Following on from yesterday’s report that Best Picture Oscar-winning The King’s Speech may now be rereleased in a censored form to capitalise on its success, British PM David Cameron has hailed the film’s success, calling its quadruple Oscar win “a fantastic end to the awards season and an incredible year for British film-making”.
Cameron added: “The tremendous success of British film at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and now the Oscars is recognition of the wealth of talent and creativity that makes the British film industry world-class.”
While the awards have celebrated creativity, box office returns have demonstrated the industry’s huge economic value.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows put in a record-breaking opening weekend performance in November while The King’s Speech has earned more than GBP38 million at the UK box office and more than $230 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing UK independent film of all time.
His words will doubtless be received with bafflement by certain members of the UK film industry, not least the soon-to-be jobless employees of the British Film Council, which was a major funder of The King’s Speech. The public body was axed last year as the UK’s new coalition government set about its savage cutting of public services, and is now in the latter stages of being wound down.
“The King’s Speech is going to make them so much money back I hope it encourages the continued government support of British film,” said its director Tom Hooper.
Tanya Seghatchian, head of the Film Council’s Film Fund, impressively avoided bitterness when she commented: “It’s a magnificent final chapter for the UK Film Council. The rise of The King’s Speech from a British independent film to a worldwide commercial and critical phenomenon is a huge testament to the creators, the cast and everyone involved.”
Like me though, she may be hoping that some of the other as-yet-unreleased films the council has funded – including the film version of award-winning novel We Need to Talk about Kevin, a biopic of Burmese pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi and Michelle Williams portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn – can perform a similar feat as one last salute to its executioners.
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