8mm Forum: Half-Pint Palomino

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Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on 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?

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on 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.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 01, 2013, 09:36 AM:

If Dutch is spoken in Belgium perhaps the film came from that country.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on August 01, 2013, 09:48 AM:

Dutch is spoken by 60 % of the population, 40 % speak French. And to be complete, less than 1 % speaks German.

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on August 01, 2013, 02:59 PM:

Is it the original Film Office box (as I posted it here on July 21? Is the dutch title printed or pasted on the box?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on 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".

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on 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 by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on 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!!!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 02, 2013, 06:45 AM:

So it was not Film Office who changed Barney's name.
The print in on gorgeous Agfa stock.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on 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).

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 02, 2013, 09:00 AM:

Very interesting, Dominique; there is one thing going for my name, the French cannot change it!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 02, 2013, 09:00 AM:

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on 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. [Big Grin]

Posted by Michael Scheck (Member # 114) on 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!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on 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 by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on 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.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on 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.

Posted by Michael Scheck (Member # 114) on 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.

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