24 films, 60 series, 39 years of career: and yet no one has seen this legendary director

Flashback sequence. In 2015, Hollywood was rocked by a dark romance surrounding the director of The Sentinel, Paul Schrader. With Nicolas Cage behind the camera, Taxi Driver screenwriter and Nicolas Winding Refn in production, the film looked promising on paper. But three men called for a boycott of the film, on the legitimate grounds that Schrader had been stripped of his work entirely. LionsgateThus, the studio that was producing the film turned on the director and put the film behind his back…

Without some irony, Schroeder could have been called – a few years earlier – the most famous director of the 7th art. Alias ​​​​Prolific Man, he is the author of more than a hundred films, TV series, documentaries, music videos and even video games. Her name ? Alan SmithA famous pseudonym used by American artists who rejected their work.

Take a look at the brilliant 100% virtual Hollywood creation, as weird and charming as it gets.

A sacred heritage

He was in turn a director, assistant director, screenwriter, actor, producer, art director, visual effects manager or director of photography. His name appears in more than 100 films, TV series, music videos, documentaries and even, more surprisingly, video games. He directed the big names in The 7th Art, such as Robert De Niro, Max Von Sydow, Richard Widmark, Burt Reynolds… In fact, he was so famous that he even received the right after his official death in 1999 at the age of 39. Before the funeral of the first class.

“He” of course Alan Smithanagram “another name”Created by a famous pseudonym Directors Guild of Americabehind which sheltered authors who refused the final version of their work, but retained the right to demand a salary.

A creation that sounds like a strange paradox in the land of Uncle Sam, because the very existence of auteur cinema is the confirmation and recognition of this creation, while at the same time providing the tools for studios and producers to exercise control over them. working.

For a long time, DGA prohibited its members from using pseudonyms. In the country and in the dream factory of Hollywood, where the producers rule and have Final installation On works, this event/creation will appear as a lifeline for those who use it.

Western is looking for the missing director…

nameAlan Smith First appearing (but not with this spelling) in the 1955 TV movie, The tactless Mrs. Jarvis. Behind this moniker is Frank Burt, a director who refuses to see his work cut with the scissors of editors and producers to fit into the ultra-codified boxes of American television.

His birth certificate on the big screen is later: 1968. Major that year Universal entrusts TV stalwart Robert Totten to produce the Western Death of a Gunfighter headlined by none other than the veteran. Richard Widmark.

After 25 days of shooting, when the relationship between the director and the lead actor deteriorated steadily, the production of the film was abruptly halted. Widmark demands the replacement of Totten, whom he deems incompetent.

With the studio’s blessing, Widmark then asked Don Siegel, who didn’t exactly have the profile of an upstart. He also has the advantage of having recently supervised Widmark in the city police force. Siegel spent about ten days on set, mostly editing the beginning and end of the film.

Below is the trailer Death of a fighter (A handful of bullets In french):

The problem is that Siegel refuses to put his name in the credits and therefore take responsibility for the film’s authorship. As for Robert Totten, he’s legitimately pissed off at this page without warning, and so he refuses to be named. Faced with the inability to legally use the film without the director, Universal then appealed to the DGA for arbitration.

The union suggested the name “Al Smith”. Problem: By checking its registries, DGA realizes that it already exists. Name changes to “Smith”; It’s still very close. Finally, Don Siegel suggested “Allen Smith”, which was chosen.

Over the years, the pseudonym would evolve into “Alan Smithee”, an anagram of “The Alias ​​Men”, which would be officially approved by the DGA and used as a last resort in case of irreconcilable differences between directors. and the version used from his works.

A deliciously twisted, critical take on the Western Death of a fighter Pretty good: New York Times for rent “Incisive and sharp direction from director Allen Smith” ; and an influential film critic Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun TimesCheers for the remarkable work “Allen Smith, the director who doesn’t know”.

Strict award conditions

However, there is no way for the DGA to give the green light to all possible requests for pseudonymous loans. The specs are pretty sharp. The applicant must create a solid file and submit his case to a special commission that will examine the merits of the request.

There is no way to authorize a director to use a nickname just because he is ashamed of his work. If he actually gets the green light to use a pseudonym, the applicant is also strictly prohibited from advertising it; In other words, let the media know the reasons for borrowing the nickname.

In the heart of tension…

Since 1969, Westerns have been released Death of a fighterIn 1999, the year of his official funeral by the DGA, Alan Smith’s film: Burning Hollywood Burns, highly symbolic examples abound.

Where aliasing is most commonly used in television is when films are edited, removing overly violent or sexually explicit scenes, ending with amputating dialogue; All, of course, without the agreement of their creator. That’s how David Lynch demanded that his name be removed from his iconic and cursed film Dune in its TV version. William Friedkin did the same for the 1990 TV version of The Nurse.

Michael Mann requires a pseudonym for the TV adaptations of Heat and Révélations. Martin Brest also used it for a modified version of Meeting Joe Black in 1998 to broadcast the film on both airplanes and cable channels.

Less publicly, the pseudonym has also been used in television series such as MacGyver in the first season pilot as well as the series. “broken”, in 1985; Also in Femme Nikita, Season 4 Episode 16.

The “Twilight Zone” case

In 1983, The Twilight Zone began, sketching movies based on the popular TV series. In the John Landis-directed film, a helicopter crash kills one of the main actors, as well as two children. Landis, other executives on the tech team, as well as Warner as a legal entity, must answer to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The prosecutor offers Anderson House, the second assistant director, a deal: full immunity in exchange for testimony, with inevitable damnation. John Landis. On June 24, 1983, the indictment was published.

The date was obviously not chosen by chance: it was the day of the premiere of the film, which was de facto torpedoed… If the trial ended in a general acquittal, Anderson House Asks DGA to use a pseudonymAlan Smith Changed his real name in the Twilight Zone credits. We understand that…

In 1990, Dennis Hopper used the pseudonym Alan Smith to sign off on his (failed) thriller Too Good a Target: He accused the film’s production company of Images of Westron, for back-to-back assembly of work. He took legal action, which failed, the company went bankrupt.

American History X and the Beginning of the End

In the vast majority, the use of pseudonyms Alan Smith Often features works that frankly lean towards narcissism (case in point: Hellraiser: Bloodlines; The Birds 2…). Sometimes it happens that the pseudonym is back in the spotlight and in the headlines.

This happened in 1998 in a case of very solid American history variety Studio New Line Cinema (a Warner subsidiary) and Edward Norton for cramming the last quarter hour of his film. DGA refuses the director’s request. The reason is clear: the latter violated a rule that includes not disclosing the cause(s) of a dispute…

The coup, quite brilliant and very ironic, came the following year, with the release of Alan Smith movie: Burn Hollywood BurnDirected by Arthur Hiller. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas’ delirious mise-en-abim, the film evokes the story of English director Alan Smith. Completely dissatisfied with his work, he decides to give it up.

Problem: DGA only has one alias in stock…and that’s his name! Unable to remove from poster! Desperate, he decides to completely strip his film reels to destroy them…

In addition to the insane pitch, the fate of the film is completely insane. its director Arthur Hilleraccused Joe Esterhaas and Synergy picturesFilm producers re-edit the film to claim – and gain – production of the piece…Alan Smith.

Considered the worst film of 1999 by Hollywood critics, it was the subject of a murderous mockery that first embarrassed and then angered the DGA. To the point where the union is banging its fist on the table.

In 1999-2000, he permanently removed the pseudonym from the shelves. Woman Wanted, released in 2000 and actually directed by Kiefer Sutherland, will officially be the last film to be released with this mention. “Alan Smith” before realization.

If Alan Smith There was euthanasia in cinema, although it is still used in other fields, such as music videos, comics / comic books, video games… in any case, fields that do not fall under the competence and attribute of the Almighty. Directors Guild of America.

For so long, the artist…