I have a question regarding a mysterious entry that appears in every single “complete” filmography of Dennis Hopper. It’s called “Crush Proof” (1972) and was apparently made just after the infamous “The Last Movie” (1971). Or so they TELL us. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, seems to have seen this movie. You can’t find information on it in any film encyclopedia. Go ahead and try, I’m telling you it’s not there All websites will tell you about it is its (supposed) run time. I’m beginning to doubt it ever existed at all. Was it announced and later aborted? What?
From here.
IMDB adds that it’s in French, and it was made in France, but that’s about it.
This guy reckons it is “not currently available in any video format (VHS, Beta, laser, 3/4” tape) NTSC, Secam or Pal, not even bootleg." If you find it, he’d like to know!
On preview: hmm, if it was made in French, maybe it has an alternate title?
This has got me intrigued. I’ve got some farily hefty film encyclopedias here and there’s no mention of the film. One possibility is that it’s a copyright trap, included by an encyclopedia compiler at some point in the past and unwittingly copied to other sources.
As far as I can find out, François de Menil (the more usual spelling) was an architect (see fifth paragraph here) and also made a few films. (The IMDb only lists two.)
Most of the films in the “Lost Movies” page turned out to have never been lost at all. Most are merely long out of print; others were unpopular, unfinished, available only in its native country or just never made it to video. The “copyright trap” hypothesis is getting more and more likely for this one, though…
What’s the “copyright trap?”
A copyright trap is a fictitious, non-existent item placed in a catalog, directory, map, atlas, etc., by the author or publisher, to see if anyone else is copying all the data verbatim from this work. If the fictitious copyright trap item later shows up in someone else’s work, you know that they copied it from the earlier work. The Who’s Who in America publishers enter one or more fictitious persons into their biographical directories, with a real address, to see if someone is using the directories for direct mail solicitation (which the Who’s Who people frown upon, since that is one reason why biographees are hesitant to cooperate with such directories).
More lost movies:
YAY! It DOES exist! Now all I have to do is find it and make 18 zillion copies so it will never be “lost” again… 
Still wondering if anyone has seen “Crush Proof” yet or knows where to find it?
Wow, I feel like a complete idiot - I just followed some links and discovered Dennis Hopper was dead!
Can’t help but feel I should have noticed that.
Jakesteele, before I try downloading that link…do you know if it works? And have you watched it?
Thanks!
Yes. This movie exists.
Well, that’s settled then.
You’ll have to do better than that.
Moved to Cafe Society. Note that this thread was started in 2003.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Obviously one approach is to research all these other names and see if their biographical information discusses this film.