Dumbo 35mm

[Edward Nicielnik]

Dumbo - 35mm feature film | eBay

[David Hardy]

I am always surprised by the number of 35mm films still for sale out there . With the arrival of Digital projection it seems quite a number of them have escaped the film shredding / chopping machine of the distributors . I wonder how many actually " fell off the back of a lorry " as we say here in the UK and how much prints were sourced legally ?

[Mike Newell]

Legally sourced. In a word None.

[Juergen Kellermann]

I have legally purchased surplus 35mm prints from film exchanges and even got an official tax invoice for that. Both here in Australia and in Germany.

[Mike Newell]

You can purchase them but whether you have the legal rights to own them could be instructive. I think Roddy McDowell actor and Bob Monkhouse are examples of conflict. Australia and Germany could be different but US and UK are quite prohibitive. Maybe that why a lot of releases come from Germany

[Steve Lee]

Before he passed away I got to meet the owner of what was our towns cinema back in the day. Now sady converted into a super market. I asked him what was the procedure for booking films in France, as it was so different to the UK.

In France as an independent, the cinema would have to purchase the film print, at whatever cost. The distributor would take up to 80% of the returns for the first few weeks, or until the print was paid for, and then drop down to about 20%. At the end of the run, the print was left for the cinema to dispose of it, at its will.

This could be the reason why I keep finding so many 35mm prints for sale. Obviously there was a different setup for the cinema chains, where they could pass them over to another screen within the circuit.

He believed it was a simulator setup in Italy, which would most definitely account for all of the bootleg 8mm prints.

[Graham Ritchie]

Dumbo, at that price I would stick to projecting the blu-ray

[Mike Newell]

Before he passed away I got to meet the owner of what was our towns cinema back in the day. Now sady converted into a super market. I asked him what was the procedure for booking films in France, as it was so different to the UK.

In France as an independent, the cinema would have to purchase the film print, at whatever cost. The distributor would take up to 80% of the returns for the first few weeks, or until the print was paid for, and then drop down to about 20%. At the end of the run, the print was left for the cinema to dispose of it, at its will.

This could be the reason why I keep finding so many 35mm prints for sale. Obviously there was a different setup for the cinema chains, where they could pass them over to another screen within the circuit.

He believed it was a simulator setup in Italy, which would most definitely account for all of the bootleg 8mm prints.

Steve that’s the likely answer

[Mike Newell]

Dumbo, at that price I would stick to projecting the blu-ray

I did have it full length on Super 8 the Derann release not the Italian version. Was a a good print but grading was wrong in the setting up circus sequence. Blu Ray version blows everything away.

[David Hardy]

Very interesting to read the world wide differences regarding the rental and ownership of 35mm prints in different countries . I see that UK 35mm copy of DUMBO sold for the princely sum of £1020 plus £15.00 postage . On this one i like Graham Ritchie and Mike Newell am more than happy with the projected image quality of the Blu-Ray disc of that title at a fraction of the cost paid for that used 35mm print . Only £10.99p to be exact .

[Mike Newell]

It is a nice print. Think he needs to clean his projector path or digital camera he has a couple of splotches on most shots. Nothing like a bit of hairy tumbleweed going past I see he has Van Helsing at £400. Now there’s a movie that starts well but ends up giving you a headache.

[Ken Finch]

The book “ A Thousand Cuts” is about the underground world of collectors and dealers who saved films. It mentions a number of actors and others who were prosecuted in the 1970s in America and u k for possession of 35mm films. In the U K. The majority of films were rented to the cinemas and had to be returned to the distributors. The cinema circuits had contracts with particular distributors. Cinema goers had to go to the particular circuit that was showing the latest film they wanted to see. An independent cinema would be very lucky to obtain a film for its first run. With regards to 16 mm prints, you could only hire them from a library that had a contract with a distributor. I think I have mentioned this in a previous topic. The 16 mm available today are ex library, T V companies or council educational libraries.

[Edward Nicielnik]

GBP 1,020.00 sold

[Osi Osgood]

Steve, that was such a good explanation for the Italian super 8 bootlegs. I just assumed that they made a quick 16mm negative for super 8 prints and then sent the 35mm to Disney or whatever the parent company was, but apparently, they bought the prints they screened, and so, they could dispose of the prints anyway they desired, though I'm sure that the parent studios didn't intend super 8 prints being made of them

[Mike Newell]

The Italian prints were good and sharp some with negative wear but unfortunately most were “pink “before their time. I presume it was the film stock used.