Columbia Pictures After David Puttnam, Part 4: Fallout, Reassessment, and the End of an Experiment

With David Puttnam’s departure behind it, Columbia Pictures entered a period of reassessment that forced the studio to confront what had worked, what had failed, and what could no longer continue. In the final installment of this series on The 80s Movie Podcast, we explore how the studio responded once the experiment was officially over and attention shifted toward rebuilding stability.

We revisit the lingering impact of the previous slate, the financial and critical reactions surrounding key releases, and the internal decision-making that followed Puttnam’s exit. This period reflects a studio trying to redefine its identity after a high-risk attempt to reposition itself around more filmmaker-driven projects, and the challenges of returning to a more commercially predictable model.

This concluding chapter connects the full arc of the series, from ambitious restructuring to institutional correction, showing how Columbia ultimately moved forward after one of the most closely watched leadership experiments in 1980s Hollywood.

Start: David Puttnam at Columbia Pictures, Part 1: The British Outsider Who Tried to Rewire Hollywood
Part 2: David Puttnam at Columbia Pictures, Part 2: The Films Taking Shape Inside a Changing Studio
Part 3: David Puttnam After Columbia Pictures, Part 3: The 1988 Slate and the Studio Under Strain

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David Puttnam, in an undated photo, during his time as the head of Columbia Pictures, 1986-1987

The titles discussed during this episode include:

Bad Karma (Producer: Deborah Blum, Never Made)
The Big Picture (Christopher Guest, September 1989)
Blind Luck (Producer: Craig Zadan, Never Made)
Bloodhounds of Broadway (Howard Brookner, November 1989)
Eat a Bowl of Tea (Wayne Wang, July 1989)
The Far Side (Alan Rudolph, Never Made)
40 - Just Like America (Director Unknown, Never Released)
Flying Blind (Vince DePersio, July 1990)
Me and Him (Doris Dörrie, August 1989)
Napoli (Writers: Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenias, Never Made)
Old Gringo (Luis Puenzo, October 1989)
Time of the Gypsies (Emir Kusturica, February 1990)
To Kill a Priest (Angieszka Holland, October 1989)
Toys (Barry Levinson, December 1992 from 20th Century Fox)
Untitled Richard Brooks DeMille/Mankiewicz Drama (Never Made)
Untitled Stanley Kramer Chernobyl Drama (Never Made)

Lord David Puttnam, in recent times

The original 1989 Theatrical One-Sheet for Christopher Guest's The Big Picture

The original 1989 Theatrical One-Sheet for Doris Dorrie's Me and Him