Evidently this news goes back to March (I missed it) but Olive Films (the company that has been licensing pictures from Paramount in recent years) has licensed the rights to all of the non-PD Betty Boop cartoons from Paramount/Viacom. Personally I would love to see a good release of 35mm Screen Songs and Color Classics (which would really shine) but, if this is happening, it's great news. There is talk of remastering which I understand Olive has been careful with on their recent releases "Colossus of New York" and "The Space Children". Hopefully they will use care in choosing the best materials - even if it means the old Republic LD transfers. Leaving out the PD cartoons seems kind of silly though.
If the set only had 'Betty Boop's Penthouse' it'd be worth the asking price.
Click the link to get to the the mention of it today at DVD Savant.
Here is the mention of it from a few months back at the Home Theater Forum.
If anyone out there can correct me on any of this let me know.
3 comments:
One cannot claim a copyright on a restoration as such; hence, in the case of a work in the public domain, the act of restoration may not pay for itself — and Dick, Dick, or Dick could simply repackage the restored work and sell it, without having paid nearly so much fixed cost.
Hi Daniel, Thanks for your comment. I think I see your point and, in fact, this occurred with the Betty PD cartoons in the years since the Republic laser discs were issued. On the other other hand, one might question the appeal of cheaper knock offs over the genuine article. Seems to me fans of the cartoons would not be interested in purchasing only the PD cartoons in a cheaper package. Some for whom cost trumps quality (or completeness) would, undoubtedly, but one need only peruse the local overflowing Walmart video rack, or ebay, to see that even ordinary consumers notice a bootleg when they see one. Then again I am pretty ignorant to the legality of it all so forgive my little rant.
Well, I have bought a few years ago in France an integral dvd box of Betty Boop movies, since the first of Bimbo where she apears to the last of pudgy the dog and the colored one Poor Cinderella.
You can have all the information here :
http://www.films-sans-frontieres.fr/bettyboop/
and here on my Blog :
http://betty-boop-world.blogspot.fr/2012/02/je-recommande-vivement-cet-integral-de.html
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