Although Arnie did go behind the camera to direct an episode of the “Tales from the Crypt” series, he only signed one film during his long career. A Christmas TV movie in this case, in 1992. And that everyone has forgotten!
It’s not exactly a discovery. Shooting a film, in front of and/or behind the camera, is not always a smooth ride. The experience can even turn to the extreme, as was the case for Apocalypse Now, the Homeric filming of which is recounted in the mind-blowing making-of Heart of Darkness. Or Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, and his conflicting relationship with Klaus Kinski.
5 big names in cinema who have only signed one film
If some cinema talents do not particularly express the desire to one day wear the hat of director, just as many are those who end up giving in to the sirens of directing, out of desire and/or challenge. The fact remains that some of these attempts will not be repeated. For what ? Painful and exhausting experiences, financial reasons… There is no shortage of explanations.
After mentioning some famous cases like Gary Oldman came out crushed from his experience on the film Do Not Swallow or Marlon Brando who signed a single film, in this case a western, this is the opportunity to take a closer look at a rather unexpected talent in this list of candidates: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnie and the Christmas Candy
In September 1968, at the age of 21, he moved across the Atlantic, with very little money in his pocket and a rather poor level of English. L’American way of life and its traditions fascinate him, wanting above all to embrace this culture which extends its arms to him. Not having received the support of his parents in this new furrow that he was trying to plow, Arnie became a real self-made man, in the most American sense of the term, by force of will and self-sacrifice. And America loves this kind of success story.
We barely present his filmography, which still includes feature films like Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian, True Lies, Total Recall, Last Action Hero, Commando… Works which have raised him to the firmament of icons action films from the 80s and 90s. He waited until 1990 to go behind the camera for the first time, directing an episode of the cult series Tales from the Crypt.
Turner Pictures
Just a year after having once again played the T-800 in the indefinite Terminator 2, our favorite Arnie this time takes a further step by directing what remains to this day his only film; in this case a direct-for-television Christmas film: Christmas in Connecticut. As a sort of hors d’oeuvre before The Toy Race, which would be released in theaters four years later.
Arnie is in very marked territory. In the United States, the Christmas film is a real institution, an essential annual and family ritual, which has its totems, such as Miracle on 34th Street or Frank Capra’s Life is Beautiful. A remake of a film released in 1945 and directed by Peter Godfrey, Christmas in Connecticut stars actors Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis.
Turner Pictures
The pitch? Elizabeth (Dyan Cannon) is the star of a hit cooking show and the author of several cookbooks. Alexander (Tony Curtis), his manager, discovers on the news a heroic forest ranger named Jefferson (Kris Kristofferson). Having lost his house in a fire, he appeals for generosity, wishing to be able to benefit from a homemade Christmas dinner.
From there a little idea was born: why wouldn’t Elizabeth prepare him a memorable Christmas dinner? The problem is that in reality, she doesn’t know how to cook at all. And tries to keep Jefferson and the public from finding out, especially during a live broadcast…
What does it look like ? See below!
Honeyed and ultra cheezy scenes, knowing and enamored looks between the two heroes who, of course, are completely opposed but will end up getting closer; attempts at gags that systematically fall flat, a good moral, and even a little cameo from Arnie as a bonus…
Christmas in Connecticut checks all the production boxes feel good – Christmas cuddly toy, to watch with a cup of hot chocolate and under a blanket. Minus the talent of the director… In fact, this TV film seems to have become an embarrassment for Schwarzenegger, to the point of not even being mentioned in the Netflix documentary series dedicated to the actor, soberly called Arnold.
Nor even in his autobiography published in 2013, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. The experience seems in any case to have cooled him down quite a bit, since to date, this TV film remains his only contribution. And, at 76 years old, we imagine that he now has other priorities. Even if we should never insult the future.