The only unhappy people are British producers, who keep losing their money because they back dud films. Like every true British entrepreneur, they ask for government help and, being glamorous, they get it. Barely a half ever reached a cinema. It stars Johnny Depp and will be made in Spain. How this can be termed a proper use of public money is a mystery.
Most movies are nowadays a melange of nationalities.
The Film Council chairman and king of the producer mafia, Alan Parker, yesterday revealed his tactic to recoup some of this cash. He says that he will make good films instead of bad ones. This brilliant idea had allegedly not occurred to the Arts Council. State subsidy has long been a gift from susceptible ministers to whatever corner of the British Establishment is currently in favour. For the Tories it was traditionally farmers, for Labour it was manufacturing unions.