Arvostelut (1)
With the style of an ordinary made-for-TV documentary, Omnibus: The Last Moguls offers a valuable and fascinating look into the workings of the production company Cannon Films at the time when it was at its absolute peak. At the beginning, while the company is still being introduced, its management is referred to in plural, i.e. its owners, cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, are mentioned in the same breath. But in later sequences, it becomes clear who was really the boss in the company. The megalomaniacal mogul Golan is shown in the documentary not only through his self-promoting statements to the camera, but mainly in revealing recordings of his manipulative negotiations with the agents of directors and stars and with contractually bound creators. Another captivating aspect of the documentary is Cannon Films’ presentation of itself as a prestigious company that – on the one hand – takes great directors under its wing and finances ambitious projects, but – on the other hand – is concurrently built on absolute control over the flow of funding and keeping an eye on every penny. The promo spots for the company’s titles intended for film markets are symptomatic of this. Cannon Films and Golan had a fundamental influence on the nature of the film industry, as the success of their films was built on marketing, high concept and the principle of getting a lot for a little money, which was fulfilled not by saving on big names, but by scrimping on locations and production. At the same time, the testimonies of both the contractually bound creators and Golan himself suggest that Cannon Films represented a unique combination of the love of movies and strictly commercial motivations. One of the highlights in this respect was Golan’s own project, The Delta Force, which provides a personal, aggressive commentary on the hijacking of TWA flight 487 in June 1985, but was conceived as a lucrative spectacle whose cast accurately reflected Cannon Films’ policy – the critically acclaimed European actress Hanna Schygulla appeared in an essential role alongside B-movie star Chuck Norris and respected veteran actor Lee Marvin.
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