Cohen Media Film Collection

[NoirFan]

According to their website, they own the rights to 611 films, 'over 700' in their press release. Can that possibly be true? I mean, there are some relatively big names on there.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

According to their website, they own the rights to 611 films, 'over 700' in their press release. Can that possibly be true? I mean, there are some relatively big names on there.

Yes, they've acquired the Rohauer Library which has over 700 films in its catalog

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=10387

[Yami]

I'd use the term 'rights' loosely. While they may have acquired the rights over the physical prints that Rohauer owned (and thus the right to release them if they're in the public domain - the majority, perhaps?) I don't see how they can claim rights to, for example, Vampyr.

EDIT: Unless Vampyr is in the public domain in the US? Just noticed there's a couple of releases

[movielib]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

Spelt? Literacy? You betcha. Also, ain't there an "h" somewheres in Baghdad?

I kid, I kid, I kid. Thanks, OP, for the info!

Spelt is British for spelled. I suppose that extends to Northern Ireland too.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

Also, ain't there an "h" somewheres in Baghdad?

No.

[JMK]

Those of you interested in Cohen Media Group and this new acquisition should stay tuned to our news section. I'll most likely be interviewing Charles Cohen within the next week or so.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by JMK

I'll most likely be interviewing Charles Cohen within the next week or so.

Would you be able to ask him if he could hazard a guess as to roughly what percentage of their catalog will eventually receive a Blu-ray release?

[joie]

Originally Posted by JMK

Those of you interested in Cohen Media Group and this new acquisition should stay tuned to our news section. I'll most likely be interviewing Charles Cohen within the next week or so.

Could you ask about their workflow? Scanning through compression? I am interested in what "restoration" means to them.

[MifuneFan]

ImportCDs.com has The Thief of Bagdad for $10.79 before shipping, which looks to be the cheapest available. It'll be a blind buy for me, but I think I'll like it.

[EddieLarkin]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'd use the term 'rights' loosely. While they may have acquired the rights over the physical prints that Rohauer owned (and thus the right to release them if they're in the public domain - the majority, perhaps?) I don't see how they can claim rights to, for example, Vampyr.

EDIT: Unless Vampyr is in the public domain in the US? Just noticed there's a couple of releases

As I understand it, the physical prints they do have the rights to are just the stuff Rohauer collected decades ago and are in vastly inferior shape to what the more official preservation places have. For instance, their print of Vampyr is a beat up old 16mm print with added scenes and subtitles put in by Rohauer himself. Not only would it look inferior to the elements used for the Criterion release (from the DFI) it would just be some bastardized version.

A lot of their Buster Keaton stuff had scenes and altered intertiles put in by Rohauer as well.

And something like The Lodger, they presumably wouldn't be allowed to use the new restoration done by the BFI, only using whatever elements are in their library, with the possibility of them being altered in some way as well.

This was standard practice for Rohauer, who had to add his own scenes/subs/intertitles to these films so he could legally get them copyrighted. I'm excited about the stuff in the library that is seeing it's Blu-ray debut like Thief of Bagdad, but not if it's going to be some bastardized Rohauer version. Perhaps you can get this cleared up in the interview JMK?

[Scottie]

I ordered Delicacy last night.

[MikeyHitchFan]

Will buy Jamaica Inn for sure on blu-ray. Most DVD's are public domain and crappy looking and sounding, but also missing about 8 minutes of the middle of the film.

[PowellPressburger]

The front page info lists a 2K restoration for Sudden Fear with Joan Crawford and Jack Palance. If the company does good BLU releases this could be a great release. If you ever owned the old Kino DVD it is one of the worst looking DVDs Ive ever seen! I've seen YouTube videos with better compression/ image quality.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

The front page info lists a 2K restoration for Sudden Fear with Joan Crawford and Jack Palance. If the company does good BLU releases this could be a great release. If you ever owned the old Kino DVD it is one of the worst looking DVDs Ive ever seen! I've seen YouTube videos with better compression/ image quality.

I noticed and was excited by that listing as well - the Kino DVD is terrible (like many of their early discs), and it's one of my favorite noirs. Palance is wonderfully sinister.

[Atreyu]

Have Thief Of Bagdad on order. Cannot wait for the Valention blus and The Strong Man. Have The General and it looks great, so not sure if I would double dip.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

A lot of their Buster Keaton stuff had scenes and altered intertiles put in by Rohauer as well.

And something like The Lodger, they presumably wouldn't be allowed to use the new restoration done by the BFI, only using whatever elements are in their library, with the possibility of them being altered in some way as well.

I think they're using the negative for their The General restoration, aren't they? So while Rohauer may have altered some prints, the original materials he obtained may still be intact.

Also, The Lodger in their catalog isn't the Hitchcock but the sound remake.

[EddieLarkin]

Originally Posted by Yami

I think they're using the negative for their The General restoration, aren't they? So while Rohauer may have altered some prints, the original materials he obtained may still be intact.

Or the materials may be a more recent and "honest" acquisition. Rohauer has been dead for a pretty long time, so who knows what's changed since.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

Or the materials may be a more recent and "honest" acquisition. Rohauer has been dead for a pretty long time, so who knows what's changed since.

Apparently, Keaton had some sort of partnership with Rohauer.

[Scottie]

The Other Son (2012) will be released on March 19.

[Arkadin]

the films are what's important for sure, but I sure hope they ditch the eco crap cases they used for "Thief of...".
just awful for such a classy label.