History CreatorBreakdown / Film

* One of the many, many theories concerning ''{{Eraserhead}}'' is that it's David Lynch coming to terms with marriage and fatherhood. Even the baby's inhuman state can be defined as a massive exaggeration of real life - Jennifer Lynch was born with a clubfoot. Lynch has admitted in interviews that moving from his quiet suburban hometown to Philadelphia in the late '60s was...ugly. The most specific Lynch has gotten is that "bad things happened".

* ''IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' was produced while GeorgeLucas was going through a divorce, as well as Creator/StevenSpielberg's then-recent breakup with Amy Irving. Lucas has admitted that this may partly be why the film was made so much DarkerAndEdgier in tone than its predecessor, although it was also partly an attempt to replicate the success of ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'', which was ''also'' darker in tone than the [[StarWars movie]] it preceded to great success.
* MartinScorsese came to the decision to make ''RagingBull'' at the behest of actor and close friend RobertDeNiro when Scorsese had a life-threatening cocaine addiction. The tone of this movie with its themes of sin, punishment and redemption is largely inspired by the director's struggles to get his life back in order. Scorsese has described his experience making RagingBull as "kamikaze filmmaking". The reason he had to be persuaded to make it was because he had intended to quit filmmaking altogether. Even after being persuaded to make it, his attitude was that if it was successful, he would keep making films, and if it wasn't, he would never make another film, but at least he went out with a bang. The screenwriter was Paul Schrader, who had fairly serious emotional problems and drug issues as well, not to mention his struggles with his Catholic upbringing.

* JamesCameron came up with the idea of ''[[{{Franchise/Terminator}} The Terminator]]'' while sick in the hospital in Italy during the TroubledProduction of ''Piranha II'', when he had a nightmare that a robot hitman from the future was coming to kill him.

* JamesCameron came up with the idea of ''[[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]]'' while sick in the hospital in Italy during the TroubledProduction of ''Piranha II'', when he had a nightmare that a robot hitman from the future was coming to kill him.

* The majority interpretation of ''Film/{{Antichrist}}'' is that true art is offensive, but there have been arguments that the director's admitted depression was deeper than anybody quite realized. [[FanDisservice Much]], much deeper. [[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1913200,00.html#ixzz1AkjSOntU Here]] is a link to an interview with Antichrist's director, Lars von Trier.

* Parodied (and expertly summarized) in ''TheWeddingSinger''. Robbie's breakdown occurred ''while he was writing'' a love song for the woman who would later leave him at the altar; the lyrics and style of that song start with fluffy romance, switch suddenly to extreme rage, dissolve into shocked sadness, and finally end with despairing "kill me now" {{Wangst}}.
** Further emphasised in TheMusical of ''The Wedding Singer'' -- immediately after Linda leaves him (and after the above song, aptly titled "Somebody Kill Me"), Robbie and his band play at a wedding. The set begins with a half-assed, drunken attempt at the cheery opening number, and dissolves into a venomous rock song led by Robbie about the horrors of love, called "Casualty of Love" -- sung directly to the bride and groom, with the rest of the wedding party joining in. And it's sung to the tune of "I Love Rock And Roll".

*** "So come out of the dumpster..."

** This also helps to explain why in ''Temple of Doom'', the woman figure is the world's most stereotypical woman ever: Whiny, materialistic, etc., while the first one, ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' had its leading woman stand up to the Nazis and showed the world she was not one to be messed with. Also, Spielberg and Lucas both thought Indy should have [[GirlOfTheWeek a different love interest in each film]].
** Lucas has profoundly stated on ''TheColbertReport'' that fans will not be seeing anymore ''Star Wars'' sequels because he hates the idea of getting yelled at all the time by his co-workers during each and every production. Which, given the announcement of ''Episodes VII'' through ''IX'', was clearly a complete fib.
*** More of a half-truth than complete fib. Though it was true at the time, the reasoning was to avoid the hassle and stress of directing another ''Star Wars'' film. However, Lucas is not lined up to direct the new ''Star Wars'' films (though he will be a creative consultant) which removes the burden he had on making any more.
* MartinScorsese came to the decision to make ''RagingBull'' at the behest of actor and close friend RobertDeNiro when Scorsese had a life-threatening cocaine addiction. The tone of this movie with its themes of sin, punishment and redemption is largely inspired by the director's struggles to get his life back in order.
** Even more than that: Scorsese has described his experience making RagingBull as "kamikaze filmmaking". The reason he had to be persuaded to make it was because he had intended to quit filmmaking altogether. Even after being persuaded to make it, his attitude was that if it was successful, he would keep making films, and if it wasn't, he would never make another film, but at least he went out with a bang. It was successful. Thank God.
** The screenwriter was Paul Schrader, who had fairly serious emotional problems and drug issues as well, not to mention his struggles with his Catholic upbringing.

* In ''[[Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer (500) Days of Summer]]'', Tom's greeting cards vary widely based on how his relationship with Summer is going. When it's going well, he comes up with a card that says "I love us." When things aren't he writes "Roses are red, violets are blue... [[spoiler:Fuck you, whore]]"
** In addition to the in film example, the film itself is based largely off the screenplay writer's life as he estimates about 75% of the film happened to him. The film also begins with "Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch."
* Arguably this was the case with Kevin Smith immediately after the release of ''Film/ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno''. To put this in context, Kevin hosts a regular, free podcast with his friend and producer Scott Mosier, called ''[=SModcast=]''. The hype building up to the film was largely positive and Smith seemed excited about its release. However, immediately following its debut, ''[=SModcast=]'' mysteriously stopped airing and Smith disappeared. He eventually re-emerged around 2 months later, explaining at length his sudden departure: essentially he had expected a larger gross over the movie's opening weekend, which it did not make, or really get overly close to, causing Smith to become disenchanted with his movie.

** There's a great deal of discussion about this relating to ''Deconstructing Harry''. It generally comes down to whether you take the eponymous character to be even more of an AuthorAvatar than Allen's characters in his previous films (something which is quite a debate anyway) or a fictional version of someone else (many claim he based the character on writers Philip Roth or Norman Mailer). Of course, the film takes a great deal from an Creator/IngmarBergman film (''Wild Strawberries'') and Freudian psychoanalysis, both of which are common Allen themes.
** In general it is difficult to not consider the very dark, nasty tone of ''Deconstructing Harry'', as well as preceeding films ''Husbands and Wives'' and ''Celebrity'', to be influenced by his then-recent, very ugly, very public breakup with longtime partner Mia Farrow.
* One of the many, many theories concerning ''{{Eraserhead}}'' is that it's David Lynch coming to terms with marriage and fatherhood. (Even the baby's inhuman state can be defined as a massive exaggeration of real life - Jennifer Lynch was born with a clubfoot.)
** Lynch has admitted in interviews that moving from his quiet suburban hometown to Philadelphia in the late '60s was...ugly. The most specific Lynch has gotten is that "bad things happened".

* Paul Schrader went through a divorce and a breakup with a live-in girlfriend. He lived in his car for a few weeks. He stayed in the aforementioned former girlfriend's apartment for a few weeks as well. He was lonely and alienated. The result? He wrote ''TaxiDriver''.
** Schrader has been struggling with drug addiction and emotional problems for decades. It tends to turn up in his work as a director.

** About halfway through ''Film/LaDolceVita'', this defines Fellini's career. For example, even Fellini's ''wife'' (and often lead actress) thought ''Juliet of the Spirits'' was about his struggles with his homosexuality, so much so that there were bitter, bitter fights about it between them as the movie was shooting.

* Parodied in the movie ''AMightyWind'', where folk music duo Mitch & Mickey broke up in a particularly messy romantic dysfunction, and Mitch proceeded to release several solo albums with titles and cover art demonstrating an increasingly absurd degree of emotional breakdown.

** Lucas has profoundly stated on ''TheColbertReport'' that fans will not be seeing anymore ''Star Wars'' sequels because he hates the idea of getting yelled at all the time by his co-workers during each and every production.

* George Stevens, before World War II, made rousing adventure films like ''Gunga Din'' and light comedies such as ''Swing Time''. Then he joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and filmed both D-Day and the liberation of Dachau. When he came back, his work took a darker, serious tone, including what many critics think of as his masterpiece, ''{{Shane}}''.

** There's a great deal of discussion about this relating to ''Deconstructing Harry''. It generally comes down to whether you take the eponymous character to be even more of an AuthorAvatar than Allen's characters in his previous films (something which is quite a debate anyway) or a fictional version of someone else (many claim he based the character on writers Philip Roth or Norman Mailer). Of course, the film takes a great deal from an IngmarBergman film (''Wild Strawberries'') and Freudian psychoanalysis, both of which are common Allen themes.

* WoodyAllen's ''StardustMemories'' is pretty much a feature-length rant by Allen about how his fans have rejected his attempts to make more mature and intelligent comedies and want him to go back to the style of his "early, funny ones."

** Don't forget the screenwriter was Paul Schrader, who had fairly serious emotional problems and drug issues as well, not to mention his struggles with his Catholic upbringing.
* RomanPolanski's version of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' is more bloody than other versions (and with a way darker ending than the play -- and the play doesn't exactly end cheerfully itself, let us note) because it was made after his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family. [[spoiler: the end of the film is mostly shot from the perspective of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'s head on a pike''.]] A few years later, he was asked to direct ''{{Chinatown}}''. In an understandably dark place, he insisted upon changing screenwriter Robert Towne's ending from a somewhat optimistic one to an almost nightmarishly bleak one. Towne later acknowledged that the change was for the better.

** On the other hand, Allen, who tends to comment very little on his films once they are completed, has insisted the above interpretation is not valid, and has said many times over his career that none of his films should be considered autobiographical. This idea is supported in the above case given that the movie is heavily inspired by [[FedericoFellini Fellini's]] ''8 1/2''. It also helps that at one point the director is told that his funny movies nevertheless make the world a better place by bringing joy to people.

* Paul Schrader went through a divorce and a breakup with a live-in girlfriend. He lived in his car for a few weeks. He stayed in the aforementioned former girlfriend's apartment for a few weeks as well. He was lonely and alienated. The result? He wrote TaxiDriver.
** ItGotWorse and then some; Schrader has been struggling with drug addiction and emotional problems for decades. It tends to turn up in his work as a director.

* ''Eight And A Half'', where the entire movie is about the director, FedericoFellini. Fellini's life at this point was at a low point, having director's block while working on a movie, becoming disillusioned by directing in general, and going through the end of his marriage. All this is mirrored by the main character in the movie, also a director, who eventually has an ImagineSpot suicide before quitting his work on the movie he was directing and trashing the props, which had already cost a fortune to make. In the end, however, he finally feels a sense of relief for the first time in ages.
** About halfway through "La Dolce Vita", this defines Fellini's career. For example, even Fellini's ''wife'' (and often lead actress) thought ''Juliet of the Spirits'' was about his struggles with his homosexuality, so much so that there were bitter, bitter fights about it between them as the movie was shooting.
* George Stevens, before World War II, made rousing adventure films like "Gunga Din" and light comedies such as "Swing Time". Then he joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and filmed both D-Day and the liberation of Dachau. When he came back, his work took a darker, serious tone, including what many critics think of as his masterpiece, ''{{Shane}}''.

* ''EightAndAHalf'', where the entire movie is about the director, FedericoFellini. Fellini's life at this point was at a low point, having director's block while working on a movie, becoming disillusioned by directing in general, and going through the end of his marriage. All this is mirrored by the main character in the movie, also a director, who eventually has an ImagineSpot suicide before quitting his work on the movie he was directing and trashing the props, which had already cost a fortune to make. In the end, however, he finally feels a sense of relief for the first time in ages.

* Arguably this was the case with Kevin Smith immediately after the release of ''ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno''. To put this in context, Kevin hosts a regular, free podcast with his friend and producer Scott Mosier, called ''[=SModcast=]''. The hype building up to the film was largely positive and Smith seemed excited about its release. However, immediately following its debut, ''[=SModcast=]'' mysteriously stopped airing and Smith disappeared. He eventually re-emerged around 2 months later, explaining at length his sudden departure: essentially he had expected a larger gross over the movie's opening weekend, which it did not make, or really get overly close to, causing Smith to become disenchanted with his movie.

* ''IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' was produced while GeorgeLucas was going through a divorce, as well as StevenSpielberg's then-recent breakup with Amy Irving. Lucas has admitted that this may partly be why the film was made so much DarkerAndEdgier in tone than its predecessor, although it was also partly an attempt to replicate the success of ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'', which was ''also'' darker in tone than the [[StarWars movie]] it preceded to great success.

** ItGotWorse and then some; Schrader has been struggling with drug addiction and emotional problems for decades. [[{{Understatement}} It tends to turn up in his work as a director.]]

* RomanPolanski's version of ''{{Macbeth}}'' is more bloody than other versions (and with a way darker ending than the play -- and the play doesn't exactly end cheerfully itself, let us note) because it was made after his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family. [[spoiler: the end of the film is mostly shot from the perspective of ''MacBeth's head on a pike''.]] A few years later, he was asked to direct ''{{Chinatown}}''. In an understandably dark place, he insisted upon changing screenwriter Robert Towne's ending from a somewhat optimistic one to an almost nightmarishly bleak one. Towne later acknowledged that the change was for the better.

* The majority interpretation of ''{{Film/Antichrist}}'' is that true art is offensive, but there have been arguments that the director's admitted depression was deeper than anybody quite realized. [[FanDisservice Much]], much deeper. [[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1913200,00.html#ixzz1AkjSOntU Here]] is a link to an interview with Antichrist's director, Lars von Trier.

* Arguably this was the case with Kevin Smith immediately after the release of ''{{Zack and Miri Make a Porno}}''. To put this in context, Kevin hosts a regular, free podcast with his friend and producer Scott Mosier, called ''[=SModcast=]''. The hype building up to the film was largely positive and Smith seemed excited about its release. However, immediately following its debut, ''[=SModcast=]'' mysteriously stopped airing and Smith disappeared. He eventually re-emerged around 2 months later, explaining at length his sudden departure: essentially he had expected a larger gross over the movie's opening weekend, which it did not make, or really get overly close to, causing Smith to become disenchanted with his movie.

** On the other hand, Allen, who tends to comment very little on his films once they are completed, has insisted the above interpretation is not valid, and has said many times over his career that none of his films should be considered autobiographical. This idea is supported in the above case given that the movie is heavily inspired by [[FedericoFellini Fellini's]] ''8 1/2''. It also helps that at one point the director is told that his funny movies nevertheless make the world a better place by bringing joy to people.

* Brad Silberling's ''Moonlight Mile'' (not [[MoonlightMile this one]]) was born out of the murder of his girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer. Though most of his movies concern death and loss to some extent (''{{Film/Casper}}'', ''{{Film/CityOfAngels}}'', ''[[ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events]]''), none are as personal as this.

* The majority interpretation of ''{{Film/Antichrist}}'' is that TrueArtIsOffensive, but there have been arguments that the director's admitted depression was deeper than anybody quite realized. [[FanDisservice Much]], much deeper. [[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1913200,00.html#ixzz1AkjSOntU Here]] is a link to an interview with Antichrist's director, Lars von Trier.

* RomanPolanski's version of ''{{Macbeth}}'' is more bloody than other versions (and with a way darker ending than the play -- and the play doesn't exactly end cheerfully itself, let us note) because it was made after his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family. [[spoiler: the end of the film is mostly shot from the perspective of ''MacBeth's head on a pike''.]] A few years later, he was asked to direct ''{{Chinatown}}''. In an understandably dark place, he insisted upon changing screenwriter Robert Towne's ending from a somewhat optimistic one to an almost nightmarishly bleak one. Towne later acknowledged that the change was for the better.

** Lynch has admitted in interviews that moving from his quiet suburban hometown to Philadelphia in the late '60s was...ugly. The most specific Lynch has gotten is that "bad things happened".

* George Stevens, before World War II, made rousing adventure films like "Gunga Din" and light comedies such as "Swing Time". Then he joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and filmed both D-Day and the liberation of Dachau. When he came back, his work took a darker, serious tone, including what many critics think of as his masterpiece, ''{{Shane}}''.

* RomanPolanski's version of ''{{Macbeth}}'' is more bloody than other versions (and with a way darker ending than the play -- and the play doesn't exactly end cheerfully itself, let us note) because it was made after his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family. A few years later, he was asked to direct ''{{Chinatown}}''. In an understandably dark place, he insisted upon changing screenwriter Robert Towne's ending from a somewhat optimistic one to an almost nightmarishly bleak one. Towne later acknowledged that the change was for the better.

** About halfway through "La Dolce Vita", this defines Fellini's career. For example, even Fellini's ''wife'' (and often lead actress) thought ''Juliet of the Spirits'' was about his struggles with his homosexuality, so much so that there were bitter, bitter fights about it between them as the movie was shooting.

* ''EightAndAHalf'', where the entire movie is about the director, FedericoFellini. Fellini's life at this point was at a low point, having director's block while working on a movie, becoming disillusioned by directing in general, and going through the end of his marriage. All this is mirrored by the main character in the movie, also a director, who eventually has an ImagineSpot suicide before quitting his work on the movie he was directing and trashing the props, which had already cost a fortune to make. In the end, however, he finally feels a sense of relief for the first time in ages.

** This also helps to explain why in ''Temple of Doom'', the woman figure is the world's most stereotypical woman ever: Whiny, materialistic, etc., while the first one, ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' had its leading woman stand up to the Nazis and showed the world she was not one to be fucked with.
*** Partially. Spielberg and Lucas both thought Indy should have [[GirlOfTheWeek a different love interest in each film]].

* In ''[[FiveHundredDaysOfSummer (500) Days of Summer]]'', Tom's greeting cards vary widely based on how his relationship with Summer is going. When it's going well, he comes up with a card that says "I love us." When things aren't he writes "Roses are red, violets are blue... [[spoiler:Fuck you, whore]]"

** This also helps to explain why in ''Temple of Doom'', the woman figure is the world's most stereotypical woman ever: Whiny, materialistic, etc while the first one, ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' had its leading woman stand up to the Nazis and showed the world she was not one to be fucked with.

* Almost every possible form of musical-related CreatorBreakdown (as listed below) is parodied in ''WalkHard: The Dewey Cox Story'', in which almost every song Dewey Cox writes is a direct (and blatantly obvious) reflection of his current problems and emotional state at the time, from his complicated relationship with his father to how much he wants to sleep with his back-up singer to a Brian Wilson-writing-''Smile'' style emotional collapse. It all culminates in his final song, "Beautiful Ride", which is an epic summing up of everything he has done and learned in his life to that point. [[spoiler: He dies literally three minutes after performing it.]]

** On the other hand, Allen, who tends to comment very little on his films once they are completed, has insisted the above interpretation is not valid, and has said many times over his career that none of his films should be considered autobiographical. This idea is supported in the above case given that the movie is heavily inspired by [[FedericoFellini Fellini's]] ''8 1/2''.

* ''IndianaJones and the Temple of Doom'' was produced while GeorgeLucas was going through a divorce, as well as StevenSpielberg's then-recent breakup with Amy Irving. Lucas has admitted that this may partly be why the film was made so much DarkerAndEdgier in tone than its predecessor, although it was also partly an attempt to replicate the success of ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'', which was ''also'' darker in tone than the [[StarWars movie]] it preceded to great success.

* Stephen Norrington (also known as the director of the first {{Blade}} movie, has not made a film since 2003's TheLeagueofExtraordinaryGentlemen flopped (apparently he had some rather negative clashes with Sir Connery's ego). His name is often attached to films since (Remakes of TheCrow or ClashoftheTitans come to mind), but he always either leaves them or gets thrown off. Directors take long hiatuses all the time, but it looks increasingly likely Norrington will never make another film.
** Norrington retired after ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' due to its nightmare production (besides Connery, the studio also interfered with the production). He has considered returning to directing but usually his second thoughts due to past experiences.