"We Must Be Burning Film Like Mad": Exploring Canadian Production Cultures at Cinepix, 1976-1986
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2018-09-05 "We must be burning film like mad": Exploring Canadian production cultures at Cinepix, 1976-1986. Arnatt, Mary Arnatt, M. R. (2018). "We must be burning film like mad": Exploring Canadian production cultures at Cinepix, 1976-1986 (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32921 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/107745 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY “We must be burning film like mad”: Exploring Canadian production cultures at Cinepix, 1976- 1986. by Mary Reay Arnatt A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2018 © Mary Reay Arnatt 2018 Abstract This thesis examines the Canadian production, distribution, and exhibition company Cinépix between the years 1976-1986. Best well-known for their films Valérie (1969), Shivers (1975), Meatballs (1979), and My Bloody Valentine (1981), Cinépix has been neglected in the field of Canadian film studies. This thesis uses the framework of Media Industry Studies, and especially John Caldwell’s research on production culture, examining Cinépix’s previously unused archival material, including original memos, letters, storyboards, scripts, production notes, location documents, and producer’s notes on rushes. Films researched include the previously under- examined Meatballs III (1986), State Park (1988), Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), The Vindicator (1986), and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), among others. This research argues that Cinépix’s production cultures were defined through commercial adaptability, independence, masculinity, and most importantly, the concept of the producer, exemplified by the company’s figureheads John Dunning and Andre Link. Through its use of Media Industry Studies approaches, this thesis also presents a new way of conceptualizing Canadian cinema and provokes new research within the discipline. ii Acknowledgements Many thanks to my supervisor Dr. Charles Tepperman, who first introduced me to Cinépix via the wonderful world of Don Carmody, and whose constant support, enthusiasm, and insight was truly invaluable throughout the course of this degree. My grateful thanks also goes out to my two examination committee members, Dr. Annie Rudd and Dr. Gregory Taylor for taking the time to participate in this process and for agreeing to sit on my committee during the summer months. I would also like to thank Greg Dunning and his family, who welcomed me into their home in Montreal to dig through boxes of scripts and storyboard within their basement. Without their generosity, this thesis would not have been nearly as rich and detailed. I would also like the thank the staff at the TIFF Bell Lightbox’s FRL for their friendly assistance over the summer of 2017. This thesis was financially supported by the TIFF Jeffrey and Sandra Lyon’s Canadian Film Scholarship and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Thanks also to the Film Studies Association of Canada, where I was able to present some of my findings at the 2018 Gerald Pratley lecture. My thesis could not have been completed without the loving support of friends and family, of which there are too many to list by name. Special thanks should be awarded to my (two) sets of parents for supporting me throughout the last several years, as well as my wonderful graduate studies cohort (and the beautiful purple grad room), who provided a space to vent, discuss ideas, laugh, study, watch Riverdale and The Office, and talk true crime podcasts. Across the country, Katie Wackett (and Lou) continued to be a beaming ray of sunshine and support. Lastly, I would not have survived this process without the constant love and support of my partner, Colin, who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You’re simply the best. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... iv Introduction: “Another day in the history of Canadian filmmaking” .....................................1 Chapter 1: History of Cinépix .....................................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Canadian Film Scholarship, Media Industry Studies, and production cultures 14 2.1 English language Canadian Cinema: Trends, Frameworks, and Criticisms ..................................... 14 2.2 Media Industry Studies and production cultures ............................................................................... 30 2.3 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 3: Cinépix, Canada, and the Struggle to Survive .......................................................48 3.1 A Broader Context: 1976-1986 ......................................................................................................... 48 3.2 “At least we know his loyalties lie with us”: Cinépix in Canada ...................................................... 51 3.3 Cinépix International: American collaborations and State Park ...................................................... 58 Chapter 4: “Canada and Cinépix Inc - a good company to know”: The Producer and Cinépix’s Deep Texts ...................................................................................................................67 4.1 The Producer at Cinépix ................................................................................................................... 68 4.2 “Wear your wildest things - hot pants, see-throughs or minis”: Cinépix’s Public Persona ............. 76 4.3 “The best film name to know - in Canada”: Fully Embedded Deep texts in correspondence ......... 79 4.4 “They’ve ruined my whole summer and I want them to go”: Fully Embedded versus Publically Disclosed Deep Texts ............................................................................................................................. 87 Chapter 5: “Shannon has a real bod”: Gender at Cinépix ......................................................97 5.1 Meatballs III: Introduction and history ............................................................................................ 98 5.2 “Getting some jiggle”: Gender in Production ................................................................................ 101 5.3 “In reality need a kinky type”: Additional Examples ..................................................................... 112 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................116 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................120 Filmography ...............................................................................................................................132 iv Introduction: “Another day in the history of Canadian filmmaking” At approximately 10:00 PM I heard some rushing about in the hallway and found out that Art Hindle was bitten by a dog on set. I went on set, which was about 2 to 3 minutes after the incident, and saw Art lying on the floor, with the sleeve of his jacket and shirt cut off by the wardrobe dresser... Upon arriving at the hospital, Art was taken into the emergency and immediately examined by a doctor... and advised me that Art would need stitches. I then consulted with the doctor concerning the fact that Art was an actor, and requested that all be done possible to make the stitches [on his elbow] as esthetically attractive as possible. The doctor assured me that he would do them as well as they could be done... I left the hospital, went home, champagneless, and ended yet another day in the history of Canadian filmmaking.1 - Irene Litinsky The above quotation was taken from a letter, dated December 7, 1983, from Irene Litinsky to Cinépix’s lawyer, Charles (Chuck) Smiley, on the set of the 1984 erotic thriller The Surrogate (1984). Found in a battered box and tucked in the basement corner of Greg Dunning’s basement, the copious letters and legal notes associated with the “dog bite incident” portray an alternative and often hidden side of Canadian film production, delving into the practical, hands-on lived reality of individuals working and creating product within the industry. Often characterized by documentary, auteur, animation, and experimental traditions, the commercial side of the Canadian film landscape is frequently overlooked.2 My research attempts to negotiate the discourse