PolyGram Filmed Entertainment: Difference between revisions

'''PolyGram Pictures''' was formed in 1979 by producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber. It was the launched as the film division of the PolyGram Records label. [[Universal Pictures]] would handle U.S. distribution for a majority of their films (with the exceptions of ''Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing'', ''Split Image'' and ''Flashdance'' which were distributed by [[United Artists]], [[Orion Pictures]] and [[Paramount Pictures]] respectively) while [[Producers Sales Organization]] would handle distribution outside the US. In 1982, Peters and Guber left PolyGram to form [[The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company|The Guber-Peters Company]] which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later in 1983. Two years later in 1985, MCA Home Video sold the video rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to [[Vestron Video]] as a way of cutting losses due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to ''Deadly Blessing'' would go to [[Embassy Home Entertainment]] while the rights to ''Flashdance'' would remain with [[Paramount Home Media Distribution|Paramount]]. Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram films they distributed, which included ''Endless Love'', ''An American Werewolf in London'' and ''Missing'', among others. [[Lionsgate Film|Lionsgate]] holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures-era films (except ''Flashdance'') such as ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'', ''King of the Mountain'' and ''Six Weeks'', under license from [[Hearst Entertainment]], which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features, Lionsgate eventually gained the TV/streaming rights to Hearst's library in 2015.

In 1986, PolyGram Pictures was relaunched as "PolyGram Filmed Entertainment". The reorganized film unit was based in England and became a European competitor to Hollywood. However, they didn't enter full US distribution or use a logo until 1992. Prior to that, PolyGram often used other US distributors for some of their films such as [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] (''Wild at Heart'' and ''Fear, Anxiety & Depression'') and [[New Line Cinema]] (''Drop Dead Fred'', ''Fools of Fortune'' and ''Chicago Joe and the Showgirl''). Between 1990 and 1995, PolyGram would acquire several production companies such as [[Working Title Films]], [[Propaganda Films]], [[Interscope Communications]], [[Island Pictures]] and [[ITC Entertainment Group|ITC Entertainment]], among others. They also formed 2 other labels as well: [[Gramercy Pictures]] in 1992 (which was launched as a joint venture between PolyGram and [[Universal Pictures]]. It also acted as an art house label for Universal and a US distributor for PolyGram) and [[Rogue Pictures]] in 1997 (which was launched as a low budget label for PolyGram). In 1998, PolyGram was acquired by Seagram & Sons and operated until 2000 when it was shut down and folded into [[Universal Studios]]. In 1999, Seagram & Sons sold most of the pre-March 31, 1996 library to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and it was incorporated into their [[Orion Pictures]] library. Currently, most of the pre-March 31, 1996 PolyGram film library, including most films from Island Pictures, the entire [[Atlantic Releasing Corporation]] library (through Island), and the [[Epic Productions|Epic]] library (which PolyGram had acquired in 1997), is owned by MGM while Universal owns the rights to some pre-March 31, 1996 films (''Backbeat'', ''Before the Rain'', ''Hate'' (also known as ''La Haine''), ''The Jacksons: An American Dream'', ''Drop Dead Fred'' (in the UK only) and ''Cold Blooded'') and the rest of PolyGram's films until its disestablishment.

|Polygram15.png|2nd Logo (September 12, 1997-2000)

'''Logo:''' We see the text "PolyGram Pictures" in {{color|gold}}. There are {{color

|red|red}} stars lined up underneath the name.

'''Technique:''' Unknown, possibly none.

'''Availability:''' Extremely rare. Was seen on the 1980 ABC TV movie ''Mysteries of the Sea'', which is very hard to come by as it seems to not have been reran in years and the recording that's available may be from the only airing the film had.

'''Logo:''' On a black background, we see {{color

|red|red}} stars going up, then down in a curve (like the 1980 [[Telepictures Corporation]] logo), revealing the text:

'''Logo:''' On a background of {{color

|red|red}}, {{color

|orange|orange}} and {{color

|gold|yellow}} stripes, we see the words "POLYGRAM" in a Prisma-like font near the middle of the screen.

'''Availability:''' Very rare. The only known movie to feature this logo is ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper''. Preserved on current prints (including the future Kino Lorber Blu-Ray release) and the 1982 MCA Videocassette VHS release of said movie.

'''Logo:''' On a black background, "PolyGram" appears. Then "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" appears under the name. A {{color

|red|red}} line is drawn between "PolyGram" and "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT", which causes a {{color

|red|red}} flash after it stops drawing, then it shines once.

===2nd Logo (September 12, 1997-2000)===

'''Logo:''' On an ominously-dark cloudy sky-scape, we see a transparent, crystallized winged man standing against some mountains. The camera pans outward as he jumps up and remains in the air, as his wings move back and forth. The camera pans to his left as he freezes in the air, where several white streaks appear across his body. The {{color

|silver|silver}} word "{{color

|silver|POLYGRAM}}" flies under the man and centers in place as he flashes white all over and becomes still. "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" (or "FILMS") appears under "{{color

|silver|POLYGRAM}}", and everything shines.

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