The Popcorn Taxi Blog
Jeremy Thomas – A One Man Indie Film Industry
Who is Jeremy Thomas?
Jeremy Thomas is the Oscar-winning producer of Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’. His father Ralph Tomas was a director, and so was his uncle Gerald Thomas, who directed many of the ‘Carry On’ films.
His first producing credit was 1974′s ‘Mad Dog Morgan’ starring Dennis Hopper. His next was the Cannes Grand Jury Prize-winner, ‘The Shout’. Producing over 40 films, his credits include Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Insignificance’, Julien Temple’s ‘The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’, Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Sexy Beast’, Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Brother’, Phillip Noyce’s ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’, Takashi Miike’s ’13 Assassins’ and David Cronenberg’s ‘Naked Lunch’ and ‘Crash’.
If you think he’s got stories – you’re right! That’s why he’s Popcorn Taxi’s special guest on Monday, January the 30th at our special advance screening of ‘A Dangerous Method’ which will be in full release in Australia on March 8.
Jeremy Thomas’ greatest feat is not ‘just’ winning the Best Picture Oscar for ‘The Last Emperor’ in 1988, but in actually making it. The film was shot in the Forbidden City, at a time when China was no where near as open as it was today. Not only that – but a cast of thousands (the Red Army was used) was required at a time before CGI existed. A sprawling epic was the result – on a budget of $25 million – all without any Hollywood studio involvement.
His sales company, Hanway, is a powerhouse in the indie scene. Merchant Ivory films, the films of Peter Weir, Paul Cox, Wim Wenders and more – you can get them from Hanway.
Still working busily today, Thomas’ company, Recorded Picture Company, has an impressive upcoming slate, including Kon-Tiki, (the story of Thor Heyerdahl’s epic crossing of the Pacific on a raft made out of reeds), the upcoming Jim Jarmusch project, and Vincenzo Natali’s take on J.G Ballard’s classic, ‘High Rise’.
Jeremy Thomas is still an independent producer – still hunting for cash to make director’s visions reality. He’s built a reputation that has created relationships with some of the world’s finest directors – Bertolucci, Miike, Cronenberg, Roeg, Gilliam, Wenders, Noyce, Kitano and even Johnny Depp.
Thomas grew up in a film-making family, right next to Pinewood studios. There he encountered Dirk Boagarde and Katherine Hepburn and the Thomas family, making ‘Doctor’ and ‘Carry On’ films was at the heart of the British film industry in the 50′s and ’60′s.
He got his start as an assistant editor to Ken Loach and then struck out on his own.
The Festival success of one of his very first films, Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout (a Grand Jury Prize winner in Cannes in 1978), helped establish his reputation.
From then on, it has never been plain sailing, but it’s been an adventure. He’s always tried to live the life of a cigar-chomping producer, but without the nightmarish ego that goes with it.
“Pauper-producer is an oxy- moron. There is this strange idea that a film producer is just like a service guy. He is not. He is an entrepreneur. He needs to be encouraged to be an entrepreneur. That is what nobody has understood.”
It’s been a recipe for an incredibly varied and fascinating career – one which he’ll be able to share with you come Monday night.
Some tickets are still available. Book now!
To give you some idea of what you’re in for, here’s his filmography.
Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
Director Philipe Mora
Starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, David Gulpilil, Frank Thring, Bill Hunter, John Hargreaves, Graeme Blundell
The Shout (1978)
Director Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring Alan Bates, Susannah York
Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell
The Great Rock’n'Roll Swindle (1980)
Director Julian Temple
Starring Malcolm McClaren, Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Director Nagisa Oshima
Starring David Bowie, Tom Conti, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson
Eureka (1983)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Joe Pesci
The Hit (1984)
Director Stephe Frears
Starring Terence Stamp
Insignificance (1985)
Director Nicolas Roeg
Starring Theresa Russell, Tony Curtis, Gary Busey,
The Last Emperor (1987)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole
Everybody Wins (1990)
Director Karel Reisz
Starring Debra Winger, Nick Nolte
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Director Bernardo Betrolucci
Starring Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott
Let Him Have It (exec) (1991)
Director Peter Medak
Starring Christopher Eccleston, Tom Courtenay
Naked Lunch (1991)
Director David Cronenberg
Starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julain Sands, Roy Scheider
Little Buddha (1993)
Director Bernardo Betrolucci
Starring Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda
Rough Magic (exec)(1995)
Director Clare Peploe
Starring Russell Crowe, Bridget Fonda, Jim Broadent
Staling Beauty (1996)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons
Crash (1996)
Director David Cronenberg
Starring James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Rosanna Arquette
Blood and Wine (1996)
Director Bob Rafelson
Starring Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Jennifer Lopez, Judy Davis, Michael Caine
Victory (1996)
Director Mark Peploe
Starring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill
The Brave (1997)
Director Johnny Depp
Starring Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando
His directorial effort:
All The Little Animals (1998)
Director Jeremy Thomas
Starring John Hurt, Christian Bale
Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one..
Brother (2000)
Director Takeshi Kitano
Starring Beat Takeshi, Omar Epps
Sexy Beast (2000)
Director Jonathan Glazer
Starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kinglsey, Ian McShane
Rabbit-Proof Fence (exec producer) (2002)
Director Phillip Noyce
Starring David Gulpilil, Kenneth Brannagh
Young Adam (2003)
Director David Mackenzie
Starring Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton
The Dreamers (2003)
Director Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring Michael Pitt, Eva Green
Tideland (2005)
Director Terry Gilliam
Starring Jodelle Ferland, Jennifer Tilly, Jeff Bridges
Fast Food Nation (2006)
Director Richard Linklater
Starring Greg Kinnear,
Franklyn (2008)
Director Gerald McMorrow
Starring Ryan Phillipe
Creation (2009)
Director Jon Amiel
Starring Paul Bettany
13 Assassins (exec producer) (2010)
Director Takashi Miike
Starring Koji Yakusho
Pina (exec producer) 2011
Director Wim Wenders
A Dangerous Method 2011
Director David Cronenberg
Starring Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Kiera Knightley
Jim Jarmusch Project (2012)
Director Jim Jarmusch
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Director Joachim Ronning
Starring Pal Scerre Valheim Hagen as Thor Heyerdahl
High Rise (2013)
Director Vincenzo Natali
A Kim Jong-Il Production! (2014)
