Hasitha Fernando looks into the story behind American History X as it turns 25…
American History X is an unforgettable crime drama from start to finish. Featuring powerful performances by Edward Norton to a scene stealing turn by Edward Furlong, the film approached a controversial subject without compromise or cutting corners, and the end result was nothing short of a modern-day classic. However, production was rife with behind-the-scenes drama brought on by creative differences during different stages of the film’s production. So today we dive into and pick apart what went down 25 years ago, during the making of American History X…
The story was based on real-life childhood experiences of the screenwriter
David McKenna was an up-and-coming 26-year-old screenwriter when he penned the screenplay for American History X. He largely based the story on his upbringing around the punk-rock scene where he often witnessed violent brawls driven by racist sentiments. “I saw a lot of bigotry growing up, and it made me think about writing something about the world of hate-mongers. The point I tried to make in the script is that a person is not born a racist. It is learned through the environment and the people that surround you. The question that intrigued me is: why do people hate and how does one go about changing that? My premise was that hate starts in the family”, revealed McKenna during an interview.
Dennis Hopper was initially approached as director
An actor turned filmmaker who drew critical acclaim for crafting the 1969 counter-culture classic Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper seemed like a solid choice to helm the controversial subject matter of American History X, but the Hollywood stalwart turned down the offer when producers John Morrissey and then production president of New Line Cinema Michael De Luca approached him. De Luca then went back to his first preference, which was music director Tony Kaye. Kaye took up the challenge and thus American History X would become his feature directorial debut.
Joaquin Phoenix passed on the role of Derek Vinyard
Although Joaquin Phoenix have been known to take on complex, unconventional roles since of late the talented actor wasn’t too keen to embrace something as controversial as Derek Vinyard as his next project in 1998. However, Phoenix’s departure paved the way for Edward Norton to join the venture. Kaye was initially doubtful that Norton possessed the screen presence and fiery intensity that was required of the role, but the gifted creative proved everyone wrong when he shaved his head and gained up to 30 pounds of muscle in preparation for the role.
Edward Norton took a pay cut to be part of the movie
Edward Norton was something of a big deal back in the late 90s, with hits such as Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry Flint and Rounders under his belt. Because of this, the in-demand actor’s involvement came with the rather hefty price tag of $ 1 million per movie. However, when it came to American History X which had a relatively tighter budget, Norton took a pay cut of more than $ 500,000 from his usual fee to be cast in the lead as he was very passionate about being part of the project.
A non-traditionalist approach to the film’s musical score was adopted
Fresh off the success of winning the Academy Award for Best Original Score for 1997’s The Full Monty, musician Anne Dudley took on the challenge of composing the music for American History X, after she was hired by Kaye. Eschewing a more conventional, hip-hop heavy sound Kaye wanted Dudley’s effort to be “big and elegiac.” She said, “The neo-Nazi faction is personified in the music by a boys’ choir – what could be a more Aryan sound? … A calming string orchestra instead provides a much more expressive and timeless palette”.
The studio did not agree to Kaye’s original cut
Kaye’s original cut of the finished film had a run time of 95 minutes, which was delivered on time and within budget. Although it generated a positive response from test screenings, New Line Cinema insisted on further edits to the film. Soon afterwards, Norton was involved with editing alongside Kaye, which was a difficult experience for the pair. Norton re-edited the film and elongated the runtime by 24-minutes over the initial workprint. The studio tried to persuade Kaye to release Norton’s cut, but he objected to this, and things pretty much escalated from there.
Kaye disowned the film and did not want to be credited as its director
Kaye wanted to outright disown the movie due to the script alterations and editorial changes Norton introduced, as he felt it compromised what he envisioned in the first place. The duo disagreed with the length of certain scenes such as a family argument, Norton’s anti-immigration speech, and a flashback where Norton’s father criticizes a teacher. Because Kaye didn’t agree to release Norton’s cut the studio offered Kaye an additional eight weeks to re-cut the film as a suitable compromise, but by the end of that timeframe the director didn’t have anything new to offer, nor had he made any attempt to re-edit the movie to his liking.
In an effort to have his name removed from the movies’ credits, Kaye applied for various pseudonyms like “Humpty Dumpty” to be used instead of his name. However, a Director’s Guild of America (DGA) rule details that if a director uses an alias, they cannot publicly discuss the reason why, which is something that Kaye often did in publications prior to the flick’s release.
Critical acclaim, box-office disappointment and the death of Kaye’s career
To say Edward Norton dishes out an exemplary performance is something of an understatement. For his awe-inspiring take on the hardened Neo-Nazi skinhead seeking redemption Norton received unanimous praise from film critics, awards bodies and garnered nominations from the Academy, Chicago Film Critics Association and the Online Film Critics Society. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune, gave American History X four out of four stars, describing it as “a shockingly powerful screed against racism that also manages to be so well performed and directed that it is entertaining as well”, adding it was “also effective at demonstrating how hate is taught from one generation to another”.
However, despite Norton’s compelling performance and the movie’s riveting story American History X tragically underperformed at the box-office earning $ 23.9 million on a production budget of $ 20 million. The behind-the-scenes drama which erupted due to Tony Kaye’s unprofessionalism prompted Hollywood to also overlook the filmmaker in future endeavours, which resulted in him being something of an industry pariah. Kaye didn’t direct another film until 2006’s Lake of Fire, nearly a decade later.
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
Originally published October 31, 2023. Updated December 27, 2023.
