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Author Topic: Film Office history
Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015


 - posted March 19, 2018 09:43 AM      Profile for Dave Groves     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have a couple of Popeye optical sound cartoons issued by Film Office. I gather they were a French company, but does anyone know anything about them? Did they issue much in optical sound such as features or documentaries, and when did they go out of business?

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Dave

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Bruno Heughebaert
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 219
From: Belgium
Registered: Sep 2011


 - posted March 19, 2018 10:18 AM      Profile for Bruno Heughebaert   Email Bruno Heughebaert   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Some informations : Company was found in 1920 as film producer/distributor. They went out of the super8/16mm business in late 1981. Then they went in the french vhs market with disney movies by the end of the 90's. All the unsold super8 stock was destroyed in the mid eighties. I have no informations about the optical prints.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted March 19, 2018 10:47 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here is some interesting information on Film Office, although the article specifically refers to 9.5mm.
http://www.pathefilm.uk/95flmcat/95flmcatfo.htm

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Maurice

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015


 - posted March 19, 2018 02:35 PM      Profile for Dave Groves     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks Bruno for the input. Interesting that they went so far back. Maurice, the info made fascinating reading. I had no idea that they had such a large and varied catalogue. Their 'Popeye' cartoons were always worth showing. It's a shame mine have faded. Your knowledge of the film world is astonishing and when someone asks a question I think to myself, 'Maurice will have the answer!!!' Thanks again.

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Dave

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted March 19, 2018 03:38 PM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Dave
Thank you for your comments. It is quite amazing how many 9.5mm films were issued by Film Office. They were a prolific organisation.

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Maurice

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Gilbert Lambert
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 184
From: Ostende, Belgium
Registered: May 2016


 - posted March 20, 2018 04:39 AM      Profile for Gilbert Lambert   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Film Office Cartoons can often be bought with great colours as the stock is 8 out of 10 AGFA - It's a gamble of course - On the 10 cartoons from Film Office I bought last years 7 had great colours , they were a few Popeye , Asterix , Pink Panther and Tom and Jerry , and some other - Always interesting to buy cartoon reels 600 ft ( 180 meters ) or 800 ft ( 240 meters ) edited together by collectors in France. I know you don't have the original boxes, but out of the 7 or 8 cartoons spliced together you should have around 5 with top colours. Often for a fair price -Good luck, Gilbert

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Luigi Castellitto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 715
From: Campobasso, Italy
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted March 20, 2018 05:03 AM      Profile for Luigi Castellitto   Email Luigi Castellitto   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My favorite publications of Film Office have always been the films of Guignol et Barbarin.
I've always found them in France, I have a passion for films with puppets.

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Andreas Chmielewski
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 233
From: Greifenstein / Germany
Registered: Sep 2010


 - posted March 20, 2018 06:46 AM      Profile for Andreas Chmielewski   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here is a Catalog from Film Office

http://www.super8rezensionen.de/k-filmoffice_1.htm

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015


 - posted March 20, 2018 08:19 AM      Profile for Dave Groves     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Andreas, thanks for he catalogue. Absolutely astonishing. Were the majority English reprints or were they French/dubbed prints?

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Dave

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted March 20, 2018 12:13 PM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I assume the prices shown are in French Francs, if so, the conversion rate on 1st April 1980 was a British pound (£) equalled 9.7 FF.
The list showed only the Super 8 releases, we must not forget that Film Office also had a very large listing of silent 9.5mm films.

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Maurice

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted March 20, 2018 06:14 PM      Profile for Winbert Hutahaean     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
During that time (1980) US$ 1 = 4 franc. If we convert the price list we can see:

A Tom & Jerry was priced 182 f = US$45
a 1200' film (Color & Sound) was 1756 f = US$439 !!

A funny thing with Film Office, they priced films according to the actual length [Smile]

cheers,

[ March 20, 2018, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: Winbert Hutahaean ]

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Winbert

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Luigi Castellitto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 715
From: Campobasso, Italy
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted March 20, 2018 07:57 PM      Profile for Luigi Castellitto   Email Luigi Castellitto   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Film Office also produced in 16mm.
I have some beautiful documentaries, in colors and b/w. Well edited and with excellent quality.

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted March 21, 2018 02:58 AM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
As I one reported it on this forum, Film Office printed their film on 35 mm stock then splitted the 4 strips. As a result of their lens position, the two central strips are sharper but there is no way to know the strip position through a specific mark on the film. If your film is sharp, you're lucky to have found a "b" or "c" print. If the quality is not as good, it may be a "a" or "d" print. That said, marginal strips films are not bad, just not as good as the central ones.

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Dominique

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Luigi Castellitto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 715
From: Campobasso, Italy
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted March 21, 2018 02:03 PM      Profile for Luigi Castellitto   Email Luigi Castellitto   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Interesting, Dom, I had not read this notion!
And it also applies to the 9.5mm in center on 3 stripes?

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted March 21, 2018 03:36 PM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes, Luigi. On the Pathé 9.5 films, you can see G (gauche-left), D (droit-right) or M (milieu-middle). The M copies are better.

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Dominique

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