Peckinpah's West (1962-1973) Plaion Pictures

[Uncle_Bob]

Originally Posted by DavidRoylance

How about a blu ray box of The Westerner TV series?

Would be nice to see though I wish I liked the show a bit more. My main problem with it is that the 1st episode is so strong that the remaining 12, despite being decent enough, never live up to it. A classic case of peaking too early.

[mike siegel]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Bob

I thought it was an independent production that was only distributed by Fox but I was told that it was a Fox title and thus owned by Disney (who apparently no longer licence films). Since Indicator is a UK label though, maybe the email was specifically referring to the UK rightsholder?

Indicator told you it's a Disney title by now?
After I produced the Imprint OSTERMAN box I tried to get more international
releases under way. Nobody wants to touch it, mainly because nobody
could find out the right holder (at least UK, Germany...)

[Uncle_Bob]

Originally Posted by mike siegel

Indicator told you it's a Disney title by now?
After I produced the Imprint OSTERMAN box I tried to get more international
releases under way. Nobody wants to touch it, mainly because nobody
could find out the right holder (at least UK, Germany...)

Hi Mike,
Here's what the guy at Indicator said word for word:

Many thanks for your e mail.

Two great films on your list, The Osterman Weekend is a Fox title, so is now part of Disney, who unfortunately no longer licence films, we are still in contact with them just in case things change.

Deadly Companions is one that I’m not sure who has the rights to, but we will do some research. Given it was Sam’s first film I’m surprised it hasn’t been picked up anywhere else ?

The information on the Osterman rightsholder could have been guess work for all I know but feel free to contact them yourself if you want to. You're much more knowledgeable on this sort of thing than I am and might be better equipped to talk to them.

[Dailyan]

I assume that the person at Indicator just figured it was a Fox title since they handled theatrical distribution. As far as I am aware, none of the home video releases have been licensed from Fox (I think it’s more a producer/independent-owned situation).

[DavidRoylance]

Could The Deadly Companions be with Warner who did international distribution on the original cinema run?

[drush9999]

The Deadly Companions has had "public domain" DVDs in the past, so probably some sketchy copyright that is lost to time, which no-one asserted or renewed.

[Uncle_Bob]

Originally Posted by DavidRoylance

Could The Deadly Companions be with Warner who did international distribution on the original cinema run?

Not sure about that. Wouldn't they have put it out on their Peckinpah Westerns box set if they did? No guarantee of that but since Paul Seydor was involved with the making of the set, I'm assuming that he must have at least asked about it at the time.

[DavidRoylance]

They certainly would not have been able to include it on any US set.

An HD version of it appears to be doing television showings. I've seen bits of it on the BBC looking cleaned up.

Originally Posted by Uncle_Bob

Not sure about that. Wouldn't they have put it out on their Peckinpah Westerns box set if they did? No guarantee of that but since Paul Seydor was involved with the making of the set, I'm assuming that he must have at least asked about it at the time.

[Uncle_Bob]

Originally Posted by DavidRoylance

They certainly would not have been able to include it on any US set.

An HD version of it appears to be doing television showings. I've seen bits of it on the BBC looking cleaned up.

Interesting, just had a look at the programme guide on the BBC website now. Strange that they chose to air such an obscure film multiple times.

[mike siegel]

DEADLY:
Well, the Western Box is Warner Bros., they would never include a non-WB film anyway.

Yes, it is public domain as far as I know. But that wonderful "new" master was
done by someone years ago, so they can claim the rights to that master!
But I don't know who owns it. I produced supplements for the
German / Spanish / French DVD's years agao, they all carry that master.
For the time being I was very happy with those, considering the awful quality
we had for decades (VHS/LD & bad DVD's).

If anybody gets words for a planned Blu-ray, let me know... more
supplements are waiting here .

OSTERMAN: as I said, I already offered my package to many labels, worldwide.
Maybe one day some Label will go through all the trouble. I hope.

[Uncle_Bob]

Originally Posted by mike siegel

/
OSTERMAN: as I said, I already offered my package to many labels, worldwide.
Maybe one day some Label will go through all the trouble. I hope.

According to the Park Circus website (https://www.parkcircus.com/film/1203...terman-Weekend), Disney own the international rights which might have been where Indicator got their information from. Could they have acquired the film after Imprint put it out? Would be strange if they did since it doesn't seem like the sort of thing they would care about owning.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

The Osterman Weekend was produced by Davis-Panzer Productions (the Highlander guys) and released by Fox in the US and UK with international distro through various entities. IIRC, Fox's distro rights are only for theatrical and TV and may have expired by now. Most of the home video releases were through Thorn EMI (under licence from the producers) though Fox were mentioned on the 2005 Anchor Bay US and UK DVDs (they probably went through the producers and then subbed them out to AB) and only D-P are mentioned on the AB BD (which Lionsgate briefly reissued with new art before going OOP once again). Even more ironic is that Davis-Panzer has a new agreement with Lionsgate for Highlander stuff and that LG supposedly got it back and had plans for a new release in the Vestron line.

OTOH, it appears 20th/Disney held onto their UK rights a bit longer, or it's perhaps theatrical only at this point going by the Park Circus listing. The UK DVD is long OOP and I recall hearing Anchor Bay never issued their BD over there because D-P didn't have UK rights and were "with someone else". The AUS BD IIRC mentions Davis-Panzer and Lionsgate, so perhaps their distro rights extend to most places outside NA.

As for The Deadly Companions, it went mostly public domain in the US when it's second reissue distributor (Motion Picture Investements) plus it's producer went belly up with no successors claiming those rights. Roger Corman's New World Pictures somehow acquired the assets of MPI and when the post-1984 NW catalog got split up, Ron Pearlman's ownership obtained the MPI assets and claimed most international rights with a theatrical reissue rollout and TV airings.

Technically, Lakeshore owns the international rights as they created a HD master that made the rounds at some places recently. Some US streaming providers are using this HD print ripped from some torrent, and since it's PD there not much action can be taken by owner of the master.

Originally Posted by mike siegel

DEADLY:

Yes, it is public domain as far as I know. But that wonderful "new" master was
done by someone years ago, so they can claim the rights to that master!
But I don't know who owns it. I produced supplements for the
German / Spanish / French DVD's years agao, they all carry that master.
For the time being I was very happy with those, considering the awful quality
we had for decades (VHS/LD & bad DVD's).

If anybody gets words for a planned Blu-ray, let me know... more
supplements are waiting here .

Under current US copyright law, the only way a PD work can become copyrighted again is if the client makes changes or proves that the work differentiates it from the version whos copyright expired. Adding a new title, extended and/or alternate footage/music/SFX qualifies it for a new copyright. Those Euro DVDs you did work for years ago were probably under licence from Lakeshore.

[blackprojection]

Originally Posted by mike siegel

DEADLY:
Well, the Western Box is Warner Bros., they would never include a non-WB film anyway.

Yes, it is public domain as far as I know. But that wonderful "new" master was
done by someone years ago, so they can claim the rights to that master!
But I don't know who owns it. I produced supplements for the
German / Spanish / French DVD's years agao, they all carry that master.
For the time being I was very happy with those, considering the awful quality
we had for decades (VHS/LD & bad DVD's).

If anybody gets words for a planned Blu-ray, let me know... more
supplements are waiting here .

OSTERMAN: as I said, I already offered my package to many labels, worldwide.
Maybe one day some Label will go through all the trouble. I hope.

Shamrock Media teased a German "Osterman" Bluray for 2025. you had any contact with them?
https://www.facebook.com/shamrockmed...SXWJCsJZoeaJHl

[mike siegel]

Originally Posted by blackprojection

Shamrock Media teased a German "Osterman" Bluray for 2025. you had any contact with them?
https://www.facebook.com/shamrockmed...SXWJCsJZoeaJHl

Thanks for the link!

No, never heard of that label.
So far about five German labels announced it since 2017 .
As we know, nothing happened...

[blackprojection]

Originally Posted by mike siegel

Thanks for the link!

No, never heard of that label.
So far about five German labels announced it since 2017 .
As we know, nothing happened...

apparently they licensed it in July 2023 at Cannes.

someone also mentioned you in the comments at that time and suggested to the label to get in touch with you https://www.facebook.com/shamrockmed..._=%2CO%2CP-R-R

[mike siegel]

Originally Posted by blackprojection

apparently they licensed it in July 2023 at Cannes.

someone also mentioned you in the comments at that time and suggested to the label to get in touch with you https://www.facebook.com/shamrockmed..._=%2CO%2CP-R-R

Weird label obviousely. Too bad. I hope someone else will do it...

[flomuth]

Originally Posted by RFK

Well I already have a German Wild Bunch poster and the German blu-ray of Junior Bonner for the Arizona Morning opening so I might as well get this. Then Criterion can start releasing all the UHD's of these titles.

This is interesting. Is the "Arizona Morning" opening in the regular film in English or only in the German dub?

[RFK]

Originally Posted by flomuth

This is interesting. Is the "Arizona Morning" opening in the regular film in English or only in the German dub?

Only in the German dub unfortunately. My Japanese laserdisc is the only video I have with the song intact.

[FantasticMrFox]

Release date pushed back to February 27

[RFK]

If this has an improved transfer of the Turner cut on blu, I'm in.