The money behind the screen : a history of British film finance, 1945-1985

#### Provides the first comprehensive history of the politics of film finance in Britain from the end of the Second World War to 1985 * Offers a study of the economic and fiscal structures underpinning the British film industry rather than another history of films and film-making * Utilises extensive archival research, including the National Archives, Bank of England Archive and the Special Collections of the British Film Institute * Grants privileged access to the archive of the completion guarantor Film Finances, which holds financial and production documentation for over 800 British feature films since 1950 __The Money Behind the Screen__ maps the changing landscape of film finance in Britain during a transformative period for the film industry. It is the first book to document the sources of finance for film-making, the relations between film producers and financiers, and the wider fiscal and economic landscape of the British film production industry. It covers a period characterised by recurrent crises for the British film industry which also saw profound and far-reaching changes in the provision of film finance, including the establishment of state support mechanisms for British producers (the National Film Finance Corporation and the Eady levy), the shift from producer-finance to distributor-finance, and the growth of American investment in the British production sector. The book explores three interrelated aspects of the history of film finance: the institutional and economic structure of the production sector of the industry; the sources of production finance, including private and public capital and British and foreign investment; and the role of government in providing support for film production. It is an essential reference work for anyone studying the British film industry. "Provides the first comprehensive history of the politics of film finance in Britain from the end of the Second World War to 1985. The Money Behind the Screen maps the changing landscape of film finance in Britain during a transformative period for the film industry. It is the first book to document the sources of finance for film-making, the relations between film producers and financiers, and the wider fiscal and economic landscape of the British film production industry. It covers a period characterised by recurrent crises for the British film industry which also saw profound and far-reaching changes in the provision of film finance, including the establishment of state support mechanisms for British producers (the National Film Finance Corporation and the Eady levy), the shift from producer-finance to distributor-finance, and the growth of American investment in the British production sector. The book explores three interrelated aspects of the history of film finance: the institutional and economic structure of the production sector of the industry; the sources of production finance, including private and public capital and British and foreign investment; and the role of government in providing support for film production. It is an essential reference work for anyone studying the British film industry."-- Provided by publisher Contents List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: An Industry in Crisis: 1945–1950 1 A Short History of the British Film Industry 2 Bogart or Bacon 3 Capital and Commerce 4 Producers and Profits 5 The National Film Finance Corporation 6 The Eady Levy Part II: A Fragile Stability: 1951–1969 7 The Road to Recovery 8 The British Lion Film Corporation 9 Film Finances and the British Film Industry 10 Rise of the Runaways 11 New Waves, New Crises 12 Hollywood, UK 13 Backing British 14 Decline and Fall Part III: Crises and Contraction: 1970–1985 15 Restructuring the Film Industry 16 The Changing Landscape of Film Finance 17 The National Film Finance Consortium 18 The Prime Minister’s Working Party and its Aftermath 19 Revising Eady 20 The British Are Coming! 21 The Retreat of the State Conclusion Appendix I: Production Costs and Revenues of Selected Feature Films in the Late 1940s Appendix II: National Film Trustee Company: Production Costs and Receipts Appendix III: Budgets and Costs of Selected British First Features Guaranteed by Film Finances Appendix IV: National Film Finance Corporation: Accounts, 1950–1985 Appendix V: Feature Films supported by the National Film Finance Corporation, 1949–1985 Bibliography Index