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F BRITISH
GIVING IT LARGE
On the evidence of their track record so far, Fragile Films do not quite live up to their name. For the company, founded in 1996 by Barnaby Thompson and Uri Fruchtmann, has displayed a remarkably robust atti- tude to an enormously competitive business, developing a diverse and highly successful slate of films combining commercial success with critical acclaim.
Titles such as Spiceworld: The Movie, An Ideal Husband and Kevin & Perry Go Large do not point to a compa- ny rooted in the tradition and dogma of a traditional British production compa- ny.
It’s so very un-British in lots of ways, a story of rapid success that breaks established rules and poo-poos familiar formulas. But that is unsurpris- ing, given the fact that Fruchtmann is from an Israeli-German background, and has extensive experience in the music industry and in the world of tele- vision documentaries.
His partner Thompson spent six years in the US, as Vice President, Creative Affairs at Broadway Pictures, the production company of Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels. Thompson’s credits in Hollywood include films such as Tommy Boy, and
the Wayne’s World films, so perhaps the pro-active approach to making films is no surprise.
“This business is all about enter- tainment.,” Thompson explains on the UK set of Fragile’s latest film, Lucky Break, from Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo. “If someone spends x million
argue with it.
“Our success is basically depen-
dent upon the quality of the script,” explains Thompson, “and the coming together of director and cast. I think if you have the right material and the right talent, the money’s there, that’s one of the great things that’s changed
Icansellittoyou,thenIcansellitto a distributor, who can then sell it to an exhibitor who can then sell it to the public.
“People are, I think, overly critical about problems in distribution. I think any film worth its salt can be described in one sentence. There’ve been a few rare exceptions, like The Ice Storm, which was a fabulous film. But then no- one went to see it.”
This sort of thinking drives Fragile’s much larger, more established US com- petitors, companies like Miramax for instance. Whether Fragile can emulate their success in the UK remains to be seen. ButwithLuckyBreakinpostpro- duction, and the Mel Smith comedy High Heels & Low Lifes now in the can, the foundations seem to have been laid.
“The fear of spreading yourself too thinly is something we’re constantly fighting,” adds Thompson. “But a lot of security comes from working with peo- ple you know and like, and having a group of filmmakers that work together.
“I think what would be lovely is if we could start making slightly bigger films. Lucky Break is a bit bigger, as is High Heels. We’re talking ten to twelve million dollar movies, and that gives you a bit more scale to compete against Hollywood movies that cost five or six times as much.”
It’s still early days, of course. But with Ealing Studios a major part of their plans, the prospect of a new ver- sion of The Importance of Being Earnest getting underway, not to men- tion the rights acquired to Graduate author Charles Webb’s latest work, New Cardiff, 2001 looks will be an even busier year for the impressively solid Fragile Films. ■ Anwar Brett
dollars on a film, they want their money back. That doesn’t seem unrea- sonable to me. There’s nothing greater in this world than making a film that people really connect with.”
To that end, Fragile Films’ produc- tions so far have offered a clear state- ment of intent. And since their
high profile participation in the acquisition of Ealing Studios,
with a view to establishing a
creative community at the
famed West London site,
Fragile have become even big-
ger players in the independent marketplace. Yet their philoso-
phy is so simple that few could
in this country in the last five years.” Having been used to working in the
thumbs up, can-do climate of US film- making, Thompson is bringing some of that spirit to the more tentative British market. He clearly loves films, but is as aware as any producer of the commer-
cial imperative that drives the market. So while he is keen to make movies he enjoys, the viability of the project is of crucial importance.
“Films only don’t get dis- tribution if distributors can’t sell them,” he says. “If you’ve got a hook, something that people can sell, you’re okay. If
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Photos above left: Barnaby Thompson and Uri Fruchtmann; a scene from Lucky Break
O