HOLLYWOOD BANKER
US/Netherlands, 2014, 82 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Rozemyn Afman.
This is a documentary for film buffs and for film historians.
Frans Afman, a Dutch banker, with an interest in movies, became involved in the financing of films in the early 70s, meeting up with Dino De Luarentiis, working out methods for pre-sales around the world from different companies and distributors, guaranteeing an income for the making of the film.
The documentary was made by friends Afman’s daughter, Rozemyn. She states that her father and his associates attended to write a book about their experiences in the film industry but never got around to it. Before he died, his daughter began to interview him and moved on to interview a great number of film producers, bankers, actors. They provide him interesting and informative comment about film production of the time and there are quite a lot of excerpts from some of the film is made.
There is a list of films that were financed along these methods, independent of the Hollywood studios, during the 1970s and, especially, during the 1980s. After the success of getting financial backing for Kevin Costner and Dances with Wolves, and its winning Oscars, there were crises in ownership of companies, buyouts of Hollywood studios, fly by night (or flight by years) entrepreneurs who overreached themselves.
During the 1980s, as the film indicates with a lot of interviews and conversations, Cannon pictures with the Israeli director, Menahem Goran, and producer, Yoram Globus, had great success with the continuing continual range of films and, then, buying up cinemas. There are also discussions with producers from Hemdale and from Coralco.
Frans Afman was a gentleman, very keen on propriety, explaining his ideas to other producers, to the banks, working on financing productions rather than relying on box office returns for profits. Throughout the film there are continued interviews with his wife, explaining her relationship, the children, the difficulties in Afman being away for so much of the year, especially in America, but, on the other hand, the perks that the family received, especially holiday home and facilities in America during the summer months. There are also visits to the Cannes film Festival.
The talking heads are very strong in praise of Afman as a person and as a professional banker. He was linked with some scandals in Crédit Lyonnais because of his presence with the bank and dealings that some of his superiors made without his knowledge. Ultimately, with the changing patterns of finance, with the ups and downs of the companies, with the buying and selling of studios, he stood back from his banking career in 1991. However, he still continued as an adviser, as President of the Dutch film Festival.
This is a fine tribute to a gentleman who was involved in the film industry but, with love of it, with an ability to deal with the various personalities, with shrewd ideas about financing, it is an interesting look at film production in the latter part of the 20th century.
And, there is a fine scene at the end of the film, Frans Afman silently dancing. A fine tribute by his daughter.
