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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

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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

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From: Belgium
Registered: Sep 2011

posted March 19, 2018 10:18 AM

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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

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 19, 2018 10:47 AM

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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

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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

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 19, 2018 03:38 PM

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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

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From: Ostende, Belgium
Registered: May 2016

posted March 20, 2018 04:39 AM

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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

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From: Campobasso, Italy
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 20, 2018 05:03 AM

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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
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From: Greifenstein / Germany
Registered: Sep 2010

posted March 20, 2018 06:46 AM

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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

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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

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 20, 2018 12:13 PM

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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

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From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 20, 2018 06:14 PM

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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]

[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

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From: Campobasso, Italy
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 20, 2018 07:57 PM

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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

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From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 21, 2018 02:58 AM

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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
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From: Campobasso, Italy
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posted March 21, 2018 02:03 PM

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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

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From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 21, 2018 03:36 PM

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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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