The Gaul to Help Gain Entree to Europe

After being excluded from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade last year, Hollywood may have finally found a sympathetic ear within the protectionist-minded French government.

Bernard Miyet, a former French consul general in Los Angeles with friends in high places in Hollywood, has emerged as a key figure in discussions over the industry’s access to European markets. He quietly met with the American Film Marketing Assn. in Los Angeles last week, then traveled to Washington on Wednesday for follow-up talks with Motion Picture Assn. of America President Jack Valenti.

Both groups said Miyet came off as a conciliator who favors a more open discussion between Hollywood and the European Union, formerly known as the European Community. “He said that it’s time to put the antagonism behind us and see if we can find some way into the future that all sides find agreeable,” Valenti said Thursday when asked about the meeting.

While Miyet has no formal role in the French government, he’s known as a close associate of Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, for whom he served as a special emissary during the GATT discussions. As a consul general based in Los Angeles until 1989, Miyet also got to know his share of moguls. Valenti called Miyet, who speaks fluent English, an “old friend.”

While Valenti cautioned that it’s too soon to say what will come of the talks, he added that Miyet “clearly has the ear of important people” in Europe. “I don’t know whether he’s coming under instructions or not, but he is certainly well regarded there,” Valenti said.

Hollywood has been grappling with its future in Europe since December, when it was excluded from the GATT agreement at the 11th hour. The French are the strongest advocates for increasing quotas and fees on Hollywood films and TV shows, but exhibitors and filmmakers in other European countries have also taken up the battle cry.

Last month, European Union audiovisual commissioner Joao de Deus Pinheiro turned up the heat another notch by calling for the dismantling of United International Pictures, a major distributor of Hollywood films overseas. Pinheiro later said he was open to discussing the issue further. Meanwhile, his group is working to complete a set of broader policy recommendations.

If those recommendations are too Draconian, one executive suggested Thursday, Hollywood could retaliate by boycotting the Cannes Film Festival in May. While Cannes caters to the worldwide film community, Hollywood has traditionally provided its glitz and cachet.

No matter how radical the sanctions appear to be, however, most industry sources consider any type of formal boycott unlikely, because Hollywood derives considerable benefit from the international exposure Cannes offers. No studio has made a major commitment to the festival yet, but stay tuned. Organizers next month will announce who’s participating.

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Forget about a Range Rover, a window seat at Locanda Veneta or a cellular telephone with call waiting. The latest status symbol in Hollywood is a meeting with Sumner Redstone.

Rumors had the incoming Paramount Communications leader in talks with everyone short of Elvis during his victory tour of Los Angeles this week, which included a stopover in Las Vegas for the NATO/Showest convention. While much of what went on was ceremonial, sources say Redstone also conducted some actual business during his mad dash through the corridors of power.

On Wednesday, he lunched with MCA Chairman Lew R. Wasserman and President Sidney J. Sheinberg. The wide-ranging discussion is said to have touched on everything from Redstone’s new role in Hollywood to the disposition of the USA Network, the valuable cable network that is co-owned by Paramount and MCA and which may now be bought by one or the other.

Others who met with Redstone, and/or his chief executive, Frank Biondi, over the course of the week reportedly included Walt Disney Studios Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, Creative Artists Agency Chairman Michael Ovitz, MGM/UA Chairman Frank Mancuso, International Creative Management Chairman Jeff Berg, Castle Rock Entertainment Chairman Alan Horn and Jonathan Dolgen, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

Sources said Redstone and Biondi repeatedly stressed their support for Paramount Pictures Chief Sherry Lansing during the meetings. At the same time, the two said they still intend to hire a business executive to oversee film and TV operations at the studio. That job was previously handled by Stanley Jaffe, the outgoing Paramount Communications president.

Among those casually mentioned for the post: Dolgen, HBO Chief Michael Fuchs, CBS Entertainment President Jeff Sagansky and Time Warner International executive Arthur R. Barron.

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Speaking of Katzenberg, he wins the man of the people award of the week for flying coach on Southwest Airlines to the NATO/Showest convention Tuesday. Katzenberg turned a lot of heads when he ambled onto the $30 one-way flight from Burbank to Las Vegas. The Disney chief was there for the studio’s live stage show and tent party, which attracted roughly 4,000 people and created a lot of positive buzz for Disney’s upcoming animated feature, “The Lion King.”