HandMade Films

Background

HandMade Films is a production company founded by former Beatle George Harrison and business partner Denis O'Brien. It was formed primarily to back Monty Python's Life of Brian after the original financiers dropped it. It also purchased the rights to The Long Good Friday from producer British Lion. HandMade later became one of the most dominant companies in the British film industry, making such important films as Time Bandits (1981), Mona Lisa (1986), and Withnail & I (1987). Harrison and O'Brien later sold HandMade to Paragon Entertainment Corporation in 1994. Changing hands over the years, it was eventually acquired by Patrick Meehan, former manager of the band Black Sabbath. The company saw a lot of financial struggles during that time, and on February 2, 2011, it was reorganised as HandMade Limited, a private company. The new name would last for several years until its dissolution on February 22, 2018.

(August 17, 1979-December 4, 2009)

Logo: On a black background, an emblem zooms into the frame. It consists of a hand pointing to the left with film camera parts (a tripod at the bottom, reel holders at the top and the lens on the pointing finger), and below it, the words "HAND MADE FILMS", in a fancy font and looking rather curved. Usually, the word "present" or "PRESENTS" fades in below.

Trivia: The logo was designed by Terry Gilliam, Monty Python collaborator and director of Time Bandits.

Variants:

On The Long Good Friday, the logo is in blue on a cloud background.
Seen in either white or yellow.
Often seen static, sans-zooming.
The film adaptation of Tales of the Riverbank and Planet 51 had the word "INTERNATIONAL" below the logo.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Music/Sounds: The opening and/or closing themes of the movie, or none.

Availability: Very common. Seen on The Long Good Friday, Time Bandits, Water (1985), Shanghai Surprise, Checking Out, Nuns on the Run, and Planet 51. It was also seen on original prints as well as an old VHS of Monty Python's Life of Brian. It made its last appearance on Cracks.