But it is worth remembering, as Henry Miller suggests, that the term was
originally used--or came to be identified as a specific term in the
industry--in the post World War II context.
It referred to Hollywood films shot abroad--mostly, at that time, Western
Europe, where the major studios saw much of their box office income
unavailable to them, because the U.K., France, Italy, etc. had instituted
quotas and laws designed to enable their home film industries to recover
from World War II and fight Hollywood dominance of the marketplace.
Facing declining box office at home, the studios found they could redeem
this blocked box office income as production credits if they shot films on
location abroad. Today's shooting in Canada (or Star Wars in England) or
post production wherever is distinct from this earlier, initial phase of
runaway production in that often times the locale where the film is hot is
disguised (i.e., Firewall's Vancouver as Seattle), or even discounted or
irrelevant (Star Wars). In that post war era, the locale was a crucial part
of the story (e.g., De Sica's Terminal Station with Jennifer Jones or
Minelli's Two Weeks in Another Town, or Preminger's Bonjour Tristesse).
Certainly the phrase is used to describe out of control productions like
HEAVEN'S GATE and sometimes it's an out of control production shot abroad
like CLEOPATRA or the 1959 BEN HUR, but I always think it's best to keep
these distinctions in mind.
Matthew
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sutton, Damian" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 12:07 PM
Subject: Re: Looking for Runaway Productions[Scanned-Clean]
> If there's such a thing as a 'runaway' film (meaning production costs,
> dilletante directors etc.) perhaps we can extend the metaphor. For
> instance, are there examples of films which have become lost on the
> production equivalent of the Hangar Lane gyratory - i.e. roundabout films?
>
> Films that have spent years in pre-production, post-production, or which
> have had to be shot and reshot after previews?
>
> Do the Oliver Stone project on Planet of the Apes, or Polanksi's project
> on Dune, constitute roundabout, rather than runaway films?
>
> Apologies, this British summer is getting to me.
> best
> Damian
>
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