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HandMade Films

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HandMade Films
Company typePrivate
IndustryFilmmaking,distribution
Founded1978;46 years ago(1978)
FounderGeorge Harrison
Denis O'Brien
Defunct2013;11 years ago(2013)
SuccessorGFM Films
GFM Animation
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
David Francis
Websitehandmadefilms.com

HandMade Filmswas a Britishfilm productionanddistributioncompany. Notable films from the studio includeMonty Python's Life of Brian,Time Bandits,The Long Good FridayandWithnail and I.[1]

History

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Foundation

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HandMade Films was formed by formerBeatleGeorge Harrisonand business partnerDenis O'Brienin 1978 to finance the controversialMonty PythonfilmLife of Brian.[1]Harrison had been introduced to O'Brien by actorPeter Sellersin 1973. Soon afterward the two went into business together.[2]The HandMade logo was drawn by Python's animatorTerry Gilliam.[3]

When the original financiers ofBrian,EMI Films,pulled out of the project less than a week before filming was to commence, the creators had to find other financing.[4][5]Harrison, a friend and fan of the Pythons, mortgagedhis homein order to finance the feature.[1]Eric Idleof the Pythons later called it "the most anybody's ever paid for a cinema ticket in history".[6]Life of Briangrossed $21 million at the box office in the US.[2]

Harrison explained: "The name of the company came about as a bit of a joke. I'd been toWookey HoleinSomerset... [near] an old paper mill where they show you how to make old underpants into paper. So I bought a few rolls, and they had this watermark 'British Handmade Paper'... So we said... we'll call it Handmade Films. "[2]

First film and growth of productions

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The first film distributed by HandMade Films wasThe Long Good Friday(1980), and the first it produced wasTime Bandits(1981), a co-scripted project byMonty Python'sTerry GilliamandMichael Palin.[7]The film featured a new song by Harrison, "Dream Away",in the closing credits.[8]Time Banditsbecame one of HandMade's most successful and acclaimed efforts; with a budget of $5 million, it earned $35 million in the US within ten weeks of its release.[8]

Harrison served asexecutive producerfor 23 films with HandMade, including the Oscar-nominatedMona Lisa,Shanghai SurpriseandWithnail and I.He made severalcameo appearancesin these films, including a role as anightclub singerinShanghai Surprise,[9]for which he recorded five new songs.[10]According to Ian Inglis, Harrison's "executive role in HandMade Films helped to sustain British cinema at a time of crisis, producing some of the country's most memorable movies of the 1980s."[11]In 1987, HandMade Films made an agreement with independent motion picture distributorIsland Picturesto distribute four films for limited theatrical release from 1987 to mid-1988:The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne,Track 29,The Raggedy RawneyandBellman and True.[12]

Changes of ownership and recent history

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Following a series ofbox office bombsin the late 1980s and excessive debt incurred by O'Brien, which wasguaranteedby Harrison, HandMade's financial situation became precarious.[13][14]The company ceased operations in 1991[1]and was sold three years later toParagon Entertainment Corporationof Toronto, Canada.[15]Afterward, Harrison sued O'Brien for $25 million for fraud and negligence, resulting in an $11.6 million judgment in 1996.[16][1]

New ownerParagon Entertainment Corporationrestarted production under the HandMade name in 1996–1997.[17]The company's most notable release of that era wasLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels(1998). In 1999,Patrick Meehanand Cartier Investments acquired HandMade from Paragon.[18][19]

In June 1999, The Equator Group plc became the exclusive distributor and manager of the HandMade Films library,[20]and attempted to purchase the company from Cartier outright, but negotiations were unsuccessful until areverse takeoveragreement with Hand Made Holdings Ltd[21]announced on 15 May 2006.[22]

The Equator Group reincorporated as HandMade Plc on 8 June 2006[23]and the new company was traded on theAlternative Investment Market(AIM) stock exchange (changing itsticker symbolfrom EQG to HMF). Trading of HandMade plc shares was suspended several times, notably June to October 2009, after the company failed to provide 2008 audit results to shareholders.[24][25]

On 29 April 2010, Almorah Services Ltd tendered a takeover bid, priced at £0.01 per share in cash[26]and HMF wasdelistedfrom the AIM on 29 June 2010.[27]HandMade plc was re-registered as HandMade Limited, a private company, on 2 February 2011.[28]Handmade Limited entered administration on 11 July 2012, liquidation on 24 April 2013,[29]and was dissolved on 22 February 2018.[30]

In 2016,Park Circuspurchased distribution rights to the HandMade film library.[31]

In 2017, following an investigation by theInsolvency Service,three HandMade Limited directors were disqualified from acting as a director of a company: Patrick Anthony Meehan for 13 years, David Bernard Ravden for five-and-a-half years, and Peter William Parkinson for four years. The directors misused funds to "pay off relatives" and "on matters undisclosed to advisers, shareholder or potential investors".[29]

Filmography

[edit]
See also:Category:HandMade Films films
Year Title Director Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1970s
1979 Monty Python's Life of Brian Terry Jones 95% (64 reviews)[32] 77% (15 reviews)[33]
A Sense of Freedom John Mackenzie —
1980s
1980 The Long Good Friday John Mackenzie 96% (28 reviews)[34] —
1981 Time Bandits Terry Gilliam 89% (46 reviews)[35] 79% (18 reviews)[36]
Tattoo Bob Brooks 33% (6 reviews)[37] —
Venom Piers Haggard 43% (7 reviews)[38] —
The Burning Tony Maylam 86% (7 reviews)[39] —
1982 Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl Terry Hughes(live segments)
Ian MacNaughton(film segments) 		—
Scrubbers Mai Zetterling —
The Missionary Richard Loncraine —
Privates on Parade Michael Blakemore —
1983 Bullshot Dick Clement —
1984 A Private Function Malcolm Mowbray 88% (8 reviews)[40] —
1985 Water Dick Clement —
1986 Mona Lisa Neil Jordan 97% (30 reviews)[41] —
Shanghai Surprise Jim Goddard 13% (8 reviews)[42] —
1987 Withnail and I Bruce Robinson 94% (31 reviews)[43] —
Bellman and True Richard Loncraine —
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Jack Clayton —
1988 Track 29 Nicolas Roeg 67% (6 reviews)[44] —
Five Corners Tony Bill 78% (9 reviews)[45] —
The Raggedy Rawney Bob Hoskins —
1989 Checking Out David Leland 20% (5 reviews)[46] —
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Bruce Robinson 57% (14 reviews)[47] —
Powwow Highway Jonathan Wacks 100% (9 reviews)[48] —
1990s
1990 Cold Dog Soup Alan Metter —
Nuns on the Run Jonathan Lynn 42% (26 reviews)[49] —
New ownership - 1994
1996 Intimate Relations Philip Goodhew —
1997 The Wrong Guy David Steinberg —
1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Guy Ritchie 75% (65 reviews)[50] 66% (30 reviews)[51]
2000s
2006 Eloise: The Animated Series Wes Archer —
2008 Manolete Menno Meyjes —
Fifty Dead Men Walking Kari Skogland 84% (51 reviews)[52] 57% (16 reviews)[53]
2009 Planet 51 Jorge Blanco 22% (108 reviews)[54] 39% (21 reviews)[55]
Cracks Jordan Scott 43% (49 reviews)[56] 54% (12 reviews)[57]
2010s
2010 127 Hours Danny Boyle 93% (224 reviews)[58] 82% (38 reviews)[59]
2020s
2024 Time Bandits Jemaine Clement
Iain Morris
Taika Waititi 		—

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdeBarber, Nicholas (3 April 2019)."How George Harrison – and a very naughty boy – saved British cinema".The Guardian.Retrieved3 April2019.
  2. ^abcHarry 2003,p. 211.
  3. ^An Accidental Studio(2019)
  4. ^HandMade Filmsat theBFI'sScreenonline
  5. ^Davies 2009,pp. 362–363;Doggett 2009,p. 262.
  6. ^Doggett 2009,p. 262.
  7. ^Harry 2003,p. 212.
  8. ^abInglis 2010,p. 83.
  9. ^Control Nathan Rabin 4.0 #73 Shanghai Surprise —— Nathan Rabin's Happy Place
  10. ^Leng 2006,p. 244.
  11. ^Inglis 2010,p. xvi.
  12. ^"Island Gets 4 Handmades".Variety.22 April 1987. p. 5.
  13. ^Sellers, Robert (2013).Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Stories of HandMade Films.London: Titan Books.ISBN9781781167083.
  14. ^Dawtrey 2002,p. 207.
  15. ^Harry 2003,pp. 214–15.
  16. ^Morris, Chris. "George Harrison Wins $11.6 Mill. In Suit Vs. Ex-Partner",Billboard,3 February 1996: 13
  17. ^Entertainment, Paragon."PARAGON/HANDMADE FILMS TO MAKE FIVE FEATURES IN FIRST HALF OF 1997".www.prnewswire.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 14 December 2017.Retrieved14 December2017.
  18. ^"HandMade offering".Variety.17 May 2006.Retrieved21 November2014.
  19. ^Blackwell, David (16 May 2006)."HandMade set for Aim after £15m deal".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 10 December 2022.Retrieved21 November2014.
  20. ^"Equator Group PLC Interim Results - 6 months ended 30 June 1999".Investigate.co.uk.FE fundinfo. 28 October 1999.Retrieved3 May2020.
  21. ^"Equator Group PLC EGM Results and Board Changes".Investegate.co.uk.FE fundinfo. 8 June 2006.Retrieved3 May2020.
  22. ^"Equator Group PLC re-Admission to trading".Investigate.co.uk.FE fundinfo. 15 May 2006.Retrieved3 May2020.
  23. ^"Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name, Company No. 3270629"(PDF).Companies House.8 June 2006.Retrieved3 May2020.
  24. ^McNabb, Geoffrey (1 July 2009)."HandMade Plc shares suspended as it fails to produce accounts".ScreenDaily.Retrieved3 May2020.
  25. ^Allen, Katie (7 January 2010)."Aim-listed HandMade films asks for share suspension".The Guardian.London.Retrieved3 May2020.
  26. ^"Almorah Services Ltd Offer for Handmade plc".Investegate.co.uk.FE fundinfo. 29 April 2010.Retrieved3 May2020.
  27. ^"Cancellation - Handmade plc".Investegate.co.uk.FE fundinfo. 29 June 2010.Retrieved3 May2020.
  28. ^"Certificate of Incorporation on Re-Registration of a Public Company as a Private Company, Company No. 3270629"(PDF).Companies House. 2 February 2011.Retrieved3 May2020.
  29. ^ab"Handmade film directors disqualified for misleading investors"(Press release).The Insolvency Service.14 February 2017. 020 7596 6187.Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2017.Retrieved3 May2020.
  30. ^"Dissolved"(PDF).Companies House. 22 February 2018.Retrieved3 May2020.
  31. ^McNabb, Geoffrey (13 May 2016)."Park Circus to sell Handmade Films library".ScreenDaily.Retrieved3 May2020.
  32. ^"Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  33. ^"Monty Python's Life of Brian Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved23 October2019.
  34. ^"The Long Good Friday (1982)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  35. ^"Time Bandits (1981)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  36. ^"Time Bandits Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.
  37. ^"Tattoo (1981)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  38. ^"Venom (1981)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  39. ^"The Burning (1981)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  40. ^"A Private Function (1985)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  41. ^"Mona Lisa (1986)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  42. ^"Shanghai Surprise (1986)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  43. ^"Withnail and I (1987)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  44. ^"Track 29 (1988)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  45. ^"Five Corners (1987)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  46. ^"Checking Out (1989)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  47. ^"How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  48. ^"Powwow Highway (1989)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  49. ^"Nuns on the Run (1990)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  50. ^"Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1999)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  51. ^"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.
  52. ^"Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  53. ^"Fifty Dead Men Walking Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.
  54. ^"Planet 51 (2009)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved23 October2019.
  55. ^"Planet 51 Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.
  56. ^"Cracks (2011)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  57. ^"Cracks Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.
  58. ^"127 Hours (2010)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved26 July2018.
  59. ^"127 Hours Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved26 July2018.

Works cited

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