chandler.

Yes, Sid.

I just saw what you've already got in the can. I don't get it. That's bad.

It's a different kind of love story, Sid.

A young girl searching for her father, running into evil at every turn. And she

meets this mysterious woman who helps her to understand the meaning of life.

Stick to the plane crashes. Leave the meaning of life to D .W. Griffith.

Speaking of which, can't afford a plane crash.

Make it a car crash, shoot it last because I only got one car. I was hoping

shoot the third act in order so we could let Ruby and Violet build up in the

climactic scene. That's another thing. No Violet.

What? Had to give it a broom.

Why? Found out she was secretly dating your prop man. You know I don't allow

romances at my studio.

What am I going to do about Violet? I can't just cut the part, Sid. The

woman is the secret to the whole picture.

So find another one. Actresses are a dime a dozen.

Hey! Which one of you gals wants to be a star?

There's your Violet.

Any dame that doesn't want to be a star, well, that is a mystery woman.

Hey, you!

Red!

What's your name?

Monica.

I don't want to talk about this anymore.

Five o 'clock. Time for bed.

Mr. Crown, this is so important to me. If you could just tell me something

damnation that nobody else knows, then this documentary would really mean

something.

You've seen my films, and you should know that the things we want the most

the things that we can never have.

You want more information.

I want more lemon bars.

But we're both out of luck.

Goodbye, vampire girl.

Wait, Mr.

Crown, please.

His what?

His pocket watch. He's been looking for it all morning, and he thinks you took

it. She did.

I know it.

You stole it, you little poop.

And the food lady lets you right back into my house. I own that.

Bah!

Mr. Crown, I don't know what you're talking about. You stole my pocket

told me.

Your invisible friend?

Hypocrite! Yesterday you said you believed he was there.

Oh, no, I just said I thought he was cool. I mean, I don't believe in angels.

Or in God.

Or thou shalt not steal.

Hocked it for drug money, I suppose.

No, actually, she pawned it to get her car out of impound.

Listen, I don't care what you needed it for. I want my watch back, or I am

calling the police. You call the police, and I will eat this.

Pawn picket. And you will never see your precious watch again.

That is blackmail.

Yes. Deep Fountain, 1932. Your hero was a blackmailer. Now, you give

me what I want, and I will give you what you want. But until then, I have got

one day to shoot this.

Desperation justifies the action.

Shadow of a Stranger, 1933.

All right, all right.

Now. You just cast this Monica person to play the mystery woman.

Yes.

I wonder whatever happened to her.

An accident!

Unhand this woman.

Evil shall not prevail in this house.

Great, Monica. Now, Ruby Cower.

And Monica, grab the Bible.

schedules ruby sid makes the schedules they're they're really actually

people individually you put them together and then fireworks

yeah it's been like that for three pictures they never stop arguing let's

Get a stunt woman.

Ruby won't let me. You know how she is. She wants to do the crash herself.

Well, let her. She knows what she's doing. It's a simple gag.

Sid, it's one thing. Can't we just do it tomorrow? I'm starting a new picture

tomorrow. Do the stunt. Finish the movie. Or kiss your career goodbye.

Hi, Monica.

Aren't you all finished?

Yes, but I thought I'd stay and see the last shot.

That's dedication for you.

I have a feeling that redemption will be remembered forever as something

special.

Do you really think so?

Because I was kind of hoping for that.

I think it will give hope to so many people.

Do you know what is my vision exactly?

Right now movies are small, but someday they're going to be big.

Thousands, maybe millions of people will see them.

When they leave my movie, I want them to feel better about the world than before

they went in.

Hold on to that vision, Chandler, no matter what happens.

Well, nothing's going to happen.

It may seem that way here in Hollywood land where the sun always shines, but it

rains sometimes in the real world.

Dreams are fragile, and visions can dim if you don't hold them in a safe place.

Well, I'm going to do just that, so don't you worry.

Right now, I have got to get off the last shot before we lose this light.

Take care of yourself, Mark.

Thanks.

So we've shot everything before the crash, and we've shot the big finale

the crash. All we've got left is the crash itself, thank God.

You finished?

Yep. All done.

Starting the western tomorrow.

What's the matter?

Uh, nothing.

She's ready. Let's do it.

Okay, Ruby, just drive down the road, veer off at the rock, and bump into the

tree.

And just bump it. Nothing fancy, okay?

We're on.

I love the fire.

remember. It's a sad story and all, but that still doesn't explain why you made

Damnation in the first place.

Well, he didn't make Damnation in the first place. Shut up.

It wasn't called Damnation in the first place. It was called

Redemption. Did you start out making one kind of movie and end up making

another?

You did have an epiphany, didn't you?

Oh, man, this is great. I mean, this just proves everything. So what was it?

it a vision or a revelation or what?

I'm tired.

Go away.

Food lady, go away.

Andrew, go away.

Wait, Mr.

Crown.

get your own

What are you doing here?

Looking for you.

I thought I'd find you in a place like this.

It's just as well you slept through the last one.

It was very inspiring.

Might have upset you.

I love all silent movies.

You cannot appreciate the genius and the vision of Chandler Crown's movies

without those chirpy one -railers to hold them up against.

He's really a hero, isn't he?

He was.

He's not going to tell me anything.

So you're going to give up?

Yeah. I mean, what's the point? It's too late.

It's not too late.

Your little movie is due today.

And as far as I know, today lasts all day long.

And... It could be the day that made a difference if he just had a little

People like me don't have faith.

Well, don't worry about it.

I'll lend you some of mine.

Here, here's your watch. Give me that.

I'm so sorry.

Thank you. Go away.

Well, so much for faith.

I'm going to clean up, you're going to stay here and keep trying, and you're

going to play nice.

Well, don't you want to know how she got the watch out of Hawk with no money?

No, I don't.

You don't what?

Wouldn't you like to get this whole thing off your chest?

You're assuming that I feel guilty.

Guilt is a waste of time.

Approaching darkness, 1937.

God knows you feel pain.

God is dead.

Call of the Vortex, 1936.

No, he's not, Chandler.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be here.

Then what in blazes are you doing here?

Are you completely senile? All I want to know is how redemption became

damnation. That's it. So, pooper, get off the pot, pal.

I don't remember.

It was 75 years ago.

I can barely remember breakfast.

Oatmeal.

Chandler.

You remember.

What are you doing there, genius?

Working. On what? The picture's finished. It premieres on Friday.

No. You can't release it yet. The ending's not right.

What are you talking about?

It's the best part.

Works like gangbusters.

Inspiring, uplifting, everything you said it would be.

They really do find the meaning of life in Dawn if it didn't even get to me.

It's a great movie, kid.

No.

I won't let you release it yet.

You won't let me?

Read your contract, kid. You don't own this picture. I do. Jimmy, line up!

Come on, Sid.

Be reasonable.

Boys, escort Mr. Crown off the lot.

No!

No! Sid!

Don't do this!

Come on, Sid!

Sid, please!

No! Sid!

Sid!

So...

He took your film away?

He tried to.

Lumsky outdid himself at the premiere.

Everybody in Hollywood came.

Max Sennett, Charlie Chaplin, Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Barrymore.

They were all there.

And so was I.

Hey, Charlie.

What are you doing here?

Mr. Lumsky says you wasn't supposed to come. It's okay, Charlie. I don't want

get in trouble.

A few minutes before the premiere, I broke into the projection room and

cut off the last five minutes of the film.

The audience never saw the original happy ending.

I replaced it with a new one.

The last hopeless moments caught accidentally on film, that last day of

shooting.

Redemption was never supposed to end with death and the devil.

But I made sure it did.

And that's how redemption became damnation overnight.

What in the place?

I can tell you, you little... What happens in the ending? Where's the happy

ending?

I thought you were a genius kid.

So you cut off the end of the phone.

Why?

To get back at Lumsky, of course.

That's it?

No. Yes.

There was no vision?

No epiphany?

You weren't a tortured genius with a dark vision? You were just a guy who got

mad and cut off the end of the movie and stuck on some leftover footage of a

devil? So what?

It made my career.

And I did become the tortured genius.

I can't believe this.

I based my whole thesis on you.

Hell, I based my whole life on you.

Well, what's the big deal?

You asked. I told you.

You don't get it, do you?

I've been trying to figure out why life turned to garbage for you because I'm

trying to figure out why it turned to garbage for me.

But you don't care.

You don't care that I sleep in movie theaters. You don't care that I sold my

this morning for $300 to buy back your lousy watch.

Or that I'm going to have to go back to Ohio.

Because I have got nothing to show now because of you.

And you know what's going to happen to me when I get back there?

My dad is going to beat me to a pulp again.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

Because I have got nowhere else to go.

Why don't you ask your friend Andrew to do me a favor, huh?

Ask him to leave you here in this stinking hellhole and take me instead.

Because I am ready to go. I am really, really ready.

am I.

You're coming back for more.

I'm through giving.

Stevie?

Hey, kid!

It's not Stevie, Mr. Crown.

No.

No, it can't be.

You do remember me, don't you, Chandler?

I don't want to, but it reminds me of...

It's not possible. It was 80 years ago.

Monica must be over 100 by now.

I'm even older than that.

Another angel like Andrew?

Like Andrew and Teth.

The food lady is an angel.

That God of yours must have some sense of humor.

That God of yours created humor and love and forgiveness and truth and light.

The same light that you use to shine through little pieces of celluloid only

create a dark world.

It is a dark world.

And I want out of it.

So get Andrew back here and let's finish me off.

And where would you go, Chandler?

Into oblivion, I hope.

Where no angels or gods or little girls with cameras live.

The darkest place of all.

You know, you might not care that you spend eternity there, but God does.

That's why he sent me to you all those years ago.

To begin a good work in you that has yet to be accomplished.

What work?

God put you on this earth, Chandler, at the same time that a new art form was

being born.

And when you saw those first moving pictures on the big screen, you

instantly the power they would have to change hearts.

and create images that the human mind could never erase from its memory.

You could have encouraged and lifted up millions of people, but instead you used

the talent and the light that God gave you to simply perpetuate your own pain.

The pain that God inflicted?

No. The pain that God could have healed still can, if only you'd let him.

It's too late for an old coat like I have.

No, it's not.

Perhaps it's too late to encourage millions.

But it's not too late to encourage one.

Why should I?

I hate God.

Because 72 films later, so does Stevie.

In fact, she doesn't even believe in God or good or love at all.

Then send her an angel God wants to send you

Finish the work that he began Chandler

Tell the truth Find the joy

Then go home

What are you doing here?

I didn't cut off the ending because I was mad at Zydlumski.

I cut it because I was mad at God.

Mr. Crown, I thought you didn't believe in God.

Oh, I used to.

Until Ruby died.

You see, kid, I loved that woman.

We just pretended that we didn't get along to keep...

Lumsky from getting suspicious.

But the truth is, we were married.

We ran down to Mexico one night between pictures and got married under the moon.

And I gave her a ring that she wore around her neck.

And she gave me this.

It probably didn't notice.

But it opens two ways.

Forever, Ruby.

Just before the crash.

She told me I was going to be a father.

And I was so happy, I just couldn't see straight or think straight.

God.

I never should have let her do it. I should have... I told Lonsky, no, I

have stopped her.

But I was so stunned and happy, I stopped thinking.

So, I lost my wife.

I lost my baby.

And the beautiful life that could have been.

It's not your fault, Mr. Crown.

You can't blame yourself. It's God's fault, not yours.

No, kid.

No.

God didn't do it.

Bad things happen in this world because the world isn't perfect.

But it's a lot easier to curse God than to try to change

ourselves.

But I want to try to change a little part of the world now.

I want you to see my movie.

The whole movie with the original ending. The happy ending.

Not damnation.

But the redemption that it was supposed to be.

And that's the only way I know.

I have to say, I'm sorry.

Showtime.

All set.

I loved it.

Now, believe it.

You know I'd like to.

But life is not like that.

You'd be surprised.

There is a good girl in there.

Dirt lips.

Maybe you stole my watch, but you sacrificed everything you had to make

it. That's something.

Got a real fight going on inside of you.

And I want the good guys to win.

You mean like the angel?

Yes.

Excuse me.

Hello. I want you to have the movie.

Hold on to it.

It's the only true thing that I've ever done.

And it ought to shake up your film school friends.

I don't know what this means.

I guess I'm ready to go home.

Yes you are.

It's time to start forever.