HandMade Films: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|British film production and distribution company}} | {{Short description|British film production and distribution company}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date= | {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}{{Use British English|date=April 2016}} | ||
{{Infobox company | {{Infobox company | ||
| name = HandMade Films | | name = HandMade Films | ||
| logo = HandMade Films logo.svg | | logo = HandMade Films logo.svg | ||
| logo_size = 220px | | logo_size = 220px | ||
| type = | | type = Private company | ||
| industry = | | industry = Filmmaking, distribution | ||
| successor = GFM Films<br />GFM Animation | | successor = GFM Films<br />GFM Animation | ||
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1978}} | | foundation = {{Start date and age|1978}} | ||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
| defunct = {{End date and age|2013}} | | defunct = {{End date and age|2013}} | ||
| fate = [[Liquidation]] | | fate = [[Liquidation]] | ||
| location = London, England | | location = London, England | ||
| area_served = Worldwide | | area_served = Worldwide | ||
| key_people = David Francis | | key_people = David Francis | ||
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''HandMade Films''' was an English [[Filmmaking|film production]] and | '''HandMade Films''' was an English [[Filmmaking|film production]] and distribution company based in London, active between 1978 and 2013. Notable films from the studio include ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' (1979), ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' (1980), ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981) and ''[[Withnail and I]]'' (1987).<ref name="grdn">{{cite news |last=Barber |first=Nicholas |title=How George Harrison – and a very naughty boy – saved British cinema |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/03/george-harrison-beatle-monty-python-life-of-brian-handmade-studios |access-date=3 April 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=3 April 2019}}</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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HandMade Films was formed by former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]] and business partner [[Denis O'Brien (producer)|Denis O'Brien]] in 1978 to finance the controversial [[Monty Python]] film ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian|Life of Brian]]''.<ref name="grdn"/> Harrison had been introduced to O'Brien by actor [[Peter Sellers]] in 1973. Soon afterward the two went into business together.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=211}} The HandMade logo was drawn by Python's animator [[Terry Gilliam]].<ref>''An Accidental Studio'' (2019)</ref> | HandMade Films was formed by former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]] and business partner [[Denis O'Brien (producer)|Denis O'Brien]] in 1978 to finance the controversial [[Monty Python]] film ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian|Life of Brian]]''.<ref name="grdn"/> Harrison had been introduced to O'Brien by actor [[Peter Sellers]] in 1973. Soon afterward the two went into business together.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=211}} The HandMade logo was drawn by Python's animator [[Terry Gilliam]].<ref>''An Accidental Studio'' (2019)</ref> | ||
When the original financiers of ''Brian'', [[EMI Films]], pulled out of the project less than a week before filming was to commence, the creators had to find other financing.<ref name="screenonline">{{Screenonline title|id=499846|name=Handmade studio biography and associate films}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Davies|2009|pp=362–363}}; {{harvnb|Doggett|2009|p=262}}.</ref> Harrison, a friend and fan of the Pythons, mortgaged [[Friar Park | When the original financiers of ''Brian'', [[EMI Films]], pulled out of the project less than a week before filming was to commence, the creators had to find other financing.<ref name="screenonline">{{Screenonline title|id=499846|name=Handmade studio biography and associate films}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Davies|2009|pp=362–363}}; {{harvnb|Doggett|2009|p=262}}.</ref> Harrison, a friend and fan of the Pythons, mortgaged his [[Friar Park]] home to finance the feature.<ref name="grdn"/> [[Eric Idle]] of the Pythons later called it "the most anybody's ever paid for a cinema ticket in history".{{sfn|Doggett|2009|p=262}} ''Life of Brian'' grossed $21 million at the box office in the US.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=211}} | ||
Harrison explained: "The name of the company came about as a bit of a joke. I'd been to [[Wookey Hole]] in | Harrison explained: "The name of the company came about as a bit of a joke. I'd been to [[Wookey Hole]] in Somerset ... [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."{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=211}} | ||
=== First film and growth of productions === | === First film and growth of productions === | ||
The first film distributed by HandMade Films was ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' (1980), and the first it produced was ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981), a co-scripted project by [[Monty Python]]{{'}}s [[Terry Gilliam]] and [[Michael Palin]].{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=212}} The film featured a new song by Harrison, "[[Dream Away (George Harrison song)|Dream Away]]", in the closing credits.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=83}} ''Time Bandits'' became 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.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=83}} | The first film distributed by HandMade Films was ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' (1980), and the first it produced was ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981), a co-scripted project by [[Monty Python]]{{'}}s [[Terry Gilliam]] and [[Michael Palin]].{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=212}} The film featured a new song by Harrison, "[[Dream Away (George Harrison song)|Dream Away]]", in the closing credits.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=83}} ''Time Bandits'' became 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.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=83}} | ||
Harrison served as [[Film producer|executive producer]] for 23 films with HandMade, including the Oscar-nominated ''[[Mona Lisa (film)|Mona Lisa]]'', ''[[Shanghai Surprise]]'' and ''[[Withnail and I]]''. He made several [[cameo appearance]]s in these films, including a role as a [[nightclub singer]] in ''Shanghai Surprise'',<ref>[https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/10/23/control-nathan-rabin-40-73-shanghai-surprise Control Nathan Rabin 4.0 #73 Shanghai Surprise —— Nathan Rabin's Happy Place]</ref> for which he recorded five new songs.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=244}} 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."{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=xvi}} In 1987, HandMade Films made an agreement with independent motion picture distributor [[Island Records|Island Pictures]] to distribute four films for limited theatrical release from 1987 to mid-1988: ''[[The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne]]'', ''[[Track 29]]'', ''[[The Raggedy Rawney]]'' and ''[[Bellman and True]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1987 | In December 1983 O'Brien said "The important thing is to make films that are intrinsically British and stay with the strong roots here. Once you start aiming for that mid-Atlantic taste at the UK majors did, you're finished."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/157547422/|first=Bob|last=Woffinden|newspaper=The Guardian | ||
|date=22 December 1983|page=7|title=British made}}</ref> | |||
Harrison served as [[Film producer|executive producer]] for 23 films with HandMade, including the Oscar-nominated ''[[Mona Lisa (film)|Mona Lisa]]'', ''[[Shanghai Surprise]]'' and ''[[Withnail and I]]''. He made several [[cameo appearance]]s in these films, including a role as a [[nightclub singer]] in ''Shanghai Surprise'',<ref>[https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/10/23/control-nathan-rabin-40-73-shanghai-surprise Control Nathan Rabin 4.0 #73 Shanghai Surprise —— Nathan Rabin's Happy Place]</ref> for which he recorded five new songs.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=244}} 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."{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=xvi}} In 1987, HandMade Films made an agreement with independent motion picture distributor [[Island Records|Island Pictures]] to distribute four films for limited theatrical release from 1987 to mid-1988: ''[[The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne]]'', ''[[Track 29]]'', ''[[The Raggedy Rawney]]'' and ''[[Bellman and True]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=22 April 1987|title=Island Gets 4 Handmades|page=5|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> | |||
===Changes of ownership and recent history=== | ===Changes of ownership and recent history=== | ||
Following a series of [[box office bomb]]s in the late 1980s and excessive debt incurred by O'Brien, which was [[Loan guarantee|guaranteed]] by Harrison, HandMade's financial situation became precarious.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sellers |first=Robert |date=2013 |title=Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Stories of HandMade Films |location=London |publisher=Titan Books |isbn=9781781167083}}</ref>{{sfn|Dawtrey|2002|p=207}} The company ceased operations in 1991<ref name="grdn"/> and was sold three years later to [[Paragon Entertainment Corporation]] of Toronto, Canada.{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=214–15}} Afterward, Harrison sued O'Brien for $25 million for fraud and negligence, resulting in an $11.6 million judgment in 1996.<ref>Morris, Chris. "George Harrison Wins $11.6 Mill. In Suit Vs. Ex-Partner", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', 3 February 1996: 13</ref><ref name="grdn"/> Following this event, the company was completely taken over by the Canadian investors. | Following a series of [[box office bomb]]s in the late 1980s and excessive debt incurred by O'Brien, which was [[Loan guarantee|guaranteed]] by Harrison, HandMade's financial situation became precarious.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sellers |first=Robert |date=2013 |title=Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Stories of HandMade Films |location=London |publisher=Titan Books |isbn=9781781167083}}</ref>{{sfn|Dawtrey|2002|p=207}} The company ceased operations in 1991<ref name="grdn"/> and was sold three years later to [[Paragon Entertainment Corporation]] of Toronto, Canada.{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=214–15}} Afterward, Harrison sued O'Brien for $25 million for fraud and negligence, resulting in an $11.6 million judgment in 1996.<ref>Morris, Chris. "George Harrison Wins $11.6 Mill. In Suit Vs. Ex-Partner", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', 3 February 1996: 13</ref><ref name="grdn"/> Following this event, the company was completely taken over by the Canadian investors. | ||
New owner [[Paragon Entertainment Corporation]] restarted production under the HandMade name in 1996–1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=13047|title=PARAGON/HANDMADE FILMS TO MAKE FIVE FEATURES IN FIRST HALF OF 1997|first=Paragon|last=Entertainment|website=www.prnewswire.co.uk|access-date=14 December 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214125056/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/paragonhandmade-films-to-make-five-features-in-first-half-of-1997-156329145.html |archive-date=2017 | New owner [[Paragon Entertainment Corporation]] restarted production under the HandMade name in 1996–1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=13047|title=PARAGON/HANDMADE FILMS TO MAKE FIVE FEATURES IN FIRST HALF OF 1997|first=Paragon|last=Entertainment|website=www.prnewswire.co.uk|access-date=14 December 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214125056/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/paragonhandmade-films-to-make-five-features-in-first-half-of-1997-156329145.html |archive-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> The company's most notable release of that era was ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]'' (1998). In 1999, [[Patrick Meehan (producer)|Patrick Meehan]] and Cartier Investments acquired HandMade from Paragon.<ref name=variety>{{cite news |title=HandMade offering |url=https://variety.com/2006/scene/news/handmade-offering-1200336260/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=21 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=ftblackwell>{{cite news |last=Blackwell |first=David |title=HandMade set for Aim after £15m deal |url=https://www.ft.com/content/51a5cc9e-e478-11da-8ced-0000779e2340 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210211255/https://www.ft.com/content/51a5cc9e-e478-11da-8ced-0000779e2340#axzz3JjIjNcTx |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=16 May 2006 |access-date=21 November 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In June 1999, The Equator Group plc became the exclusive distributor and manager of the HandMade Films library,<ref>{{cite web |title=Equator Group PLC Interim Results | In June 1999, The Equator Group plc became the exclusive distributor and manager of the HandMade Films library,<ref>{{cite web |title=Equator Group PLC Interim Results – 6 months ended 30 June 1999 |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/interim-results---6-months-ended-30-june-1999/199910281204027796W/ |website=Investigate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=28 October 1999 |access-date=3 May 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101065645/https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/interim-results---6-months-ended-30-june-1999/199910281204027796W/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and attempted to purchase the company from Cartier outright, but negotiations were unsuccessful until a [[reverse takeover]] agreement with Hand Made Holdings Ltd<ref>{{cite web |title=Equator Group PLC EGM Results and Board Changes |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/egm-results-and-board-changes/200606081128052644E/ |website=Investegate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=8 June 2006 |access-date=3 May 2020 |archive-date=2 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102094750/https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/egm-results-and-board-changes/200606081128052644E/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> announced on 15 May 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Equator Group PLC re-Admission to trading |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/re-admission-to-trading/200605150800089336C/ |website=Investigate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=15 May 2006 |access-date=3 May 2020 |archive-date=24 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024204311/https://www.investegate.co.uk/equator-group-plc--hmf-/rns/re-admission-to-trading/200605150800089336C/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
The Equator Group reincorporated as HandMade Plc on 8 June 2006<ref>{{cite web |title=Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name, Company No. 3270629 |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629/filing-history/MTYxOTE4MDE3YWRpcXprY3g/document?format=pdf&download=0 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Companies House]] |date=8 June 2006 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> and the new company was traded on the [[Alternative Investment Market]] (AIM) stock exchange (changing its [[ticker symbol]] from EQG to HMF). Trading of HandMade plc shares was suspended several times, notably June to October 2009, after the company failed to provide | The Equator Group reincorporated as HandMade Plc on 8 June 2006<ref>{{cite web |title=Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name, Company No. 3270629 |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629/filing-history/MTYxOTE4MDE3YWRpcXprY3g/document?format=pdf&download=0 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Companies House]] |date=8 June 2006 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> and the new company was traded on the [[Alternative Investment Market]] (AIM) stock exchange (changing its [[ticker symbol]] from 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=HandMade Plc shares suspended as it fails to produce accounts |first=Geoffrey |last=McNabb |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/production/uk-ireland/-handmade-plc-shares-suspended-as-it-fails-to-produce-accounts/5003014.article |website=[[ScreenDaily]] |date=1 July 2009 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Katie |title=Aim-listed HandMade films asks for share suspension |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/jan/07/handmade-shares-suspended |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=7 January 2010 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> | ||
On 29 April 2010, Almorah Services Ltd tendered a takeover bid, priced at £0.01 per share in cash<ref>{{cite web |title=Almorah Services Ltd Offer for Handmade plc |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/almorah-services-ltd/rns/offer-for-handmade-plc/201004300700070921L/ |website=Investegate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=29 April 2010 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> and HMF was [[Listing (finance)#Delisting|delisted]] from the AIM on 29 June 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cancellation | On 29 April 2010, Almorah Services Ltd tendered a takeover bid, priced at £0.01 per share in cash<ref>{{cite web |title=Almorah Services Ltd Offer for Handmade plc |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/almorah-services-ltd/rns/offer-for-handmade-plc/201004300700070921L/ |website=Investegate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=29 April 2010 |access-date=3 May 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and HMF was [[Listing (finance)#Delisting|delisted]] from the AIM on 29 June 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cancellation – Handmade plc |url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/aim/rns/cancellation---handmade-plc/201006290700053356O/ |website=Investegate.co.uk |publisher=FE fundinfo |date=29 June 2010 |access-date=3 May 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> HandMade plc was re-registered as HandMade Limited, a private company, on 2 February 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629/filing-history/MzAzMTUzNjk1M2FkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0 |format=PDF |title=Certificate of Incorporation on Re-Registration of a Public Company as a Private Company, Company No. 3270629 |publisher=Companies House |date=2 February 2011 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> Handmade Limited entered administration on 11 July 2012, [[liquidation]] on 24 April 2013,<ref name="Insolvency">{{cite press release |title=Handmade film directors disqualified for misleading investors |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/handmade-film-directors-disqualified-for-misleading-investors |url-status=live |agency=[[Insolvency Service|The Insolvency Service]] |date=14 February 2017 |access-date=3 May 2020 |id=020 7596 6187 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214193247/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/handmade-film-directors-disqualified-for-misleading-investors |archive-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> and was dissolved on 22 February 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dissolved |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629/filing-history/MzE5ODQwMzU3MmFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0 |format=PDF |publisher=Companies House |date=22 February 2018 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> | ||
In 2016, [[Park Circus (company)|Park Circus]] purchased distribution rights to the HandMade film library.<ref>{{cite web |last=McNabb |first=Geoffrey |title=Park Circus to sell Handmade Films library |url=https://www.screendaily.com/cannes/park-circus-to-sell-handmade-films-library/5103859.article |website=[[ScreenDaily]] |date=13 May 2016 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> | In 2016, [[Park Circus (company)|Park Circus]] purchased distribution rights to the HandMade film library.<ref>{{cite web |last=McNabb |first=Geoffrey |title=Park Circus to sell Handmade Films library |url=https://www.screendaily.com/cannes/park-circus-to-sell-handmade-films-library/5103859.article |website=[[ScreenDaily]] |date=13 May 2016 |access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> | ||
| Line 240: | Line 243: | ||
|''[[Fifty Dead Men Walking]]'' | |''[[Fifty Dead Men Walking]]'' | ||
|[[Kari Skogland]] | |[[Kari Skogland]] | ||
|84% (51 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1216067_fifty_dead_men_walking |title=Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=July | |84% (51 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1216067_fifty_dead_men_walking |title=Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|57% (16 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fifty-dead-men-walking |title=Fifty Dead Men Walking Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July | |57% (16 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fifty-dead-men-walking |title=Fifty Dead Men Walking Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| rowspan="2" |2009 | | rowspan="2" |2009 | ||
|''[[Planet 51]]'' | |''[[Planet 51]]'' | ||
|Jorge Blanco | |Jorge Blanco | ||
|22% (108 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/planet_51 |title=Planet 51 (2009) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=October | |22% (108 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/planet_51 |title=Planet 51 (2009) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=23 October 2019 }}</ref> | ||
|39% (21 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/planet-51 |title=Planet 51 Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July | |39% (21 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/planet-51 |title=Planet 51 Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''[[Cracks (film)|Cracks]]'' | |''[[Cracks (2009 film)|Cracks]]'' | ||
|[[Jordan Scott (filmmaker)|Jordan Scott]] | |[[Jordan Scott (filmmaker)|Jordan Scott]] | ||
|43% (49 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cracks |title=Cracks (2011) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=July | |43% (49 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cracks |title=Cracks (2011) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|54% (12 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cracks |title=Cracks Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July | |54% (12 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cracks |title=Cracks Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="5" |2010s | ! colspan="5" |2010s | ||
| Line 259: | Line 262: | ||
|''[[127 Hours]]'' | |''[[127 Hours]]'' | ||
|[[Danny Boyle]] | |[[Danny Boyle]] | ||
|93% (224 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/127_hours |title=127 Hours (2010) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=July | |93% (224 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/127_hours |title=127 Hours (2010) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|82% (38 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/127-hours |title=127 Hours Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July | |82% (38 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/127-hours |title=127 Hours Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
! colspan="5" |2020s (credited under GFM Films) | ! colspan="5" |2020s (credited under GFM Films) | ||
| Line 267: | Line 270: | ||
|''[[Time Bandits (TV series)|Time Bandits]]'' | |''[[Time Bandits (TV series)|Time Bandits]]'' | ||
|[[Jemaine Clement]]<br>[[Iain Morris]]<br>[[Taika Waititi]] | |[[Jemaine Clement]]<br>[[Iain Morris]]<br>[[Taika Waititi]] | ||
|76% (51 reviews)<ref>{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=time_bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=March | |76% (51 reviews)<ref>{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=time_bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=7 March 2025|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | ||
|66% (28 reviews)<ref>{{Cite Metacritic|id=time-bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=March | |66% (28 reviews)<ref>{{Cite Metacritic|id=time-bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=7 March 2025|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Unmade Films== | |||
The following films were at one stage announced for HandMade Films but did not proceed to production: | |||
*''The Big Deal'' - announced in 1983 a film about a British businessman in South America<ref>{{cite news|title=British filmmakers face new dilemma|newspaper=Daily Press|date=13 June 1983|page=25}}</ref> | |||
*''Travelling Man'' - in 1984 this was to be made with Michael Caine and Sean Connery<ref>{{cite news|title=In brief|newspaper=Sunday Independent (Dublin ed.)|date=14 July 1985|page=13}}</ref> | |||
*''[[Breakfast of Champions]]'' - adapted from novel by [[Kurt Vonnegut]] script by Peter Bergman<ref name="rock"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Idea man|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times | |||
|date=7 July 1988|page=6 Part 6}}</ref> - the film was later [[Breakfast of Champions (film)|made by another company in 1999]]. | |||
*''Storyring''<ref name="rock"/> | |||
*''Stretch''<ref name="rock"/> | |||
*''Big G''<ref name="rock"/> | |||
*''Catfish Tangle''<ref name="rock"/> | |||
*''Another World''<ref name="rock"/><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Star-Herald | |||
|date=18 August 1988|page=14|title=Japanese film monster trucks}}</ref> | |||
*''TVP'' - a film to be made with the Eurythmics<ref name="rock">{{cite news|title=Rocking and rolling|first=Neil|last=Norman|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=23 February 1989|page=25}}</ref> | |||
*a film about the Travelling Wilburys<ref name="rock"/> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
===Citations=== | |||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
===Works cited=== | ===Works cited=== | ||
{{refbegin| | {{refbegin|30em}} | ||
* {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Hunter |author-link=Hunter Davies |title=The Beatles: The Authorized Biography |year=2009 |orig-year=1968 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |edition=3rd revised |isbn=978-0-393-33874-4}} | * {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Hunter |author-link=Hunter Davies |title=The Beatles: The Authorized Biography |year=2009 |orig-year=1968 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |edition=3rd revised |isbn=978-0-393-33874-4}} | ||
* {{cite book |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |chapter=Adventures on Screen |editor1-last=Fine |editor1-first=Jason |title=Harrison: By the Editors of Rolling Stone |year=2002 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-3581-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zptfHsXXpCcC |url=https://archive.org/details/harrison00fine}} | * {{cite book |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |chapter=Adventures on Screen |editor1-last=Fine |editor1-first=Jason |title=Harrison: By the Editors of Rolling Stone |year=2002 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-3581-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zptfHsXXpCcC |url=https://archive.org/details/harrison00fine}} | ||
| Line 286: | Line 305: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* {{Official website|https://www.handmadefilms.film/}} | * {{Official website|https://www.handmadefilms.film/}} | ||
* [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629 HANDMADE LIMITED (03270629)] company overview ( | * [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03270629 HANDMADE LIMITED (03270629)] company overview (1996–2018) at [[Companies House]] | ||
* [http://www.filmcomment.com/article/handmade-man-an-interview-with-george-harrison/ 1988 Interview with George Harrison] at Film Comment | * [http://www.filmcomment.com/article/handmade-man-an-interview-with-george-harrison/ 1988 Interview with George Harrison] at Film Comment | ||
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4843040/reference An Accidental Studio] documentary about the history of HandMade films | * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4843040/reference An Accidental Studio] documentary about the history of HandMade films | ||
Latest revision as of 10:05, 27 December 2025
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HandMade Films was an English film production and distribution company based in London, active between 1978 and 2013. Notable films from the studio include Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), The Long Good Friday (1980), Time Bandits (1981) and Withnail and I (1987).[1]
History
Foundation
HandMade Films was formed by former Beatle George Harrison and business partner Denis O'Brien in 1978 to finance the controversial Monty Python film Life of Brian.[1] Harrison had been introduced to O'Brien by actor Peter Sellers in 1973. Soon afterward the two went into business together.Template:Sfn The HandMade logo was drawn by Python's animator Terry Gilliam.[2]
When the original financiers of Brian, EMI Films, pulled out of the project less than a week before filming was to commence, the creators had to find other financing.[3][4] Harrison, a friend and fan of the Pythons, mortgaged his Friar Park home to finance the feature.[1] Eric Idle of the Pythons later called it "the most anybody's ever paid for a cinema ticket in history".Template:Sfn Life of Brian grossed $21 million at the box office in the US.Template:Sfn
Harrison explained: "The name of the company came about as a bit of a joke. I'd been to Wookey Hole in Somerset ... [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."Template:Sfn
First film and growth of productions
The first film distributed by HandMade Films was The Long Good Friday (1980), and the first it produced was Time Bandits (1981), a co-scripted project by Monty PythonTemplate:'s Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin.Template:Sfn The film featured a new song by Harrison, "Dream Away", in the closing credits.Template:Sfn Time Bandits became 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.Template:Sfn
In December 1983 O'Brien said "The important thing is to make films that are intrinsically British and stay with the strong roots here. Once you start aiming for that mid-Atlantic taste at the UK majors did, you're finished."[5]
Harrison served as executive producer for 23 films with HandMade, including the Oscar-nominated Mona Lisa, Shanghai Surprise and Withnail and I. He made several cameo appearances in these films, including a role as a nightclub singer in Shanghai Surprise,[6] for which he recorded five new songs.Template:Sfn 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."Template:Sfn In 1987, HandMade Films made an agreement with independent motion picture distributor Island Pictures to distribute four films for limited theatrical release from 1987 to mid-1988: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Track 29, The Raggedy Rawney and Bellman and True.[7]
Changes of ownership and recent history
Following a series of box office bombs in the late 1980s and excessive debt incurred by O'Brien, which was guaranteed by Harrison, HandMade's financial situation became precarious.[8]Template:Sfn The company ceased operations in 1991[1] and was sold three years later to Paragon Entertainment Corporation of Toronto, Canada.Template:Sfn Afterward, Harrison sued O'Brien for $25 million for fraud and negligence, resulting in an $11.6 million judgment in 1996.[9][1] Following this event, the company was completely taken over by the Canadian investors.
New owner Paragon Entertainment Corporation restarted production under the HandMade name in 1996–1997.[10] The company's most notable release of that era was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). In 1999, Patrick Meehan and Cartier Investments acquired HandMade from Paragon.[11][12]
In June 1999, The Equator Group plc became the exclusive distributor and manager of the HandMade Films library,[13] and attempted to purchase the company from Cartier outright, but negotiations were unsuccessful until a reverse takeover agreement with Hand Made Holdings Ltd[14] announced on 15 May 2006.[15]
The Equator Group reincorporated as HandMade Plc on 8 June 2006[16] and the new company was traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) stock exchange (changing its ticker symbol from 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.[17][18]
On 29 April 2010, Almorah Services Ltd tendered a takeover bid, priced at £0.01 per share in cash[19] and HMF was delisted from the AIM on 29 June 2010.[20] HandMade plc was re-registered as HandMade Limited, a private company, on 2 February 2011.[21] Handmade Limited entered administration on 11 July 2012, liquidation on 24 April 2013,[22] and was dissolved on 22 February 2018.[23]
In 2016, Park Circus purchased distribution rights to the HandMade film library.[24]
In 2017, following an investigation by the Insolvency 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".[22]
Filmography
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Unmade Films
The following films were at one stage announced for HandMade Films but did not proceed to production:
- The Big Deal - announced in 1983 a film about a British businessman in South America[55]
- Travelling Man - in 1984 this was to be made with Michael Caine and Sean Connery[56]
- Breakfast of Champions - adapted from novel by Kurt Vonnegut script by Peter Bergman[57][58] - the film was later made by another company in 1999.
- Storyring[57]
- Stretch[57]
- Big G[57]
- Catfish Tangle[57]
- Another World[57][59]
- TVP - a film to be made with the Eurythmics[57]
- a film about the Travelling Wilburys[57]
References
Citations
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- ↑ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the BFI's Screenonline
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- ↑ Control Nathan Rabin 4.0 #73 Shanghai Surprise —— Nathan Rabin's Happy Place
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- ↑ Morris, Chris. "George Harrison Wins $11.6 Mill. In Suit Vs. Ex-Partner", Billboard, 3 February 1996: 13
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Works cited
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External links
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- HANDMADE LIMITED (03270629) company overview (1996–2018) at Companies House
- 1988 Interview with George Harrison at Film Comment
- An Accidental Studio documentary about the history of HandMade films
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- Film production companies of the United Kingdom
- Television production companies of the United Kingdom
- Employee-owned companies of the United Kingdom
- George Harrison
- Mass media companies established in 1978
- 1978 establishments in England
- 1994 mergers and acquisitions
- 2013 disestablishments in England