In a resplendent career spanning five decades, Steven Spielberg has undoubtedly come to master the art of filmmaking, with astronomical hits like E.T. and Schindler’s List attesting to the same. But even the most illustrious director like him isn’t invincible to the occasional theatrical flop.
Turns out, Spielberg had already been advised against making one of his films that not only botched commercially but failed to get into critics’ good books as well. So, maybe he could’ve avoided that one, albeit he doesn’t regret it by any means.
Steven Spielberg Was Forewarned Of Not Making This Flop
If there’s one Steven Spielberg movie that is unanimously regarded as perhaps his most disastrous work in an otherwise flourishing career, it would be the war comedy starring John Belushi. Based on the epochal events that unfolded at Pearl Harbor, 1941 is Spielberg’s second-lowest-rated film with a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes after 1991’s Hook.
But what do you know? Someone had already warned the Jaws creator not to go ahead with the project. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Spielberg, 77, disclosed that he’d received a glum call regarding 1941 from the iconic Oscar-winning actor John Wayne, who he’d envisioned as General Stilwell (a role ultimately played by The Untouchables‘ Robert Stack).
The revered filmmaker had been expecting Wayne to talk about the script he’d sent the day before, but the True Grit star had more pressing matters to discuss, especially how Spielberg shouldn’t “waste [his] time” making such an “un-American movie.”
You know, that was an important war, and you’re making fun of a war that cost thousands of lives at Pearl Harbor. Don’t joke about World War II.
Quite conspicuously, Spielberg didn’t heed Wayne’s warning, and the result was a screwball comedy that was a tepid box-office success at best. That’s not to say that he regrets making the movie, though.
Steven Spielberg Held No Regrets Despite 1941‘s Failure
Contrary to popular opinion, the Academy Award-winning director doesn’t “dislike” the 1979 film in the least, and neither is he ashamed about it. The only thing he regrets about that project was not making it more comedic (via Entertainment Weekly).
Some people think that was an out-of-control production, but it wasn’t. What happened on the screen was pretty out of control, but the production was pretty much in control. I don’t dislike the movie at all. I’m not embarrassed by it — I just think that it wasn’t funny enough.
1941 can be rented on Apple TV+.
