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The Geffen Film Company

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The Geffen Company
The Geffen Film Company, Inc.
Geffen Pictures
TypeFilm distributor and production company
IndustryMotion pictures
Founded1982; 41 years ago (1982)[1]
FounderDavid Geffen
Defunct1998; 25 years ago (1998)
FateClosed
SuccessorsDreamWorks Pictures
Library:
Warner Bros.
Paramount Pictures (Beavis and Butt-Head Do America only)
Disney–ABC Domestic Television (Tales from the Crypt syndication rights only)
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, United States
Key people
David Geffen
Eric Eisner
OwnerWarner Bros. (1982–1994)
DreamWorks Pictures (1994–1998)
DivisionsGeffen Television

The Geffen Film Company (also known as The Geffen Company, The Geffen Film Company, Inc., and later Geffen Pictures) was an American film distributor and production company founded by David Geffen, the founder of Geffen Records, and future co-founder of DreamWorks. The spherical Geffen Pictures logo (based on the logo of its record-label counterpart) was created by Saul Bass. Their most famous films are Risky Business (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), and Interview with the Vampire (1994).

Discover more about The Geffen Film Company related topics

Film distributor

Film distributor

A film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same with, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film.

Production company

Production company

A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video. These groups consist of technical staff to produce the media, and are often incorporated as a commercial publisher. Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating a particular product, regardless of where in the process their expertise is required, or how long they are involved in the project. For example, in a theatrical performance, the production team has not only the running crew, but also the theatrical producer, designers and theatrical direction.

David Geffen

David Geffen

David Lawrence Geffen is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 1994.

Geffen Records

Geffen Records

Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.

DreamWorks Pictures

DreamWorks Pictures

DreamWorks Pictures is an American film company and distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994 as a live-action film studio by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, of which they owned 72%. The studio formerly distributed its own and third-party films. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each.

Saul Bass

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion-picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos.

Risky Business

Risky Business

Risky Business is a 1983 American teen sex comedy drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, Risky Business was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $63 million against a $6.2 million budget.

Little Shop of Horrors (film)

Little Shop of Horrors (film)

Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American horror comedy musical film directed by Frank Oz. It is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, which is itself an adaptation of the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors by director Roger Corman. The film, which centers on a floral shop worker who discovers a sentient carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood, stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and the voice of Levi Stubbs. The film also features special appearances by Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest and Bill Murray. It was produced by David Geffen through The Geffen Company and released by Warner Bros. on December 19, 1986.

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the titular character. The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple who, as ghosts haunting their former home, contact Beetlejuice, an obnoxious and devious "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare away the house's new inhabitants.

Interview with the Vampire (film)

Interview with the Vampire (film)

Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American gothic horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It focuses on Lestat (Cruise) and Louis (Pitt), beginning with Louis's transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. The film chronicles their time together, and their turning of ten-year-old Claudia into a vampire. The narrative is framed by a present-day interview, in which Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter. The supporting cast features Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas, and Stephen Rea.

History

Geffen founded the company in 1982,[1] having recruited Eric Eisner as president,[2] and distributed its films through Warner Bros.[3] Geffen was operated as a division of Warner Bros., and as a result, following the company's shutdown in 1998, Warner Bros. now owns the company's library, with the exception of the 1996 Mike Judge comedy Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, which is owned by Paramount Pictures (via Paramount Animation, MTV Entertainment Studios and MTV Animation).[4]

In 1993, Geffen and MTV Productions struck a two-picture deal.[5]

In 1994, The Geffen Film Company was renamed and reorganized as DreamWorks Pictures, though the Geffen Pictures brand was continued to be used on films by David Geffen until 1998, when it was folded under the DreamWorks Pictures brand (including all of the company's library).

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Eric Eisner (lawyer)

Eric Eisner (lawyer)

Eric Eisner is an entertainment industry lawyer and executive who served as president of The Geffen Film Company and Island World Inc. He also founded the Young Eisner Scholars (YES) program.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation, television, and video games, and is one of the "Big Five" major American film studios, as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

1996 in film

1996 in film

The year 1996 involved many significant films. The major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The Rock, The English Patient, Twister, Space Jam, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a film version of the musical Evita.

Mike Judge

Mike Judge

Michael Craig Judge is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and musician. He is the creator of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head, and the co-creator of the television series King of the Hill, The Goode Family (2009), Silicon Valley (2014–2019), and Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus (2017–2018). He wrote and directed the films Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996), Office Space (1999), Idiocracy (2006), and Extract (2009), and co-wrote the screenplay to Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

Comedy film

Comedy film

A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through the amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending. Comedy is one of the oldest genres in the film—and derived from the classical comedy in theatre. Some of the earliest silent films were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual depictions, without requiring sound. To provide drama and excitement to movies, live music was played in sync with the action on the screen, by pianos, organs, and other instruments. When sound films became more prevalent during the 1920s, comedy films grew in popularity, as laughter could result from burlesque situations but now also dialogue.

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is a 1996 American adult animated comedy road film based on the MTV animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head. The film was co-written and directed by series creator Mike Judge, who reprises his roles from the series; Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Robert Stack, and Cloris Leachman star in supporting roles. The film follows Beavis and Butt-Head, two teen delinquents who travel the US and unknowingly become fugitives.

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global. It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States, and the sole member of the "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles.

Paramount Animation

Paramount Animation

Paramount Animation is an American animation studio, serving as the animation division and label of Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The division was founded on July 6, 2011, following the box office success of Paramount's own Rango and the end of their distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation in 2012.

MTV Entertainment Studios

MTV Entertainment Studios

MTV Entertainment Studios is the film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Founded in 1991 as MTV Productions, it is a consolidation of the former MTV Films group established in 1996 and the MTV Production Development/MTV Studios group of 2003–2021, it has produced original television shows like Beavis and Butt-Head, Æon Flux, Jackass, My Super Sweet 16, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, Clone High and The Real World and films such as Election, Joe's Apartment and Napoleon Dynamite. Its films are released by fellow Paramount Global division Paramount Pictures. The MTV Films unit was part of Paramount Players until 2020.

MTV Animation

MTV Animation

MTV Animation is the animation department of the television network MTV.

DreamWorks Pictures

DreamWorks Pictures

DreamWorks Pictures is an American film company and distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994 as a live-action film studio by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, of which they owned 72%. The studio formerly distributed its own and third-party films. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each.

David Geffen

David Geffen

David Lawrence Geffen is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 1994.

Filmography

Feature films

1980s

Release Date Title Director Notes Names Budget Gross (worldwide)
February 5, 1982 Personal Best Robert Towne The Geffen Film Company $15 million $5.6 million
August 5, 1983 Risky Business Paul Brickman $6.2 million $63.5 million
March 15, 1985 Lost in America Albert Brooks $4 million $10.1 million
September 13, 1985 After Hours Martin Scorsese co-production with Double Play Productions $4.5 million $10.6 million
December 19, 1986 Little Shop of Horrors Frank Oz $25 million $39 million
March 30, 1988 Beetlejuice Tim Burton $15 million $74.2 million

1990s

Release Date Title Director Notes Names Budget Gross (worldwide)
February 2, 1990 Men Don't Leave Paul Brickman The Geffen Film Company $7 million $6 million
March 22, 1991 Defending Your Life Albert Brooks Geffen Pictures N/A $16.4 million
December 13, 1991 The Last Boy Scout Tony Scott co-production with Silver Pictures $43 million $114.5 million
October 1, 1993 M. Butterfly David Cronenberg N/A $1.4 million
November 11, 1994 Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles Neil Jordan $60 million $223.7 million
July 26, 1996 Joe's Apartment John Payson co-production with MTV Productions $13 million $4.6 million
October 11, 1996 Michael Collins Neil Jordan $25 million $27.5 million
December 20, 1996 Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Mike Judge co-production with Paramount Pictures and MTV Productions $12 million $63.1 million
April 3, 1998 The Butcher Boy Neil Jordan N/A $1.96 million

Television series

Years Title Networks Notes Names Seasons Episodes
1989–1996 Tales from the Crypt HBO Co-production with Tales from the Crypt Holdings Uncredited 7 93
1989–1991 Beetlejuice ABC (seasons 1–3)
Fox Kids (season 4)
Co-production with Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Tim Burton, Inc. and Nelvana The Geffen Film Company (seasons 1–2)
Geffen Pictures (seasons 3–4)
4 94

Discover more about Filmography related topics

Personal Best (film)

Personal Best (film)

Personal Best is a 1982 American drama film written, produced and directed by Robert Towne. It stars Mariel Hemingway and real-life track star Patrice Donnelly, along with Scott Glenn as the coach. The film is about the lesbian relationship between two track-and-field teammates whose relationship might interfere with their performance.

Paul Brickman

Paul Brickman

Paul Brickman is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for writing and directing Risky Business.

Lost in America

Lost in America

Lost in America is a 1985 American satirical road comedy film directed by Albert Brooks and co-written by Brooks with Monica Johnson. The film stars Brooks alongside Julie Hagerty as a married couple who decide to quit their jobs and travel across America.

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's Broadcast News and was widely praised for his performance as a ruthless Jewish mobster in the 2011 action drama film Drive. Brooks has also acted in Taxi Driver (1976), Private Benjamin (1980), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), and My First Mister (2001). He has written, directed, and starred in several comedy films, such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America (1985), and Defending Your Life (1991). He is also the author of 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America (2011).

After Hours (film)

After Hours (film)

After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Joseph Minion. The film follows Paul Hackett, portrayed by Griffin Dunne, as he experiences a series of misadventures while making his way home from New York City's SoHo district during the night.

Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Directors Guild of America Awards. He has been honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1997, the Film Society of Lincoln Center tribute in 1998, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2010, and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2012. Five of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

Little Shop of Horrors (film)

Little Shop of Horrors (film)

Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American horror comedy musical film directed by Frank Oz. It is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, which is itself an adaptation of the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors by director Roger Corman. The film, which centers on a floral shop worker who discovers a sentient carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood, stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and the voice of Levi Stubbs. The film also features special appearances by Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest and Bill Murray. It was produced by David Geffen through The Geffen Company and released by Warner Bros. on December 19, 1986.

Frank Oz

Frank Oz

Frank Oz is an American actor, puppeteer, and filmmaker.

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the titular character. The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple who, as ghosts haunting their former home, contact Beetlejuice, an obnoxious and devious "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare away the house's new inhabitants.

Men Don't Leave

Men Don't Leave

Men Don't Leave is a 1990 American comedy-drama film starring Jessica Lange as a housewife who, after the death of her husband, moves with her two sons to Baltimore. Chris O'Donnell, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack, Charlie Korsmo and Kathy Bates also co-star in this film. The film, directed by Paul Brickman and co-written with Barbara Benedek, is a remake of the French film La Vie Continue. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman. Warner Brothers released the film on DVD for the first time on September 15, 2009, as part of the "Warner Archive Collection".

Defending Your Life

Defending Your Life

Defending Your Life is a 1991 American romantic comedy-fantasy film about a man who finds himself on trial in the afterlife, where proceedings examine his lifelong fears, to determine whether he'll be reincarnated on Earth. Written, directed, and starring Albert Brooks, the film also stars Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant, and Buck Henry. Despite comedic overtones, the film also contains elements of drama and allegory.

M. Butterfly (film)

M. Butterfly (film)

M. Butterfly is a 1993 American romantic drama film directed by David Cronenberg. The screenplay was written by David Henry Hwang based on his play of the same name. The film stars Jeremy Irons and John Lone, with Ian Richardson, Barbara Sukowa, and Annabel Leventon. The story is loosely based on true events which involved French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu.

Source: "The Geffen Film Company", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 26th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geffen_Film_Company.

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References
  1. ^ a b "David Geffen Fast Facts". CNN. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ^ Shewey, Don (1985). "On the Go With David Geffen". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  3. ^ Cieply, Michael (10 January 1989). "Sean Daniel Quits Universal to Head Geffen's Film Unit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. ^ Dilworth, John R. (January 1997). "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America". Animation World Magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  5. ^ Marx, Andy (1993-07-07). "Geffen and MTV pair on 'Apartment'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-10-07.

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