Film Ventures International

Film Ventures International

Film Ventures International (FVI) was an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era. The company mainly specialized in producing and distributing B-Movies and horror fare. [cite web |title=The Unknown Movies, FVI: What You Didn't Know |work=badmovieplanet.com |url=http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi.html |accessdate=2007-06-25] The entrepreneur who spearheaded the company was Edward L. Montoro. He wrote, directed and produced the company's first feature film "Getting Into Heaven" in 1968. The adult film was made for $13,000 and grossed almost 20 times its cost. [cite web |title=Internet Movie Database, Biography for Edward L. Montoro |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600162/bio |accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web |title=The Unknown Movies, Readers' FVI Questions |work=badmovieplanet.com |url=http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi2.html |accessdate=2007-06-27]

FVI was known for acquiring Italian genre films and distributing them within the United States. These films included the 1968 spaghetti western "Boot Hill", a sequel to the famous "Trinity" films; and the 1974 horror thriller "Beyond the Door" starring Juliet Mills.

FVI acquired "Beyond the Door" for $100,000 and the film went on to earn $9 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent releases of that year. Detailing a child possessed by a demon, "Beyond the Door" was labeled a rip-off of " The Exorcist". Warner Bros. promptly filed a lawsuit, claiming copyright infrigement. The lawsuit failed after it was determined Warner Bros. had no rights to key horror scenes depicted in " The Exorcist". [cite web |title=Internet Movie Database, Biography for Edward L. Montoro |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600162/bio |accessdate=2007-06-25]

FVI produced and distributed " Grizzly" in 1976, one of the first of the "Jaws" clones. Montoro financed the film for $750,000 and it was directed by William Girdler. " Grizzly" was a surprise hit, earning more than $39 million and becoming the most financially successful independent film of 1976. Montoro decided to keep the profits for himself, resulting in a lawsuit against FVI by Girdler and producer/screenwriters Harvey Flaxman and David Sheldon. FVI eventually returned the profits to the filmmakers. [cite web |title=William Girdler, Hollywood Films |work=williamgirdler.com |url=http://www.williamgirdler.com/hollywood.html |accessdate=2007-06-25] Montoro's FVI worked with Girdler on the animal horror thriller "The Day of the Animals" the following year, though the collaboration did not achieve the success of " Grizzly".

Montoro eventually moved FVI's headquarters to Hollywood and began churning out multiple genre films over the next seven years including "Beyond the Door II" (1979); "Search and Destroy" (1979) starring Don Stroud; "The Dark" (1979) starring William Devane; "The Visitor" (1979) starring Glenn Ford; "H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come" (1979) starring Jack Palance; "Kill and Kill Again" (1981); "The Incubus" (1981) starring John Cassavetes; "Texas Lightning" (1981) starring Cameron Mitchell; "Pieces" (1982) starring Christopher George; "They Call Me Bruce?" (1982); "Pod People" (1983); "Vigilante" (1983) starring Robert Forster; "The House on Sorority Row" (1983); "Mortuary" (1983) starring Bill Paxton; "Alley Cat" (1984); and "Mutant" (1984) starring Bo Hopkins. [cite web |title=The Unknown Movies, FVI: What You Didn't Know |work=badmovieplanet.com |url=http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi.html |accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web |title=Film Ventures International |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/company/co0007463/ |accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web |title=Edward L. Montoro |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600162/ |accessdate=2007-06-25]

In 1980, FVI acquired the rights to the Italian film "Great White", a thinly-veiled "Jaws" rip-off starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow. Montoro and FVI spent over $4 million in advertising in the U.S., but Universal Pictures promptly filed suit, claiming that the film was too derivative of "Jaws". Universal won the lawsuit and "Great White" was pulled from the theaters after one week of release. The failure of "Great White" was a major monetary loss for FVI. [cite web |title=Internet Movie Database, Ultimo squalo, L' (Great White) |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081677/ |accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web |title=The Unknown Movies, FVI: What You Didn't Know |work=badmovieplanet.com |url=http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi.html |accessdate=2007-06-25]

By 1984, FVI was on the verge of collapse due to multiple financial issues including the release failure of "Great White", the poor box office performance of FVI's final film "Mutant", and a pending divorce settlement of Montoro's. Surprising many within the industry, Montoro took one million dollars from FVI and vanished never to be seen again. Film Ventures International officially closed its doors in 1985, filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and later being purchased by the INI Corporation. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico. [cite web |title=The Unknown Movies, FVI: What You Didn't Know |work=badmovieplanet.com |url=http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi.html |accessdate=2007-06-25] [cite web |title=Internet Movie Database, Biography for Edward L. Montoro |work=imdb.com |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600162/bio |accessdate=2007-06-25]

Today, many of the films produced and released through Film Ventures International are now distributed through small-scale video and DVD companies including Anchor Bay Entertainment.Fact|date=September 2008

References

External links

*
*
* [http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/fvi.html Interview discussing Film Ventures International]
* [http://www.williamgirdler.com Site devoted to film director William Girdler]
* [http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=21551 DVD review of "Grizzly" by Scott Weinberg]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Film — This article is about motion pictures or movies. For still photography film, see Photographic film. For motion picture film, see Film stock. Movie and Moving picture redirect here. For other uses, see Movie (disambiguation), Moving Pictures… …   Wikipedia

  • Grizzly (film) — Infobox Film name = Grizzly caption = Promotional movie poster for the film director = William Girdler, David Sheldon producer = Edward L. Montoro, Harvey Flaxman, David Sheldon writer = Harvey Flaxman, David Sheldon starring = Christopher George …   Wikipedia

  • Pieces (film) — Pieces Theatrical release poster Directed by Juan Piquer Simón Produced by Stephen Min …   Wikipedia

  • Mutant (film) — Mutant Original poster designed by Design Projects, Inc. Directed by John Bud Cardos Produced by Igo Kantor …   Wikipedia

  • Shock (1977 film) — Infobox Film name = Shock image size = caption = director = Mario Bava producer = Turi Vasile writer = Lamberto Bava Dardano Sacchetti narrator = starring = Daria Nicolodi John Steiner David Colin Jr. Ivan Rassimov music = cinematography = Mario… …   Wikipedia

  • Beyond the Door (1974 film) — Beyond the Door Theatrical release poster Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis Produced by …   Wikipedia

  • Marooned (film) — Marooned Directed by John Sturges Produced by M.J. Frankovich Frank Capra Jr …   Wikipedia

  • Great White (film) — Infobox Film name = Great White imdb id = 0081677 writer = Marc Princi starring = James Franciscus Vic Morrow Micaela Pignatelli Joshua Sinclair Giancarlo Prete Stefania Girolami Goodwin director = Enzo G. Castellari producer = Edward L. Montoro… …   Wikipedia

  • Alley Cat (film) — Infobox Film name = Alley Cat image size = caption = Theatrical release poster director = Victor M. Ordonez Eduardo Palmos Al Valletta producer = Victor M. Ordonez writer = Robert E. Waters narrator = starring = Karin Mani Robert Torti music =… …   Wikipedia

  • Mortuary (1983 film) — Mortuary aka Embalmed Directed by Howard Avedis Produced by Edward L. Montoro/Marlene Schmidt …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”