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HandMade Films

{{Short description|British film production and distribution company}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}

{{Infobox company

| name = HandMade Films

| logo = HandMade Films logo.svg

| logo_size = 220px

| type = Private

| industry = Filmmaking, distribution

| successor = GFM Films
GFM Animation

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1978}}

| founder = George Harrison
Denis O'Brien

| defunct = {{End date and age|2013}}

| fate = Liquidation

| location = London, England, UK

| area_served = Worldwide

| key_people = David Francis

| parent = Paragon Entertainment Corporation (1994–1999)
Cartier Investments (1999–2006)
Almorah Services Ltd (2010–2013)

| homepage = {{URL|handmadefilms.com}}

}}

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).{{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}}

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. 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.An Accidental Studio (2019)

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.{{Screenonline title|id=499846|name=Handmade studio biography and associate films}}{{harvnb|Davies|2009|pp=362–363}}; {{harvnb|Doggett|2009|p=262}}. Harrison, a friend and fan of the Pythons, mortgaged his home in order to finance the feature. 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 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 =

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", 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 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,[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] 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 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.{{Cite news|date=1987-04-22|title=Island Gets 4 Handmades|page=5|work=Variety}}

=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.{{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}}{{sfn|Dawtrey|2002|p=207}} The company ceased operations in 1991 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.Morris, Chris. "George Harrison Wins $11.6 Mill. In Suit Vs. Ex-Partner", Billboard, 3 February 1996: 13 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.{{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=2017-12-14}} 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.{{cite news |title=HandMade offering |url=https://variety.com/2006/scene/news/handmade-offering-1200336260/ |work=Variety |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=21 November 2014}}{{cite news |last=Blackwell |first=David |title=HandMade set for Aim after £15m deal |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51a5cc9e-e478-11da-8ced-0000779e2340.html#axzz3JjIjNcTx |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 }}

In June 1999, The Equator Group plc became the exclusive distributor and manager of the HandMade Films library,{{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}} and attempted to purchase the company from Cartier outright, but negotiations were unsuccessful until a reverse takeover agreement with Hand Made Holdings Ltd{{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}} announced on 15 May 2006.{{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}}

The Equator Group reincorporated as HandMade Plc on 8 June 2006{{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}} 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.{{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}}{{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}}

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

In 2016, Park Circus purchased distribution rights to the HandMade film library.{{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}}

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".

Filmography

{{Category see also |HandMade Films films}}

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Director

!Rotten Tomatoes

!Metacritic

colspan="5" |1970s
rowspan="2" |1979

|Monty Python's Life of Brian

|Terry Jones

|95% (64 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monty_pythons_life_of_brian/ |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|77% (15 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/life-of-brian |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=23 October 2019}}

A Sense of Freedom

|John Mackenzie

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

colspan="5" |1980s
1980

|The Long Good Friday

John Mackenzie

|96% (28 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_long_good_friday/ |title=The Long Good Friday (1982) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

rowspan="4" |1981

|Time Bandits

|Terry Gilliam

|89% (46 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/time_bandits/ |title=Time Bandits (1981) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|79% (18 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/time-bandits |title=Time Bandits Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=26 July 2018}}

Tattoo

|Bob Brooks

|33% (6 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1020906_tattoo |title=Tattoo (1981) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|{{N/A}}

Venom

|Piers Haggard

|43% (7 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1022537_venom |title=Venom (1981) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|{{N/A}}

The Burning

|Tony Maylam

|86% (7 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1184756_burning |title=The Burning (1981) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

rowspan="4" |1982

|Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl

|Terry Hughes (live segments)
Ian MacNaughton (film segments)

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

Scrubbers

|Mai Zetterling

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

The Missionary

|Richard Loncraine

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

Privates on Parade

|Michael Blakemore

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

1983

|Bullshot

|Dick Clement

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

1984

|A Private Function

|Malcolm Mowbray

|88% (8 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_private_function |title=A Private Function (1985) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|{{N/A}}

1985

|Water

|Dick Clement

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

rowspan="2" |1986

|Mona Lisa

|Neil Jordan

|97% (30 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mona_lisa |title=Mona Lisa (1986) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

Shanghai Surprise

|Jim Goddard

|13% (8 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shanghai_surprise |title=Shanghai Surprise (1986) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

rowspan="3" |1987

|Withnail and I

|Bruce Robinson

|94% (31 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/withnail_and_i |title=Withnail and I (1987) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

Bellman and True

|Richard Loncraine

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

|Jack Clayton

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

rowspan="3" |1988

|Track 29

|Nicolas Roeg

|67% (6 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/track_29 |title=Track 29 (1988) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

Five Corners

|Tony Bill

|78% (9 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_corners |title=Five Corners (1987) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

The Raggedy Rawney

|Bob Hoskins

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

rowspan="3" |1989

|Checking Out

|David Leland

|20% (5 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003972_checking_out |title=Checking Out (1989) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

|Bruce Robinson

|57% (14 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_get_ahead_in_advertising |title=How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

Powwow Highway

|Jonathan Wacks

|100% (9 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/powwow_highway |title=Powwow Highway (1989) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

colspan="5" |1990s
rowspan="2" |1990

|Cold Dog Soup

|Alan Metter

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

Nuns on the Run

|Jonathan Lynn

|42% (26 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nuns_on_the_run |title=Nuns on the Run (1990) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=26 July 2018}}

|{{N/A}}

1996

|Intimate Relations

|Philip Goodhew

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

1997

|The Wrong Guy

|David Steinberg

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

1998

|Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

|Guy Ritchie

|75% (65 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lock_stock_and_two_smoking_barrels |title=Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1999) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=23 October 2019}}

|66% (30 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lock-stock-and-two-smoking-barrels |title=Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=26 July 2018}}

colspan="7" |2000s
rowspan="2" |2003

|Eloise at the Plaza

|Kevin Lima

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

Eloise at Christmastime

|Kevin Lima

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

2006

|Eloise: The Animated Series

|Wes Archer

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

rowspan="2" |2008

|Manolete

|Menno Meyjes

|colspan="2" {{N/A}}

Fifty Dead Men Walking

|Kari Skogland

|84% (51 reviews){{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 26, 2018 }}

|57% (16 reviews){{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 26, 2018 }}

rowspan="2" |2009

|Planet 51

|Jorge Blanco

|22% (108 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/planet_51 |title=Planet 51 (2009) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=October 23, 2019 }}

|39% (21 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/planet-51 |title=Planet 51 Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=July 26, 2018 }}

Cracks

|Jordan Scott

|43% (49 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cracks |title=Cracks (2011) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=July 26, 2018 }}

|54% (12 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cracks |title=Cracks Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=July 26, 2018 }}

colspan="5" |2010s
2010

|127 Hours

|Danny Boyle

|93% (224 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/127_hours |title=127 Hours (2010) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=July 26, 2018 }}

|82% (38 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/127-hours |title=127 Hours Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=July 26, 2018 }}

colspan="5" |2020s (credited under GFM Films)
2024

|Time Bandits

|Jemaine Clement
Iain Morris
Taika Waititi

|76% (51 reviews){{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=time_bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=March 7, 2025|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}

|66% (28 reviews){{Cite Metacritic|id=time-bandits|title=Time Bandits|type=tv|season=1|access-date=March 7, 2025|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}

References

{{reflist}}

=Works cited=

{{refbegin|2}}

  • {{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=Doggett |first=Peter |title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-06-177418-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=luOMJFxe-bYC}}
  • {{cite book |last=Harry |first=Bill |title=The George Harrison Encyclopedia |publisher=Virgin Publishing Ltd |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7535-0822-0}}
  • {{cite book |last=Inglis |first=Ian |title=The Words and Music of George Harrison |year=2010 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-313-37532-3}}
  • {{cite book |last=Leng |first=Simon |title=While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison |publisher=SAF Publishing Ltd |year=2006 |orig-year=2003 |isbn=978-1-4234-0609-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRoFPFvI1joC |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-date=22 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422080804/https://books.google.com/books?id=NRoFPFvI1joC |url-status=live}}

{{refend}}

External links

  • {{Official website|https://www.handmadefilms.film/}}
  • [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
  • [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4843040/reference An Accidental Studio] documentary about the history of HandMade films

{{HandMade Films}}

{{George Harrison}}

{{Cinema of the United Kingdom}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Film production companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Television production companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Employee-owned companies of the United Kingdom

Category:George Harrison

Category:Mass media companies established in 1978

Category:1978 establishments in England

Category:1994 mergers and acquisitions

Category:2013 disestablishments in England