
The Money Behind the Screen
A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985
James Chapman(Author)
Edinburgh University Press
Will be published approx. on 9. June 2022
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-3995-0076-0 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
This book provides a lucid, detailed account of the financial structures and systems that underpinned the British film industry. Drawing on a plethora of archival sources, some of which are newly available, Chapman's comprehensive study explains how and why the money behind the screen mattered to so many filmmakers. -- Sarah Street, University of Bristol Chapman's pre-history is at its forensic best on film policy, the changing relationship of cinema and state in Britain, and the role of public (NFFC) and private (Film Finances) institutions. It does not touch on successive and largely ineffectual efforts to stimulate international film partnerships via government-sponsored co-production agreements (another story), but that omission is a minor caveat in what is by any standards a comprehensive study. -- Justin Smith * Journal of British Cinema and Television *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
853 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-0076-0 (9781399500760)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2022
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€158.99
Available for download

E-Book
06/2022
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€158.99
Available for download
Person
James Chapman is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Leicester. His previous books include Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films (3rd edition 2024) and The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985 (2022).
Content
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 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
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 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