Featuring George Harrison, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant, An Accidental Studio is AMC’s first UK commission and captures an extraordinary moment in film history through the eyes of filmmakers and actors as well as the man who started it all.
Coming to the rescue of Life of Brian when the money fell out at the last minute, George Harrison offered to fund the entire movie, mortgaging his house and his office to do so.
As a Monty Python fan, he credited the Pythons’ humour for saving his sanity whilst he was a Beatle. Now it was his turn to pay them back. The film was a massive hit, so successful in fact that they decided to set up a company – HandMade Films.
In a rare moment in film history, HandMade dominated the British movie scene with its ethos of making and releasing maverick films that everyone else had rejected – including Life of Brian, The Long Good Friday, Time Bandits and Alan Bennett’s triple BAFTA winner, A Private Function, Withnail and I and the Oscar-nominated Mona Lisa.
Viewers will be treated to archive interviews and footage with Harrison, new and exclusive interviews with Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant and Neil Jordan, plus unseen interviews with Bob Hoskins.
Additional interviews include Bruce Robinson, Ray Cooper, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Cathy Tyson, Brenda Vaccaro, A Martinez, Richard Loncraine and Jonathan Lynn.
“HandMade Films created some of Britain’s most iconic films and gave a global platform to artists who continue to have a strong impact on popular culture today,” commented Executive Producer Harold Gronenthal, EVP of Programming and Operations, AMC/SundanceTV Global.
“This new documentary is AMC UK’s first original production, and we’re excited to partner with BT, Bill & Ben Productions, Propellor Films and DCD Rights to showcase the important legacy of HandMade Films with AMC’s audiences internationally.”
An Accidental Studio premieres in BT homes on 4 May at 9pm and will air on all AMC channels internationally later this year.
AMC is available in the UK free of charge to BT customers as number 332 on BT TV, and to BT Sport Pack subscribers on Sky channel 192. AMC is also available in HD on both BT TV and Satellite with an HD subscription.