Brut Productions was a film production company that was an offshoot of Fabergé cosmetics under

George Barrie George Barrie (9 February 1912 – 16 November 2002) was the owner and CEO of Fabergé Inc. from 1964 to 1984. He was nominated for two Oscars for Best Original Song and created the cologne Brut. Though not one of the first to use celebr ...

History

Barrie began thinking about becoming involved in movie production when producer

Mike Frankovich Mitchell John "M. J." Frankovich (September 29, 1909 – January 1, 1992), best known as Mike Frankovich, was an American football player turned film actor and producer. Frankovich was the adopted son of actor Joe E. Brown and his wife, Kathryn ...

asked Fabergé to make a mock advertisement for a scene in his film of '' The Love Machine''. Barrie made an advertisement for a perfume, Xanadu. Sales of this shot up as a result of it being in the film. The company began in March 1972.

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

was on the board of directors and

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 19 ...

was an ambassador at large. Barrie said in July 1972 "We're not in business just for Cary or Roger to make the films they want." "It's a diversification of Fabergé and is strictly commercial", said Moore. Brut initially announced they would make five features and four TV productions. The features were ''

Hugo the Hippo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

'', then being filmed; '' Night Watch'' with

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

and

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

; '' A Touch of Class'' with

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...

; '' The Book of Numbers''; and ''Getting Rid of Mr Straker'' with Roger Moore. The four TV productions were ''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

'' with

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''; the ...

and

Nyree Dawn Porter Nyree Dawn Porter OBE (born Ngaire Dawn Porter; 22 January 1936 – 10 April 2001) was a New Zealand–British actress. Early life and career Porter was born in Napier, New Zealand in 1936. Her first professional work was touring with the Ne ...

; ''Anita in Jumbo Land'' with

Anita Harris Anita Madeleine Harris (born 3 June 1942) is an English actress, singer and entertainer. Harris sang with the Cliff Adams Singers for three years from 1961 and had a number of chart hits during the 1960s. She appeared in the ''Carry On'' film ...

; ''Rexford'' with

Glenn Stanley Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement ...

; and ''The Whistling Wizard'', a

Bil Baird William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he and his puppets performed for millions of adults and children. One of his be ...

puppet show. (Brut did not make the TV productions, they just distributed them in America.) The company decided to move into distribution as well.

First films

In October 1972 the company announced they were moving to Los Angeles and that

Martin Rackin Martin Rackin (31 July 1918 – 15 April 1976) was an American writer and producer who was briefly head of production at Paramount Pictures from 1960–64. In the late 1950s he wrote and produced a series of films with actor Alan Ladd. Ri ...

was appointed senior vice president. The first three films they financed were ''Nightwatch'', ''A Touch of Class'' and ''Book of Numbers''. They were working on an animated musical in Hungary, ''Hugo the Hippo'' and paid $500,000 to distribute '' Count Your Bullets''. Barri wanted to move into television production and music, including their own music label.

Avco Embassy Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film production and distribution studio responsible for such films as ''The Graduate'', '' The Produc ...

agreed to distribute the features . Production of ''Getting Rid of Mr Straker'' was postponed when Roger Moore was cast of James Bond. The company financed ''

Miracles Still Happen ''Miracles Still Happen'' ( it, I miracoli accadono ancora) is a 1974 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese. It features the story of Juliane Diller, the sole survivor of 92 passengers and crew, in the 24 December 1971 crash of LANSA ...

'' and ''

Welcome to Arrow Beach ''Welcome to Arrow Beach'' is a 1974 American horror film directed by and starring Laurence Harvey. Following its limited theatrical release, an edited version of the film was reissued in 1976 under the title ''Tender Flesh''. Plot Robbin Stanle ...

''. The company had an early big success with ''A Touch of Class''. In October 1973

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...

joined as a creative consultant. In December

Ross Hunter Ross Hunter (born Martin Terry Fuss; May 6, 1916 or 1920 – March 10, 1996) was an American film and television producer and actor. He is best known for producing light comedies such as ''Pillow Talk'' (1959), and the glamorous melodramas ''M ...

was appointed president. He signed a distribution agreement with Warner Bros.

Struggles

However Hunter left in April 1974. George Barrie moved into producing with ''

Whiffs ''Whiffs'' is a 1975 comedy film directed by Ted Post and starring Elliott Gould, Eddie Albert, Harry Guardino, Godfrey Cambridge, and Jennifer O'Neill. It was produced by Brut Productions and released theatrically in the U.S. by 20th Century Fo ...

''. Later films performed less well at the box office. Brut suffered losses from 1975 onwards. They made two TV movies, ''

Sweet Hostage ''Sweet Hostage'' is a 1975 American made-for-television drama film based on the novel ''Welcome to Xanadu'' by Nathaniel Benchley. The film stars Linda Blair and Martin Sheen. It was filmed in Taos County, New Mexico. It was featured in ABC's Fri ...

'' and ''

Black Market Baby Black Market Baby was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C. They were one of the groups that created the original punk rock scene in the Washington area in the 1980s. They were extremely popular locally, and were known to be an excell ...

''.

Final years and current ownership status

Fabergé reported in 1981 the company lost $5.4 million. Fabergé sold their interest in 17 films in 1982 for an undisclosed amount to the

Turner Broadcasting System Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (lat ...

. Its entire library is currently owned by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

through

Turner Entertainment Co. Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...

Select films

*''

Cry for Me, Billy ''Cry for Me, Billy'' (also known as ''Count Your Bullets'') is a 1972 American Western film directed by William A. Graham and starring Cliff Potts and Maria Potts. It was one of the first films from Brut Productions.Following the Scent to Bru ...

'' (1972) aka ''Count Your Bullets'' *'' Night Watch'' (1973) *'' A Touch of Class'' (1973) *''

Book of Numbers The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and com ...

'' (1973) *''

'' (1974) aka ''The Story of Juliane Koepcke'' *''

Hangup ''Hangup'', also called '' Hang Up'' and later released under the name ''Super Dude'', is a 1974 film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars William Elliott and Marki Bey. This was the last film directed by Hathaway. The film falls in the blaxploit ...

'' (1974) *''

Mean Johnny Barrows ''Mean Johnny Barrows'' is a 1976 American crime drama film starring Fred Williamson, who also directed the film; Stuart Whitman; Luther Adler; Jenny Sherman; and Roddy McDowall also star. Plot Johnny Barrows (played by Fred "The Hammer" Wil ...

'' (1974) *''

'' (1975) *''

'' (1975) *'' Hedda'' (1975) *''

'' (1975) *'' I Will, I Will... for Now'' (1976) *'' Nasty Habits'' (1977) *''

Thieves Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

'' (1977) *''

Fingers A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers (Pentadactyly). Chambers 1 ...

'' (1978) *''

'' (1977) *''

The Class of Miss MacMichael ''The Class of Miss MacMichael'' is a 1978 British comedy drama film directed by Silvio Narizzano, and starring Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed, and Michael Murphy. It was based on a novel by Sandy Hutson. Plot The film depicts the attempts of an ...

'' (1978) *''

The Dream Merchants ''The Dream Merchants'' is an American novel written by Harold Robbins and published in 1949 in literature, 1949. Set in the early 20th century, the book is a "rags-to-riches" story of a penniless young man who goes to Hollywood, Los Angeles, H ...

'' (1980) (TV)

Unmade projects

*''Getting Rid of Mr Straker'' with Roger Moore,

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...

and Orson Welles *''The Poison Crown'' based on Marlowe's ''

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

'' starring Sarah Miles for producer

Martin Poll Martin Poll (November 24, 1922 – April 14, 2012) was an American film and television producer. Poll produced eleven feature films during his career, including '' The Lion in Winter'', for which he received a 1968 Academy Award nomination for ...

and director Hicocx *''Marble Arch'' *''The Department Store'' *''Vicki'' biopic of

Victoria Woodhill Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

written by

James Toback James Toback (; born November 23, 1944) is an American film director and screenwriter. His screenplay for '' Bugsy'' won the 1991 Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for best screenplay of the year and was nominated for both the Academy Aw ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Brut Productions
at BFI Film production companies of the United States Warner Bros.