Hollywood Banker

I really really enjoyed this. Well made, informative, industry legend contributors and above all a fascinating story about one of the good guys of Hollywood. Wish there were more like him.

A very good documentary made by the daughter of Dutch banker Frans Afman; Rozemyn Afman. Frans Afman together with legendary movie producer Dino De Laurentiis came up with a new way to finance (independent) movies in the 80's. The impact of their new financing approach on the movie business was tremendous and still is. At a fast pace and in a loving and intimate way Rozemyn Afman takes the viewer on a journey into the spectacular life of her father. Her admiration for her father is quickly shared by the viewer. The way Hollywood stars like Kevin Costner, Oliver Stone, MIchael Douglas and so on, talk about Frans Afman and the appreciation and respect they all have for him is striking. This man has made it possible for great films to appear on the big screen, for the world to enjoy. This unique insight in the way movies are financed, in combination with the personal touch Rozemyn adds, delivers an interesting, entertaining and well made homage to her remarkable father.

This doesn't seem like it would be very interesting. But from the point of view of trying to understand how things really work (as opposed to the public image) I found it fascinating. Not just the basic storyline of how the movies were financed, but seeing the producers (most of whom clearly have no place in front of a camera, only behind one!), and seeing some details of the big bank scandal which I was vaguely aware of but never knew anything about.

But the biggest insight was seeing why (if you ever noticed this) movies seemed to change in such a way from the 80s to the 2000s. There's not just the rise of sequels and prequels, everyone knows that; but the fact that independents no longer make *big* movies, just these tiny (usually boring, preachy, and predictable as hell) film festival movies, the type of movie you think of as "independent".

In the 80s, Terminator, Cliffhanger, Platoon, Dance with Wolves, Superman were independent movies! But that changed. This documentary explains what that change was, and it's not what you expect. Very much an example of how sometimes contingency, as opposed to "deep structural forces", rules history.