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Topic: Disney Dr. Syn in Sound?!
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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted July 25, 2012 09:29 PM
I am green with envy, Brian. I've always dreamed of finding "Dr. Syn" in Color and Sound. Well, maybe just sound being that color prints from way back when seem to always leave much to be desired. It's not a 4 **** movie by any means, but I remember being absolutely glued to the tv in our den when I was about 8 years old when "Dr. Syn" aired on the "Wonderful World Of Disney" over 2 weeks @7pm EST on Sunday nights. Then when I found a digest of it at my local camera shop - "SHAZAM"! I had to have it and finally saved up enough allowance money to buy it - what a happy boy I was that day! It's so funny how one can become so attached to a digest of a movie that as an adult you think to yourself "what in the world was I so impressed with?", but as a kid you thought it was totally AWESOME! That's what "Dr. Syn" is for me. Brian, I'm dying to know if its color or b&w. If the sound is english or 'sonoro italiano' which would be understandable, but unfortunate. Finally, if the box is original or a good mock-up. The same year Disney released "Dr. Syn" Hammer Films in the UK released their own version entitled "Night Creatures" and it is a terrific film. Ironically, Hammer was prohibited from using the title "Dr. Syn" because Disney was faster in acquiring the title rights, but, oddly, Hammer continued with production without any legal hitches. Cushing's interpretation of the Syn character (re-named Captin Clegg) is one of his best performances.
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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted July 26, 2012 04:26 PM
The story behind the rights of "Dr Syn" Disney version,is quite an interesting one, they only had the rights to the "bastardised" novel written by an American writer named William Buchanan
who had happened on a copy of "The Further Adventures of Syn",recast the novel in his own image of "Christopher Syn" as it was out of copyright,in the USA. This was done with the blessing of Russell Thorndike,the original English author and both shared credit.Disney on acquiring the rights to film it,found out that Hammer were about to make a similar version but could do nothing about it as they had only the rights to that particular novel. Hammer's was a far superior film, bringing in elements, with the help of Tony Hinds, of the historical accuracies of the period,which Disney didn't do.
Unfortunately for Disney,Thorndike had sold the rights to Dr Syn in 1920, which left them with just "Christopher Syn" to plunder.
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