Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 01, 2013 05:33 AM
I have just bought a Film Office copy of an MGM Barney Bear cartoon. As one would expect from Film Office the screen title now reads "Barnabe et le Petit Cheval" (Barnabe and the Little Horse).
Then we come to the original box which reads "Barney en Het Paardje", this is Dutch for "Barney and The Horse".
Can any of our Continental members explain the change of language. Were boxes changed for sale in Holland?
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
posted August 01, 2013 06:25 AM
All I know is that Film Office was distributed also in Belgium (were Dutch is an official language), Italy, Switzerland, Germany ans North Africa. Was it also distributed in Netherlands ? And then why was the box in one language and the film in anotherone ? Someone on the forum told a same story with a German box of a Laurel and Hardy film wich was in English.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 02, 2013 01:49 AM
It is the original Film Office box in red with a full colour picture of Barney Bear but here he is called Barnabe. "Conditions De Vente" printed on one side. The opposite side has the Dutch title printed.
On the opposing sides are "Pellicule Ininflammable".
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
posted August 02, 2013 04:49 AM
Film Office released the last super 8 films in 1987 but did not collpase, they were absorbed by another group and are still part of it. Maybe they have archives somewhere. They had a sad policy : they destrroyed piles of films, first 8 and 9,5 (when super 8 became more popular) and later super 8 (when video arrived).
posted August 02, 2013 05:15 AM
So,perhaps simply Film Office printed boxes with dutch titles for the Netherlands!As for Barney,he was named Barnabe in France but not in other countries.I knew of the titles from the F.O. catalogues but I thought it was some french kiddie series,until I saw the boxes!!!
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
posted August 02, 2013 07:00 AM
Barnabé is the French version of the name Barney, like Jean instead of John, Pierre instead of Peter and so on . Charlie Chaplin is known, as you probably know, as Charlot. Buster keaton is Malec and for a while Harold Loyd was known as Lui (which means Him).
Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013
posted August 02, 2013 01:28 PM
Indeed, Maurice remains Maurice in French. By the way, it is also my father's name but you are probably more familiar with Maurice Chevalier.
Posts: 163
From: Moeriken, Switzerland
Registered: Oct 2003
posted August 02, 2013 02:48 PM
I recently found a film in the same Barnabé-Box by Film Office. The title card was in French: "Barnabé Ronfleur"; on the side of the box was a Dutch title printed (which I forgot). Inside actually was no Barney Cartoon at all! It was Tex Avery's "Rock-A-Bye Bear" - in great colours and with the original english soundtrack. What a surprise!
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 03, 2013 02:35 AM
Michael Was the Tex Avery film a Film Office release with their opening logo and French titles, or was it a genuine MGM Lion opening with original English titles? Perhaps someone else has bought a Tex Avery box and discovered a Barnabe inside!
posted August 03, 2013 04:52 AM
Seems no one is reading my postings.I wrote on the subject on July 21 ,13, in the topic "MGM cartoons, and I posted scans of the Film Office and Mahier boxes.F.O. issued six "Barnabe" cartoons but,they are actually five and the Tex Avery,by a happy mistake. And nobody has yet answered my question about the MGM cartoons issued by Mahier,in Spain.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted August 03, 2013 11:47 AM
Panayotis Please accept my apologies. I did not read your entry until just now after I searched for it. Thank you for details of the Film Office titles.
Posts: 163
From: Moeriken, Switzerland
Registered: Oct 2003
posted August 04, 2013 02:22 AM
Maurice, the Tex Avery-Cartoon had the Film Office logo and french opening titles. It was actually issued by Film Office wich - as Panayotis already stated - made a mistake, because Barney isn't in this cartoon at all. There's another Bear - in a minor role - but he's called "Joe Bear". BTW: The Avery-Cartoon was never issued by Derann or any ther company - as far as I know.