Edward L. Montoro (born January 2, 1936) was an American film producer and distributor known for releasing

exploitation films An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

and

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

during the 1970s and 1980s through his company Film Ventures International. Montoro became notorious for producing and promoting films such as '' Beyond the Door'' (1974) and '' Grizzly'' (1976) which were highly derivative of the 1970s blockbuster hits ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 The Exorcist (novel), novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, ...

'' and ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'', respectively.

Biography

Montoro formed Film Ventures International (FVI), a small-scale independent movie production and distribution company, in 1968 in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

. His first effort was the softcore comedy ''Getting into Heaven'' starring

Uschi Digard Uschi Digard (born 15 August 1948) is a Swedish former softcore porn star and model mostly known for her roles in Russ Meyer films. Early years When asked of her childhood, she has said, She had a convent education and learned various lan ...

, which he wrote, produced, and directed with a budget of $13,000. The film grossed almost 20 times its cost. Montoro expanded FVI and began churning out successful

, among them acquisitions of foreign films from Italy including the

spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

'' Boot Hill'' in 1969. '' Grizzly'' was one of the first films Montoro financed and distributed himself. Produced on a $750,000 budget, the animal horror thriller became the most successful independent motion picture of 1976, earning more than $39 million worldwide. Montoro followed this success producing and releasing such films as ''

Day of the Animals ''Day of the Animals'' (re-released as ''Something Is Out There'') is a 1977 American natural horror film directed by William Girdler, based on a story by producer Edward L. Montoro. The film reunited Girdler and Montoro with stars Christopher ...

'' (1977) starring Christopher George and Leslie Nielsen; ''The Dark'' (1979) starring William Devane; '' The Visitor'' (1979) starring Glenn Ford; ''

Kill and Kill Again ''Kill and Kill Again'' is a 1981 action film directed by Ivan Hall. The film stars James Ryan as Steve Chase who is hired to save the scientist Horatio Kane, who has been kidnapped by the scientist Marduk. Chase gathers together a team of merc ...

'' (1981); '' Pieces'' (1982); '' The Pod People'' (1983); '' Mortuary'' (1983), starring Bill Paxton; ''Vigilante'' (1983) starring Robert Forster; and ''

Mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

'' (1984) starring Bo Hopkins. In 1980, after acquiring the Italian film ''

Great White Great White is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records ''Once Bitten'' (1987) and '' ...Twice Shy'' (1989), and those albums ...

'', another film regarded as a ''

'' rip-off, Montoro was sued by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

because it was too derivative of the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

-directed hit. ''Great White'' had a large advertising budget of $4 million and achieved commercial success during its first week at the theaters. Nevertheless, Universal Pictures won the lawsuit and the film was immediately pulled from theatrical release.

Disappearance

In 1984, Film Ventures International was on the verge of collapse due to financial issues including the release failure of ''Great White'', the poor box-office performance of Montoro's final film ''Mutant'', and his pending divorce settlement. Montoro eventually embezzled over $1 million from the FVI bank accounts and vanished, never to be seen again. Film Ventures International officially closed in 1985. Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico in early 1987 under a false name. It is not even known if he is still alive.

References

External links

*
Interview discussing Film Ventures International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montoro, Edward L. 1936 births Possibly living people 20th-century American businesspeople American film producers American male screenwriters Businesspeople from Atlanta Fugitives Screenwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)

Biography

Disappearance

See also

References

External links