These are films that are ignored by mass audiences on their initial release but are later rediscovered and given a new critical and commercial life by a small and underground audience. Generally, movies acquire cult followings in two ways: The first involves the efforts of a small number of film fans who, through word of mouth, build a new following for a picture; the second relies upon critics and/or film scholars who find an overlooked movie and write about it, drawing attention to the movie so that audiences can rediscover its merits.
Surprisingly, many of Hollywood's most beloved movies were panned by reviewers upon their release and shunned by audiences. Two classic examples are ERNST LUBITSCH's black comedy To Be or Not to Be (1942) and the beloved Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life (1946) by FRANK CAPRA. Both films had a coterie of fans who refused to let the movies disappear, screening them at revival movie theaters and on college campuses until TV stations got wind of the films' popularity and began to broadcast them more regularly. The Lubitsch film was even remade by MEL BROOKS in 1983. Capra's movie was not only remade as an unfortunate TV film with Marlo Thomas in the JAMES STEWART role, but also it has become (in its original version) a staple of the Christmas season.
Films ignored or dismissed by one generation of moviegoers or critics may benefit from reappraisal by another generation with different aesthetic standards. Thus some cinematic treasures that once were overlooked are resurrected. Low-budget movies are the ones most likely to be rediscovered as they are released with the least fanfare. For example, a stylish little film called Gun Crazy (1949) by JOSEPH H. LEWIS was resurrected by film critics and scholars, as was the brilliant SAM FULLER film Shock Corridor (1963).
Overlooked movies don't always become cult favorites because of their quality; sometimes a film simply possesses a novelty factor. For instance, ALFRED HITCHCOCK's Rope (1948) has acquired a cult following because of its imaginative cinematography. It was shot in such a way as to hide any and all edits, the story taking place in supposed real time. Another cult favorite is Robert Montgomery's Lady in the Lake (1946), which is shot entirely in subjective camera.
Other films have become cult classics on the midnight show circuit of art houses, eventually becoming underground hits. Such was the case with George Romero's horror classic Night of the Living Dead (1968), a film shot in Pittsburgh without any stars, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), a film that is probably the most famous midnight show/cult favorite of all time. Watching the latter film, audiences usually mimic the action on the screen, en masse, creating a unique theatrical experience.
Many cult movies become so famous that they eventually lose their cult movie status. Certainly, It's a Wonderful Life falls into this category. Other movies, however, are still known only to a relative few and they continue to remain underground cult favorites. One of the best examples of this is the little-known gem The Projectionist (1971), a film very much about the movies, featuring a pre-famous Rodney Dangerfield as the villain.
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