Few films have ever had as contentious a release as American History X, although I imagine most audiences are unaware of its troubled history. While it’s considered a classic now, with Edward Norton earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, director Tony Kaye vehemently opposed the film’s 1998 release.
In the run-up to its release, Kaye claimed that the studio, New Line, and Norton had put together a cut that differed significantly from his own. He was so furious that he tried to have the film removed from the Toronto International Film Festival. At one point, the situation became so contentious that he attempted to have the pseudonym “Humpty Dumpty” attached to the film, only to be denied by the DGA. Kaye later sued New Line for $200 million, but the case was ultimately dismissed.
Back in 1998, this was major news, with Kaye being interviewed by various outlets that noted he was filming all of his interactions with camcorders. Now, twenty-eight years later, Kaye has assembled that footage into a documentary, Humpty Dumpty X, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. A trailer has now been released—check it out:
As you can see, Marlon Brando, who was working with Kaye on an unrelated project at the time, plays a major role in the documentary. Ironically, he would go on to co-star with Norton in The Score just a few years later.
Usually, when a director has a movie taken away by a studio, it’s because the studio wants to make it shorter. In the case of American History X, however, the opposite happened, with twenty-four minutes of footage being reinstated.
The film ultimately became both a critical and commercial success. While it was only a modest performer in theaters, it became a major hit on home video and the then-emerging DVD format.
Kaye’s career since American History X has remained controversial. His most acclaimed follow-up was the documentary Lake of Fire, which explored the abortion debate in America. His feature film career, however, has been more troubled. Black Water Transit, starring Karl Urban and Laurence Fishburne, has never been released. His next film, Detachment, featured an all-star cast including Adrien Brody, James Caan, and Bryan Cranston, but failed to make much of an impact. He’s since completed another feature, The Trainer, which wrapped in 2024 and has screened at a few film festivals, but has yet to receive a proper release.
Do you think Humpty Dumpty X has the potential to join the ranks of great behind-the-scenes documentaries like Hearts of Darkness (about Apocalypse Now) or Burden of Dreams (about Fitzcarraldo)? Let us know in the comments.
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