Lumiere Pictures and Television

Last updated

Canal+ Image International
FormerlyEMI-Elstree (1969–1970)
MGM-EMI (1970–1973)
Anglo-EMI Film Distributors (1971–1973)
EMI Film Distributors (1973–1979)
Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment (1979–1986)
Cannon Screen Entertainment (1986–1988)
Lumiere Pictures and Television (1992–1996)
UGC DA (1996–1997)
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Film studio
Predecessor Associated British Productions
Anglo-Amalgamated
Founded1969;55 years ago (1969)
Founder Bryan Forbes
Defunct2000;24 years ago (2000) (as a company)
2006;18 years ago (2006) (as a home video label in the UK)
FateAcquired and merged by StudioCanal
Successor StudioCanal
StudioCanal UK
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Paris, France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Jean Cazes (Chairman/CEO)
Alastair Waddell (Chief Executive)
Chris Cary (Head of Business Development)
Ralph Kamp (Theatrical Sales)
Christine Ghazarian (Head of Overseas Sales, Paris Office)
Alison Trumpy (TV Sales Manager)
Martin Bigham (Technical Operations)
Jamie Carmichael (TV Sales) [1]
Products Motion pictures
OwnerCannon Screen Entertainment:
EMI (1969–1979)
Thorn EMI (1979–1986)
The Cannon Group, Inc. (1986–1988)
Weintraub Entertainment Group:
The Coca-Cola Company
US Tobacco Company [2]
Columbia Pictures (15%; 1987–1989)
Warner Bros. (15%; 1989–1990) [3]
Lumiere Pictures and Television:
Caisse des Depots (54%;)
Credit Lyonnais (5%;)
Euro Clinvest (6.5%;)
France Telecom (18%;)
UAP (8%;)
Cazes (5%;)
Time Warner (3.5%; 1995–1996)
UGC (1996)
Groupe Canal+ (1996–2000)
Subsidiaries France Animation
Pixibox [4]
Website www.studiocanal.com

Canal+ Image International (formerly known as EMI Films, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, Lumiere Pictures and Television, [5] and UGC DA) was a British-French film, television, animation studio and distributor. [6] A former subsidiary of the EMI conglomerate, the corporate name was not used throughout the entire period of EMI's involvement in the film industry, from 1969 to 1986, [7] but the company's brief connection with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Anglo-EMI, the division under Nat Cohen, and the later company as part of the Thorn EMI conglomerate (following the merger with Thorn) are outlined here.

Contents

The library passed through the hands of several companies over the following years and is now owned by StudioCanal, a former sister company to Universal Music Group and parent company Canal+ Group's acquisition of European cinema operator UGC who acquired the library's then-owner, the United Kingdom-based Lumiere Pictures and Television in 1996, via Cannon Films. EMI Films also owned Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England; in turn, Cannon ended up purchasing the studio as well, but later sold it to Brent Walker in 1988, who in turn ended up selling half of the EMI Elstree Studios site to Tesco for a supermarket, before Hertsmere Council eventually acquired what was left of the Elstree Studios, and, as of 2018, continues to operate it as a film and television studios centre. [7]

EMI Films

Bryan Forbes and Nat Cohen

The company was formed after the takeover of Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) in 1969 by EMI, following the acquisition of Warner Bros.' shares in ABPC the previous year. [8] At the time ABPC owned 270 ABC Cinemas, a half share in the ITV contractor Thames Television, Elstree Studios at Shenley Road, and had recently bought Anglo-Amalgamated, a film studio in which Nat Cohen had been a partner.

EMI moved into film production with the foundation of a new company, EMI-Elstree. Bernard Delfont appointed writer-director Bryan Forbes as the head of production at Elstree in April 1969 for three years at £40,000 a year, plus a percentage of the profits. [9] [10] As part of the general shake up of EMI, Nat Cohen was appointed to the Board. [11]

EMI announced they would make 28 films for $36 million—13 of these would be from Cohen's unit for £7 million, [12] the rest from Forbes'. Bernard Delfont called it "probably the most ambitious program ever undertaken by a British film company." [13]

Forbes announced his intention to make a variety of films at Elstree, steering away from what he called the "pornography of violence." [14] [15] He claimed EMI would make 14 films in 18 months with such stars as Peter Sellers and Roger Moore at a cost of £5–10 million in total. [16] His aim was to keep budgets down and create a varied slate which would increase the chances of appealing to audiences and making a sufficient return to continue productions. [17]

In August 1969 Forbes announced his slate of fifteen projects, including: [18]

"This is the first serious effort to revitalize the British film industry in 20 years", said Forbes. He added, "We intend to give youth a chance and not merely pay lip service to it. This is our first program and it won't be our last." [22]

In November 1969 Nat Cohen and Bernard Delfont announced a slate of eight more films for EMI including: [23] [24]

The first few films of Forbes' regime actually performed poorly commercially: Eyewitness, Hoffmann , And Soon the Darkness and The Man Who Haunted Himself (starring Moore). [25] The Breaking of Bumbo (all 1970), and Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (1971) flopped and A Fine and Private Place was abandoned. Forbes clashed with Bernard Delfont and their American backers, in this case Columbia, over the artistic and commercial value of director Joseph Losey's film The Go-Between (1970). Forbes was also criticised within EMI for directing his own film, The Raging Moon (US: Long Ago, Tomorrow, 1971). The Railway Children (1970) and Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971) were Forbes' only hits.

The company was affected with labour problems. Forbes felt as though he did not have the support of the EMI board, arguing that he never had the funds to market his films, in contrast with those available to Anglo-EMI, which was headed by Nat Cohen.

Forbes resigned in March 1971, [26] after committing himself to a no-redundancy policy. [27] He had made eleven films in total for an estimated cost of £4 million. [28] Although Forbes' regime was seen at the time to have been a commercial failure, he later claimed that by 1993 his £4 million program of films had eventually brought EMI a profit of £16 million. [29] (In 1994 he said the profit was £18 million from 18 films. [30] ) Linsday Anderson later wrote:

Bryan Forbes was a fighter, and he did his best to discipline the oldfashioned, small-minded labour force. But the penny-pinching, unimaginative management was just as bad. The £4,000,000 ‘revolving production fund’ was never forthcoming. Worst of all was the ‘respectable’ taste which dictated the choice of projects. However urgent the pressure, the new Elstree should not have kicked off with duds like The Man Who Haunted Himself (Roger Moore) or Hoffman (Peter Sellers). Most horribly significant was the grudging, purblind treatment of Bryan’s own excellent The Raging Moon, which made only too clear the intransigent mediocrity of the people in key positions. Thus, what was probably the last chance of saving the British film industry was lost. [31]

Editor Teddy Darvas later observed:

It was a great tragedy that Bryan failed. Part of the reason I think was that he got himself very much involved in little things instead of letting John Hargreaves, who was his number two, to run the studio like Korda would allow Lew Thornburn to run the studio and would only go in on major matters. Also, because he, as a director... had been interfered with so much by front office he felt that, when he gave people the money to make a film, it shouldn't interfere and because of that he gave young people a chance and brought in, sometimes inexperienced technicians. And because he didn't interfere, a lot of those films under his reign were flops, also he was told to make so many films instead of being told you have got money to make a number of films when you get the right story. A lot of films, I think, were made for the sake of being made. [32]

Among the films Forbes wished to make but was unable to during his time at Elstree were adaptations of The Living Room , the play by Graham Greene to be directed by Michael Powell; [33] a musical about the Barnardo Boys; [34] and The Loud, Loud Silence a post-apocalyptic story from Richard Condon. He turned down Ned Kelly (1970) because its projected budget was too high.

MGM-EMI

In April 1970, EMI struck up a co-production agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Hollywood studio announced they would sell their Borehamwood facility ("MGM-British Studios") and move their equipment to EMI's Elstree studio. MGM and EMI would then distribute and produce films in co-operation through a joint venture to be called MGM-EMI. [35] and MGM began to finance some of EMI's productions. [27] EMI's studio complex was renamed EMI-MGM Elstree Studios [36] while a film distribution company MGM-EMI Distributors Ltd. was formed as part of the co-production agreement. This company, headed by Mike Havas would handle domestic distribution of MGM and EMI-produced films in the United Kingdom.

It was originally announced that MGM-EMI would make six to eight films a year, but they ended up producing far fewer. [37] Forbes was given the title of managing director of MGM-EMI to add to his existing title of head of production. In July 1970 MGM-EMI announced they would make four co-productions: The Go-Between, Get Carter , The Boyfriend and The Last Run directed by John Boorman. [38] Of these only the last was not made.

MGM pulled out of the amalgamation in 1973, and became a member of CIC, which took over international distribution of MGM produced films. At this point the distribution company became EMI Film Distributors Ltd., and EMI-MGM Elstree Studios reverted to EMI-Elstree Studios. [36]

Nat Cohen

EMI's other filmmaking division, Anglo-EMI Film Distributors Ltd, which had come out of Anglo-Amalgamated, was run autonomously by Nat Cohen. This wing of the company had released films such as Percy (1971). They also financed and distributed a series of films made by Hammer Film Productions, which partly came about through Bernard Delfont's friendship with James Carreras.

Nat Cohen took over Forbes' responsibilities as head of production after his resignation in 1971. [39] Cohen backed productions intended for international success, and EMI had a more obviously commercial outlook. In October 1971, EMI's chairman John Read admitted the film division had performed disappointingly. "Profits were negligible last year and we felt it was desirable to make one or two provisions to write off some of the costs." However films like On the Buses and Up Pompeii (both 1971) performed well in relation to their budgets. "The experts say you're doing well if you make money out of one in three films", said Read. "We see filmmaking as a significant profit earner in the future." [40]

Cohen was responsible for overseeing about 70% of the films produced in the UK during 1973, following a significant decline in domestic projects overall. In particular, long-term duopoly rival Rank had by now greatly reduced its own investment in British film production to a token presence. [39] Cohen was not unaware of the problems inherent in his dominant position. [41] Meanwhile, dependent on support from the most profitable parts of EMI, the company's financial position meant that they had to avoid backing any risky productions. [35]

In May 1973, Cohen announced a £3 million production slate of movies including an adaptation of Swallows and Amazons (1974) and a sequel to Alfie (1966) [42] released as Alfie Darling (1975).

The greatest success of Cohen's regime was Murder on the Orient Express (1974), which Cohen later claimed was the first British movie fully financed by a British company to reach the top of the American box office charts. [43] [44]

In July 1975, Cohen announced a £6 million programme of eleven new films: [45]

Cohen resigned as chairman on 31 December 1977. [48]

Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings

In May 1976, the company purchased British Lion Films and the two men who ran British Lion, Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, became joint managing directors of EMI Distributors, with Nat Cohen remaining as chairman and chief executive. They also joined the EMI board, headed by Bernard Delfont. [49] [50]

Deeley and Spikings's method was to only make a film if at least half the budget was put up by an American studio, reducing their financial risk although making the studio's product less obviously British. [51] They focused on movies with international appeal – i.e. action films – and major stars. [52] The initial Deeley-Spikings slate included three films shot in the US, with $18 million in all" The Deer Hunter , Convoy and The Driver (all 1978). [53] They also made three British-based films, Death on the Nile (1978), Warlords of Atlantis (1978) and Sweeney 2 (1978). [54] Films announced but not made include The Last Gun and Chinese Bandit. [55]

EMI also signed an agreement to invest $5 million in Columbia films. They picked Close Encounters of the Third Kind , The Deep and The Greatest (all 1977). [56] Muhammad Ali played himself in the last of these.

In July 1976, EMI bought Roger Gimbel's production company, Tomorrow Enterprises, and formed EMI Television, headed by Gimbel. [57] They made a large number of American TV movies like The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977) and Deadman's Curve (1978).

EMI backed out of funding Life of Brian (1979) at the last moment, after Bernard Delfont read the script and objected to its treatment of religion.

In April 1978, EMI announced they would make films with the newly formed Orion Pictures, including Arabian Adventure (1979) and other projects. [58]

Michael Deeley left EMI in 1979 but Barry Spikings remained in charge of film production.

Spikings, AFD and Thorn-EMI merger

Spikings announced a slate of films under his auspices: The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond, The Elephant Man (both 1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) Franco Zeffirelli's biopic of Maria Callas, Discoland, The Awakening , and The Knight directed by Ridley Scott. [59]

Delfont created a new company, Associated Film Distribution, to distribute films of EMI and ITC, then controlled by Lew Grade, his brother. [60] EMI's film division was renamed Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, to reflect EMI's merger with Thorn Electrical Industries to become Thorn EMI in 1979.

In March 1980, EMI were only making one film in Britain The Mirror Crack'd , which was released at the end of the year, but was a box-office failure. Lord Delfont announced that the company had purchased two British scripts, The Defense by John Mortimer and Off the Record by Frederick Forsyth. He admitted that sixty percent of the company's film budget would be spent in America the following year but "100% of the profits would come to this country... We have got to make films we believe are international, to get the money to bring exports back to this country." [61]

In February 1981, Barry Spikings announced a slate of films worth £70 million, including Honky Tonk Freeway , Memoirs of a Survivor , Comrades and The Knight (a Walter Hill film). [62] The latter was not made.

In March 1981, Spikings admitted AFD has not "gotten off to a flying start" and would be wound up, with Universal taking over distribution of EMI Films. He argued that "production and distribution are not linked" and pointed to the five Oscars that EMI films had earned. [63] In particular, Can't Stop the Music , Honky Tonk Freeway, and Raise the Titanic had been box-office failures.

Also in 1981, Thorn EMI entered the fast-growing home video market as Thorn EMI Video, featuring an initial line-up of 14 titles (The Tubes Video, April Wine Live in London, I Am a Dancer, Can't Stop the Music, Times Square, Death on the Nile, The Cruel Sea, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Best of Benny Hill, Scars of Dracula, Sophia Loren: Her Own Story, S.O.S. Titanic, The Royal Wedding, and Queen: Greatest Flix). The division was primarily active in both the UK and the US, as well as in Australia. In addition to Thorn EMI's own material, the division licensed titles from other companies, mostly those who had no home video division at the time, including New Line Cinema, Orion Pictures, Carolco Pictures and Hemdale Film Corporation. [64]

Verity Lambert

In January 1983, Barry Spikings left the company and Verity Lambert was appointed head of production. Gary Dartnall became executive chairman. Lambert's first slate was Slayground, Comfort and Joy , Illegal Aliens (which became Morons from Outer Space ) and Dreamchild . Lambert said they aimed to make five films a year ranging in budget from $5 to $10 million. [65]

On 1 March 1983, EMI Films filed a lawsuit against United Artists, whereas EMI would finance WarGames , and UA would receive North American rights, while EMI received international rights to the film and pay $4.5 million delivery. [66]

November 1984 saw Thorn EMI Video's US division form a partnership with pay television company HBO; the company then became known as Thorn EMI/HBO Video. The deal saw HBO take a stake in the venture and contribute their own productions for video distribution. [67]

In December 1984, Thorn EMI offered investors the chance to invest in several films by issuing £36 million worth of shares. The films were A Passage to India (1984), Morons from Outer Space , Dreamchild , Wild Geese II and The Holcroft Covenant [68] (all 1985). [69]

In March 1985, Thorn-EMI announced they would set up a production fund worth $175 million to make around twenty films. Film Finance Director John Reiss said the fund would be used as loans for filmmakers or to invest in films budgeted around $13–14 million. Reiss said that the films would be made for international audiences. [70] On 15 May 1985, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment made an agreement with Gladden Entertainment whereas Thorn EMI would release Gladden's films for international theatrical distribution. [71]

Lambert resigned in July 1985. After this TESE wound down its in-house production arm and relied on films from independent outfits. [72] That month, TESE signed a deal with French distributor AAA for a 30-month output of the entire British film library, serving 20 films, and did not want to cover all home video rights. [73] On August 6, 1985, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment agreed deals with various production outfits such as John Bradbourne and Richard Goodwin, Jeremy Thomas, Euan Lloyd and Chris Chrisafis, Verity Lambert and Simon Perry in order to gave the independent outfits "complete freedom" to develop motion pictures. [74] The last films made under Lambert's watch were Clockwise and Link. [75]

On 20 August 1985, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment and Universal Pictures, which was distributing EMI's films ever since 1981 after acquiring Associated Film Distribution elected to dissolve the U.S. partnership by mutual consent. [76]

Lambert recalled in 1997: "the person who hired me left, and the person who came in didn't want to produce films and didn't want me. While I managed to make some films I was proud of... Dreamchild, and Clockwise... it was terribly tough and not a very happy experience. But I was determined to see out my three-year contract. By the end I'd had enough of corporate life and wanted to see what I could do as an independent." [77]

Denouement

In November 1985, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment was placed up for sale with interested buyers including Rank, Cannon, Robert Maxwell, Heron Communications, and a management buyout led by Gary Dartnall. [78] The following month, in December 1985, it accepted a £110 million ($161.7 million) management offer to place the entire Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment division up for sale. [79] The company's division, British Lion Film Productions Ltd., which EMI bought in 1976, and all trademarks of the British Lion name, which was divested to a former staffer of the company, Peter Snell, of Britannic Film & Television. [80]

In April 1986, Thorn EMI sold its film production and distribution arm (Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment), home video (Thorn EMI Video), and cinema (ABC Cinemas) operations to businessman Alan Bond. Bond, in turn, sold it to The Cannon Group a week later. [7] A year after the purchase, a cash-strapped Cannon sold most of the film library to Weintraub Entertainment Group. [81] They also sold their stake in the video venture inherited from Thorn EMI (which had been renamed as HBO/Cannon Video in the meantime), resulting in HBO running the video label alone from that point forward. [82] [83]

Weintraub Entertainment Group

Weintraub Entertainment Group was formed on July 1, 1986 by Jerry Weintraub. [2] In February 1987, WEG received $461 million in financing from Columbia Pictures, Cineplex Odeon and others in the form of securities, bank loans and advances. [84] The Coca-Cola Company and US Tobacco were principal investors. [2] WEG also arranged a $145-million, 7-year credit line with the Bank of America. WEG also signed a 20-year distribution deal with Columbia and planned to release seven or eight movies per year. [84]

In March 1987, WEG signed its first production and distribution deal, a three-year agreement with Robert Stigwood's RSO Films for multiple films budgeted in the $12-million to $15-million range. [85] With Stigwood's partnership, WEG was to finance a film version of Evita with Oliver Stone as writer/director and Meryl Streep as Eva Perón. However, the studio dropped the project. [86]

WEG purchased from The Cannon Group in May 1987 its 2,000-title British film library, [87] the Thorn-EMI Screen Entertainment library, for $85 million with $50 million from a loan. [84] On July 20, Harry Usher joined the Group as President of the Weintraub International Enterprises division and as a senior vice president. [88]

In January 1988, Barney Rosenzweig was hired as chairman of the television unit, corporate vice president and a member of the executive committee. [89] In July, the Bank of America terminated its credit line with Weintraub after difficulties in syndicating parts of the loan to other banks due to the Thorn-EMI loan. [84] The Group's first release was The Big Blue in August; it grossed $1.6 million the opening weekend. [90]

In January 1989, Usher left his position as President of the Weintraub International Enterprises. [91] The Bank of America and WEG established a new credit line for two years and $95 million with Crédit Lyonnais participating. [84]

In 1989, as a result of Sony/Columbia hiring Peter Guber and Jon Peters away from Warner Bros., Sony/Columbia traded its 15% share in WEG. [3]

In September 1990, WEG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Later that month, Jerry Weintraub left the company and forged a deal with Warner Bros., while Columbia still remained indebted to releasing WEG films. [92]

Film Asset Holding Co., a company formed by WEG's two primary bank creditors, sued Weintraub over his structuring of a sale of the Peter Pan story to Sony Pictures Entertainment in the fall of 1990. Weintraub and Film Assets settled in January 1992. [93]

In August 1998, a jury verdict for $7 million was lost by Bear Stearns to investors who had been misled by the brokerage's $83 million bond issue prospectus for the now-bankrupt Weintraub Entertainment Group. [94]

After the company shut down its assets were reorganized into the WEG Acquisition Corp, and are currently held by Sony, while the television rights are controlled by Paramount Pictures.

Lumiere Pictures and Television/UGC DA/Canal+ Image International

Its early origins of Canal+ Image and StudioCanal were first founded on 5 August 1873 as Marseille Louis and Adolphe Fraissinet, under the corporate name Nouvelle Compagnie Marseillaise de navigation à vapeur A. et L. Fraissinet et compagnie. [95]

La Compagnie Fraissinet was a Marseille arming company by maritime transport. During the 1960s, decolonization and competition with jet-powered air travel weakened the group's results and it ended up selling its maritime assets to the Chargers Gatten in 1964. [96]

In July 1981, Cyril de Rouvre did an OPA surprise on the Compagnie Fraissinet en difficulté. Having become specialised in the maintenance and resale of business aircraft, Fraissinet-Transair becomes the Financière Robur in tribute to the hero of Jules Verne, Robur-le-Conquérant. The grandson of Antoine de Rouvre, who had embarked on the cinema in the late 1920s, Cyril de Rouvre, brought together his film assets within the Robur Financière: the Compagnie Française de cinématographie (CFC), the Consortium Financier pour la production de films (CFPF) and Coficiné, which specialised in the financing of production. Rouvre gradually separated from its industrial activities and then bought multiple film catalogues (Les Films Gibé, Les Films Corona, Silver Films) created in August 1987 via a new subsidiary, Robur Droits Audiovisuels.[ citation needed ]

On 30 June 1992, the Financière Robur merged its catalogue of films with that of UGC by absorbing UGC Droits Audiovisuels, its subsidiary founded in 1985. The UGC group takes control of the new company, the first catalogue of films in France with nearly 1500 feature films and 500 hours of audiovisual programmes.[ citation needed ]

In November 1993, UGC Droits Audiovisuels acquired United Communication, mainly holding the French-speaking rights of the MGM and United Artists catalogue, nearly 800 American films and 2,000 hours of television. The continued consolidation in January 1996 with the acquisition of the group Lumière de Jean Cazès, the second French catalogue of film and audiovisual rights, having itself acquired the British catalogue Weintraub (formerly Thorn EMI) in 1991, while Lumiere Pictures and Television formed earlier in 1992 as a merger between two French companies: Jean Cazes' Initial Groupe (est. 1984) and Investissements en Droits Audiovisuelles (est. 1987). Lumiere owned a substantial library of films from the Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment/Weintraub library, representing a third of all movies made in the UK from the beginning of silent pictures. Cazes then spun off Lumiere's Los Angeles branch into a new company, Lumiere International. [97]

Later that year, in June, Canal+, in turn, acquired UGC Droits Audiovisuels, with the rights to more than 5,000 films. An alliance strongly encouraged by their common shareholder, the General of the Eaux, which holds both 25% of UGC Droits Audiovisuels and 20% of Canal+.[ citation needed ]

UGC Droits Audiovisuels and Canal+ D.A. was merged and renamed Canal+ Image International in June 1997, before the merger of the company StudioCanal with Le Studio Canal+ in 2000.[ citation needed ]

In the 1990s to early 2000s, Warner Home Video formerly handled the distribution of StudioCanal titles through the Canal+ Image label in the United Kingdom on VHS and DVD. However, its name in the UK was kept until 2006 when StudioCanal opened its distribution unit in the UK, with titles distributed through Optimum Releasing. [98]

Filmography

Lumiere Pictures and Television financed and produced films under several names and with a series of production partners. Below are the main ones:

Bryan Forbes

Hammer co-productions

MGM-EMI

Nat Cohen/Anglo-EMI

Co-productions with Columbia

Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings regime

TV movies

Barry Spikings

Verity Lambert

Later films

Weintraub Entertainment Group

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMI</span> British music recording and publishing company

EMI Group Limited was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its acquisition by Universal Music in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Four" record companies. Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records, which are now referenced under Universal Music due to their acquisition with the exception of Parlophone, as it is now owned by Warner Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Artists</span> American film production company

United Artists (UA) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, UA was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as a venture premised on allowing actors to control their own financial and artistic interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lew Grade</span> British media proprietor and impresario (1906–1998)

Lew Grade, Baron Grade, was a Russian-born British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when he founded the Incorporated Television Company to distribute programmes, and following the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood decided to focus on bringing them to the American market. Grade had some success in this field with such series as Gerry Anderson's many Supermarionation series such as Thunderbirds, Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner, and Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. Later, Grade invested in feature film production, but several expensive box-office failures caused him to lose control of ITC, and ultimately resulted in the disestablishment of ATV after it lost its ITV franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elstree Studios</span> 8 film & TV studios in Borehamwood, UK

Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios have been located in the area since 1914 when film production began there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Forbes</span> English film director, screenwriter and actor (1926–2013)

Bryan Forbes CBE was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man" and "one of the most important figures in the British film industry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorn EMI</span> British company, 1979–1996

Thorn EMI was a major British company involved in consumer electronics, music, defence and retail. Created in October 1979, when Thorn Electrical Industries merged with EMI, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It demerged back to separate companies in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITC Entertainment</span> UK-based TV and movie production and distribution company

The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM Home Entertainment LLC is the home video distribution arm of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). It is owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon.

MGM-British was a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer initially established at Denham Film Studios in 1936. It was in limbo during the Second World War; however, following the end of hostilities, a facility was acquired in Borehamwood, which remained in use until it was closed in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated British Picture Corporation</span> Film production company, 1927 to 1970

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned approximately 500 cinemas in Britain by 1943, and in the 1950s and 60s owned a station on the ITV television network. The studio was partly owned by Warner Bros. from about 1940 until 1969; the American company also owned a stake in ABPC's distribution arm, Warner-Pathé, from 1958. It formed one half of a vertically integrated film industry duopoly in Britain with the Rank Organisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Amalgamated</span>

Anglo-Amalgamated Productions was a British film production company, run by Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy, which operated from 1945 until roughly 1971. Low-budget and second features, often produced at Merton Park Studios, formed much of its output. It was the UK distributor of many films produced by American International Pictures (AIP), who distributed AA's films in the United States.

Nat Cohen was a British film producer and executive. For over four decades he was one of the most significant figures in the British film industry, particularly in his capacity as head of Anglo-Amalgamated and EMI Films; he helped finance the first Carry On movies and early work of filmmakers such as Ken Loach, John Schlesinger, Alan Parker and David Puttnam. In the early 1970s while head of EMI Films he was called the most powerful man in the British film industry. He's been called "an unsung giant of British film who never got his due from the establishment in part because of anti-Semitism... the ability to be a successful studio head is very rare and most only last a few years. Cohen did it successfully at various companies for over two decades."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Cinemas</span> Movie theatre chain

ABC Cinemas was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. Originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), it operated between the 1920s and the 1980s. The brand name was reused in the 1990s until 2000.

<i>The Go-Between</i> (1971 film) 1971 British film directed by Joseph Losey

The Go-Between is a 1971 British historical drama film directed by Joseph Losey. Its screenplay by Harold Pinter is an adaptation of the 1953 novel The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley. The film stars Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave and Dominic Guard.

<i>The Man Who Haunted Himself</i> 1970 British film by Basil Dearden

The Man Who Haunted Himself is a 1970 British psychological thriller film written and directed by Basil Dearden and starring Roger Moore. It is based on the 1957 novel The Strange Case of Mr Pelham by Anthony Armstrong, and is a variation on the Jekyll and Hyde story.

<i>The Breaking of Bumbo</i> 1970 British film by Andrew Sinclair

The Breaking of Bumbo is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Andrew Sinclair and starring Richard Warwick, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Child and Edward Fox. The screenplay was by Sinclair, a former Coldstream Guards National service officer, adapted from his 1959 novel of the same name.

Hollywood and the United Kingdom are connected via the American industry's use of British source material, an exchange of talent, and Hollywood's financial investment in British facilities and productions. The American studios have had their own bases in the UK in the past, such as MGM-British, and Warner Bros. owned shares in the now long disestablished British distributor Warner-Pathé, once part of the Associated British Pictures Corporation. The U.K. has had major production studios in the United States such as Trilith Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)</span> Film and TV production facility in England

Elstree Studios on Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire is a British film and television production centre operated by Elstree Film Studios Limited. One of several facilities historically referred to as Elstree Studios, the Shenley Road studios originally opened in 1925.

Robert Clark (1905–1984) was a Scottish film executive best known for being head of production at Associated British Picture Corporation in the late 1940s and 1950s. It was a successful time for the company, films including The Dam Busters (1955).

References

  1. ↑ Groves, Don (13 August 1993). "Lumiere reorganizes sales, biz divisions". Variety . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cannon sells its Film Library". New Straits Times. Reuter. 5 April 1987. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 Dick, Bernard F. (1992). Columbia Pictures: Portrait of a Studio. University Press of Kentucky. p. 56. ISBN   9780813132785.
  4. ↑ Williams, Michael (24 April 1995). "Lumiere sets its sights on H'wood, seeks cash allies". Variety . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Hopewell, John (20 October 2012). "Lumiere rocks to French classics". Variety . Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Groves, Don (13 August 1993). "Lumiere reorganizes sales, biz divisions". Variety . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Vertical integration". Terramedia. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Warren, Patricia (2001). British Film Studios: An Illustrated History. London: B. T. Batsford. p. 75.
  9. ↑ Forbes, p 62
  10. ↑ Pearson, Kenneth (13 April 1969). "The Great Film Gamble". Sunday Times. p. 53 – via The Sunday Times Digital Archive.
  11. ↑ "BUSINESS diary". The Times. London. 9 April 1969. p. 23 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  12. ↑ "ECONOMY: Ease the squeeze now please". The Observer. 30 November 1969. p. 18.
  13. ↑ "Shot in Arm for British Film Industry". Los Angeles Times. 29 November 1969. p. a9.
  14. ↑ Dennis Barker (9 August 1969). "Parable of talent: DENNIS BARKER interviews Bryan Forbes". The Guardian. London. p. 6.
  15. ↑ Walker, 1974, p.426-428
  16. ↑ "Britain steps back into cinema's big league". The Guardian. London. 13 August 1969. p. 5.
  17. ↑ John Heilpern (28 June 1970). "The End: In the Last Fifteen Years the British Cinema Has Lost Four-Fifths of its Audience. Today Half of the Industry'sTechnicians Are Out of Work". The Observer. London. p. 9.
  18. ↑ Day-Lewis, Sean (13 August 1969). "British finance backs plans for 15 new films". The Daily Telegraph. p. 17.
  19. ↑ Forbes, p.103
  20. ↑ "In the Picture". Sight and Sound. No. 38.4 (Fall 1969). p. 181.
  21. ↑ "BRYAN FORBES INTERVIEW at ABPC ELSTREE STUDIOS". Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  22. ↑ McEWAN, IAN (15 August 1969). "British Film Czar Plans to Revitalize Industry". Los Angeles Times. p. d16.
  23. ↑ Owen, Michael (25 November 1969). "8 new British films are in the pipeline". Evening Standard. p. 17. (subscription required)
  24. ↑ Shamoon, Stella (26 November 1969). "EMI puts faith and £15 million into filmmaking". The Daily Telegraph. p. 17. (subscription required)
  25. ↑ "City comment: Soon the darkness". The Guardian. 8 March 1971. p. 12.
  26. ↑ "Forbes Quits as Elstree's Film Chief". Los Angeles Times. 26 March 1971. p. e15.
  27. 1 2 Brian McFarlane, ed. (2003). The Encyclopedia of British Film. London: Methuen/BFI. p. 203.
  28. ↑ Walker, 1985, p 114
  29. ↑ Forbes, p.108
  30. ↑ Fowler, Roy (9 August 1994). "Interview with Bryan Forbes". British Entertainment History Project. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  31. ↑ Anderson, Lindsay (2004). Never apologise : the collected writings. Plexus. p. 381. ISBN   978-0-85965-317-6.
  32. ↑ "Interview with Teddy Darvas". British Entertainment History Project. 1991–1992. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  33. ↑ Forbes, p.102
  34. ↑ Pearson, Kenneth (4 April 1971). "News in the Arts". Sunday Times. London. p. 37 – via The Sunday Times Digital Archive.
  35. 1 2 Sian Barber The British Film Industry in the 1970s: Capital, Culture and Creativity, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, p.47
  36. 1 2 Patricia Warren British Film Studios: An Illustrated History, London: B.T Batsford, 2001, p.76
  37. ↑ ""MGM to Close, Down English Film Facility"". Los Angeles Times. April 1970. p. a6.
  38. ↑ Gary Arnold. (15 July 1970). "Spectrum Of Interest: Film Notes". The Washington Post. p. B5.
  39. 1 2 Sue Harper (2000). "Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know". London & New York: Continuum. p. 128. ISBN   9781441134981.
  40. ↑ "EMI faces the music Braham, Michael". The Observer. 10 October 1971. p. 14.
  41. ↑ Barber, p.48
  42. ↑ "News in Brief". The Times. London. 9 May 1973. p. 4 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  43. ↑ "'Murder on the Orient Express' tops US charts". The Times. London. 11 February 1975. p. 7 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  44. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Film Studios and Industry Bodies > EMI Film Productions". Screen Online. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  45. ↑ Shamoon, Stella (9 July 1975). "EMI putting £6 million into films in next 12 months". The Daily Telegraph. p. 20.
  46. ↑ Walker, 1985 p141
  47. ↑ Z (9 July 1975). "News in Brief". The Times. London. p. 3 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  48. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (22 October 1977). "FILM CLIPS: 'The Body Snatchers' Moves Up". Los Angeles Times. p. c11.
  49. ↑ Mills, Bart (2 September 1977). "British money is suddenly big in Hollywood,'right up with Fox and Warner'". The Guardian. p. 8.
  50. ↑ "Acquisition of B Lion". The Guardian. London. 19 May 1976. p. 18.
  51. ↑ Michael Deeley (2009). "Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies". Pegasus Books. pp. 128–199.
  52. ↑ ALJEAN HARMETZ (1 August 1977). "If a Movie Goes in America, Will Rest of World Buy It?: E.M.I. Films Chief Says Answer Depends Upon Motion and Stars". The New York Times. p. 34.
  53. ↑ Champlin, Charles. (27 May 1977). "CRITIC AT LARGE: In Search of World Viewers". Los Angeles Times. p. g1.
  54. ↑ Deeley in his memoirs says the sixth film was Arabian Adventure. See Deeley p 134
  55. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (14 July 2020). ""John Wick with spurs" – A look at Walter Hill's Unmade The Last Gun". Diabolique.
  56. ↑ Deeley p 134
  57. ↑ "Gimbel Will Head EMI-TV". Los Angeles Times. 26 July 1976. p. f12.
  58. ↑ Harmetz, Aliean (19 April 1978). "Orion's Star Rises in Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  59. ↑ "The man who came to film". The Guardian. 18 July 1979. p. 10.
  60. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (28 October 1978). "FILM CLIPS: A New Dimension for a Brother Act". Los Angeles Times. p. b11.
  61. ↑ Barker, Dennis (12 March 1980). "British films get British boost". The Guardian. p. 2.
  62. ↑ "Orange order". The Guardian. London. 2 February 1981. p. 11.
  63. ↑ Barker, Dennis (3 March 1981). "British role in US film market is cut". The Guardian. p. 2.
  64. ↑ "It's Not TV: HBO, The Company That Changed Television: Expanding The Brand (Part 1)". PopOptiq. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  65. ↑ Fiddick, Peter (24 November 1983). "Cinema Verity: Peter Fiddick talks to EMI-Thorn 's new film production chief". The Guardian. p. 13.
  66. ↑ "EMI Sues UA Over 'War Games' Distrib Rights, Territories". Variety . 2 March 1983. p. 7.
  67. ↑ Seideman, Tony (1 December 1984). "HBO, Thorn EMI Team in Video Venture" (PDF). Billboard.
  68. ↑ Walker 1985 p286
  69. ↑ "Producer splits cost of films". The Guardian. 10 January 1985. p. 4.
  70. ↑ Brown, Maggie (20 March 1985). "Thorn EMI plans $175m film fund". The Guardian. p. 24.
  71. ↑ "Thorn And Gladden Profess Ignorance of Revised Terms". Variety . 15 May 1985. p. 4.
  72. ↑ Walker, 1985, p35-36
  73. ↑ "Thorn EMI Inks France's AAA To 20-Pic Exclusive Output Deal". Variety . 17 July 1985. p. 22.
  74. ↑ "Thorn EMI Signs Up Slew of British Indies To Production Pacts". Variety . 7 August 1985. p. 3.
  75. ↑ Newport, David (1 August 1985). "Three of the best: David Newpart on three big theatrical names going into films". The Guardian. p. 11.
  76. ↑ "EMI & Universal To Dissolve U.S. Distribution Pact". Variety . 21 August 1985. p. 3.
  77. ↑ Lambert, Verity; Hughes, Scott (5 May 1997). "CV; Verity Lambert Founder, Cinema Verity". The Independent. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  78. ↑ "Several Offers But No TESE Sale Yet". Variety . 27 November 1985. p. 3.
  79. ↑ Watkins, Roger (11 December 1985). "Thorn EMI accepts bid by management". Variety . pp. 3, 7.
  80. ↑ "British Lion Subsid of TESE Sold Off To Former Staffer". Variety . 11 December 1985. pp. 3, 26.
  81. ↑ WILLIAM K. KNOEDELSEDER JR (7 August 1987). "Cannon Group Loses $9.9 Million in Quarter" . Retrieved 21 February 2018– via Los Angeles Times.
  82. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; Cannon Will Sell Home Video Stake". The New York Times. 7 April 1987. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  83. ↑ "HBO said it is buying out HBO/Cannon Video". Los Angeles Times. 7 April 1987. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  84. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cieply, Michael (11 January 1989). "Weintraub's Worries : Box-Office Flops Add to Woes of Flashy 'Mini-Major'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  85. ↑ "Weintraub Entertainment and RSO reached a pact". Los Angeles Times. 27 March 1987. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  86. ↑ Greeberg, James (19 November 1989). "Is It Time Now to Cry for 'Evita'?". The New York Times.
  87. ↑ Knoedelseder Jr., William K. (7 August 1987). "Cannon Group Loses $9.9 Million in Quarter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  88. ↑ "Usher Named Division Head at Weintraub". Los Angeles Times. 12 July 1987. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  89. ↑ Delugach, Al (1 February 1988). "Weintraub Taps Rosenzweig as TV Unit Chief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  90. ↑ Voland, John (23 August 1988). "WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : Freddy Shreds the Movie Competition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  91. ↑ "Harry Usher Joins Executive Search Firm". Los Angeles Times. ASSOCIATED PRESS. 7 January 1989. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  92. ↑ Cieply, Michael (14 September 1990). "Weintraub Is Expected to File Chapter 11 : Entertainment: The film firm seeks to cut off bondholders' action". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  93. ↑ Citron, Alan (18 January 1992). "Creditors Agree With Weintraub to Settle Lawsuit : * Film: Two banks had accused the producer of taking an unwarranted $748,000 in developing 'Hook". latimes.com. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  94. ↑ "Bear Stearns Misled Its Investors, Jury Finds". Los Angeles Times. Bloomberg News. 25 August 1998. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  95. ↑ StudioCanal. "Statuts mis à jour". Infogreffe. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  96. ↑ Bulletin de la Société de l'histoire du protestantisme français (1989). "Les Fraissinet, une famille d'armateurs protestants marseillais". Bulletin de la Société de l'Histoire du Protestantisme Français (1903-). 135: 229–260. JSTOR   24296674 . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  97. ↑ "Lumiere Pictures". Audiovisual Identity Database. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  98. ↑ James, Alison; Dawtrey, Adam (7 May 2006). "Studio Canal moves into Blighty". Variety . Retrieved 4 September 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.