8mm Forum: Walt Disney

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Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on August 10, 2016, 07:36 PM:

Browsing in our local "antiques centre", I came across a Dasco 200' cine plastic storage box with a type-written label saying "Robin Hood Rescues Maid Marion".It was worth a punt for the box alone. As I started to clean the film, I noticed that it had been processed by Buck Film Laboratories of Slough, England. The rather plain title screen referred to it being a Walt Disney production. The colour was a bit faded but the sound was fine and the print was very good. It's the archery final and the subsequent battle from the 1973 Robin Hood cartoon. There's no distributor's logo. Did Walt Disney Productions distribute their own films here?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 11, 2016, 02:29 AM:

Yes.
Walt Disney Productions, Pall Mall, London.
At first, only excerpts from their animated features.

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on August 11, 2016, 08:29 AM:

Thanks, Maurice. As well as being in a Dasco storage box, it's mounted on a Grasso auto take up spool for some reason. Not a bad buy for £3.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on August 11, 2016, 09:59 AM:

Will
There is another excerpt available from Disney's Robin Hood - "Robin Hood and Little John".

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on August 11, 2016, 05:03 PM:

Thanks again, Maurice.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 12, 2016, 12:06 PM:

A little bit O info on Disney ...

The first feature prints, not truly available to collectors (as they were originally not meant to make it to collectors hands), were the optical sound super 8 prints of Disney features. I know that one fellow collector who lives/lived in Florida, has a full length print of 1967's "The Jungle Book" as a super 8 optical sound feature. From recollection, he said that it had fade to it, but i found it interesting that this early on, there were super 8 feature prints.

Then, in the 70's, pirate prints of Disney films started to show up. I remember a deplorable "Snow White" print that looked like it has been printed on a view-master (IT WAS TERRIBLE), but it was the feature, with good color and an impossible focus and sound that seemed like it was recorded in a lavatory.

... and then ... came Derann ....

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 12, 2016, 01:25 PM:

On optical sound I've also seen Jungle Book advertised for sale Osi. You're dead right, they are red now and have probably been this way for a number of years truth be told.

On Pirate S8 Disney prints (mainly Italian the ones I've seen) I've seen plenty for sale including titles Derann didn't release.
These include Bedknobs, Herbie,Robin Hood and the original rescuers.

I briefly owned a print of Sleeping Beauty that was a dupe.
It was spectacularly awful on each and every level!
Never Again. [Big Grin]

I took it privately from a collector on a sale or return basis.
The chap was a lovely elderly gentleman and gave me my money back the very next day.
I did however buy many superb prints from him also.

With the Disney prints, I really don't believe if you've seen the Derann prints, you could ever be entirely satisfied with any others.
There is an enormous difference, understandably of course,given their origins.

[ August 12, 2016, 04:32 PM: Message edited by: Andrew Woodcock ]

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on August 12, 2016, 05:02 PM:

Dont forget that Perry's also printed some full length Disney prints. Earlier this year I saw the Jungle Book for sale. I think the quality was quite good but not in the same league as the Derann's.

Graham S

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 12, 2016, 06:24 PM:

Indeed Graham! [Wink]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 13, 2016, 12:08 PM:

I think that's why I'd still like to find the Derann "Fox and the Hound"! This print that i have, while pretty good, really can't compare to the screenshots i have seen from the Derann print.

There have been a few times where i have actually prefered the 'pirate" print ot the official Derann. I have seen screenshots from a kodachrome print of "bambi', taken froma pristine source print, and it's in the original full frame and not letterboxed like the Derann print and i have to admit that I'd rather see the original aspect ratio of a film from it's original release if possible.

Itlay was also the source for a VERY rare 1943 RKO print of "fantasia" which ran approximately 75 minutes or so, but also had the "censored' footage as a part of it. Granted, the iamge quality was not the Derann quality, but there is nearly nowhere else that you can find that footage, (except in some equally rare 16MM copies of the same).

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