Edward L. Montoro
Encyclopedia
Edward L. Montoro was an American film producer and distributor known for releasing exploitation films and B-movies 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
and Jaws
.
Montoro formed Film Ventures International
(FVI), a small-scale independent movie production and distribution company, in 1968 in Atlanta, Georgia
. His first effort was the soft-core adult comedy Getting Into Heaven, 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 B-movies, among them acquisitions of foreign films from Italy
including the spaghetti western
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 The Day of the Animals (1978) starring Christopher George
and Leslie Nielsen
; The Dark (1979) starring William Devane
; The Visitor
(1979) starring Glenn Ford
; Kill and Kill Again
(1981); Pieces
(1982); Pod People
(1983); Mortuary
(1983) starring Bill Paxton
; Vigilante (1983) starring Robert Forster
; and Mutant (1984) starring Bo Hopkins
.
In 1980, after acquiring the Italian film Great White
, another movie regarded as a Jaws
rip-off, Montoro was sued by Universal Pictures
because it was too derivative of the Steven Spielberg
-directed hit. Great White
had a large advertising budget of $4 million and achieved commercial success during its first week at the theaters. Never-the-less, Universal Pictures
won the law-suit and the film was immediately pulled from theatrical release.
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 took one million dollars from FVI and vanished never to be seen again. Film Ventures International
officially closed its doors in 1985. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico
.
The unusual disappearance and the collapse of FVI have further contributed to Montoro's notorious legacy.
Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International is an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era...
. Montoro became notorious for producing and promoting films such as Beyond the Door (1974) and Grizzly
Grizzly (film)
Grizzly is a 1976 horror film directed by William Girdler. The film is about an 18-foot man-eating Grizzly bear that terrorizes a National Forest. The film stars Christopher George, Andrew Prine and Richard Jaeckel...
(1976) which were highly derivative of the 1970s blockbuster hits The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
and Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
.
Montoro formed Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International is an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era...
(FVI), a small-scale independent movie production and distribution company, in 1968 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. His first effort was the soft-core adult comedy Getting Into Heaven, 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 B-movies, among them acquisitions of foreign films from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
including the spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
Boot Hill
Boot Hill (film)
Boot Hill is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. This film is the last one in a trilogy that started with God Forgives... I Don't! , followed by Ace High...
in 1969.
Grizzly
Grizzly (film)
Grizzly is a 1976 horror film directed by William Girdler. The film is about an 18-foot man-eating Grizzly bear that terrorizes a National Forest. The film stars Christopher George, Andrew Prine and Richard Jaeckel...
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 The Day of the Animals (1978) starring Christopher George
Christopher George
Christopher John George was an American television and film actor who was perhaps best known for his starring role in the 1966-1968 TV series The Rat Patrol. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1967 as Best TV Star for his performance in the series...
and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
; The Dark (1979) starring William Devane
William Devane
William Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
; The Visitor
The Visitor (1979 film)
The Visitor is a psychological thriller film directed by Giulio Paradisi , based on a story by the Egyptian writer Ovidio G. Assonitis. The film starred such names as John Huston, Shelley Winters, Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, and Sam Peckinpah. Prominent Libertarian talk-show host Neal Boortz also...
(1979) starring Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
; Kill and Kill Again
Kill and Kill Again
Kill and Kill Again is a 1981 South African/American action film notable for being the first live-action film to use the visual effects known as bullet-time. It is a sequel to Kill or Be Killed ....
(1981); Pieces
Pieces (film)
Pieces is a 1983 cult classic slasher horror film and "drive-in favorite".-Plot:...
(1982); Pod People
Pod People
The Pod People is a 1983 Spanish science fiction film directed by Juan Piquer Simón. A young boy discovers a lovable alien creature, but the alien's mother is on the prowl...
(1983); Mortuary
Mortuary (1983 film)
Mortuary was a 1983 slasher film/horror movie which starred Bill Paxton, Mary Beth McDonough, David Wallace, Lynda Day George, with Michael Berryman and Christopher George in one of his final roles...
(1983) starring Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
; Vigilante (1983) starring Robert Forster
Robert Forster
Robert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
; and Mutant (1984) starring Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
.
In 1980, after acquiring the Italian film Great White
Great White (film)
Great White is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow. The film is extremely similar to Steven Spielberg's Jaws.-Plot:...
, another movie regarded as a Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
rip-off, Montoro was sued by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
because it was too derivative of the Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
-directed hit. Great White
Great White (film)
Great White is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow. The film is extremely similar to Steven Spielberg's Jaws.-Plot:...
had a large advertising budget of $4 million and achieved commercial success during its first week at the theaters. Never-the-less, Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
won the law-suit and the film was immediately pulled from theatrical release.
In 1984, Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International is an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era...
was on the verge of collapse due to financial issues including the release failure of Great White
Great White (film)
Great White is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow. The film is extremely similar to Steven Spielberg's Jaws.-Plot:...
, the poor box office performance of Montoro's final film Mutant and his pending divorce settlement. Montoro eventually took one million dollars from FVI and vanished never to be seen again. Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International
Film Ventures International is an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era...
officially closed its doors in 1985. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The unusual disappearance and the collapse of FVI have further contributed to Montoro's notorious legacy.