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The Godfather Paramount Logo

#1
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1/21/09 at 4:39am
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One of the pet peeves that I have with the studios is the replacement
of the original studio logo at the start of a film with a new updated version.

It's my feeling that the logo is as much a piece of history as the
film itself.

I noticed that the original logos were replaced on the first two
Godfather films with the new animated Paramount logos.

Was this ever an issue for you when you were restoring the film
or was this decision completely out of your hands?
Ronald J Epstein
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Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#2
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1/21/09 at 5:13pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I agree, Ron. I feel that vintage logos are an important part of the presentation. Grease also hasn't felt the same since they replaced the Gulf/Western logo with the Viacom version.
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#3
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1/22/09 at 9:22am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
One of the pet peeves that I have with the studios is the replacement
of the original studio logo at the start of a film with a new updated version.

It's my feeling that the logo is as much a piece of history as the
film itself.

I noticed that the original logos were replaced on the first two
Godfather films with the new animated Paramount logos.

Was this ever an issue for you when you were restoring the film
or was this decision completely out of your hands?

Logos were never really an issue, and not within the purview of the restoration. This is a strictly corporate decision. Paramount was extremely flexible in allowing us to Willis-ize their logo, and actually went to great lengths in creating a digital logo at 4k for us.

For the record, there never was an head logo, only at the tail, which was originally of extremely poor quality.

Mr. Coppola approved the addition of a head logo, albeit well segregated from the opening of the film.

While I always work toward reinstating removed logos, ie. "Vertigo" and Rear Window, for which Universal was totally cooperative.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#4
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1/22/09 at 11:05am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I am also annoyed when the studios replace logos with updated versions. Even more annoying is when a studio replaces another studio's logo. This can actually be to the detriment of the film. The best example I can think of is Warner Brothers' removal of the Columbia logo in The Man Called Flintstone. Granted, this film is no Citizen Kane, but the best joke of the film was in the Columbia logo: The animators put Wilma Flintstone in place of the Columbia woman on the studio logo. When Warner Brothers released this on DVD, they removed it entirely.
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#5
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1/22/09 at 7:53pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

That is a shame about Flintstone.
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#6
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1/23/09 at 7:51am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Was the Zodiac/Crystal Skull mock-60's mountain unavailable at the time?
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#7
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1/23/09 at 12:42pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
Logos were never really an issue, and not within the purview of the restoration. This is a strictly corporate decision. Paramount was extremely flexible in allowing us to Willis-ize their logo, and actually went to great lengths in creating a digital logo at 4k for us.

For the record, there never was an head logo, only at the tail, which was originally of extremely poor quality.

Mr. Coppola approved the addition of a head logo, albeit well segregated from the opening of the film.

While I always work toward reinstating removed logos, ie. "Vertigo" and Rear Window, for which Universal was totally cooperative.

RAH
So it's an addition, rather than changing the original logo, at least as far as the head is concerned. I personally have no issue with this change, as it's one of the most minimally intrusive I have encountered, and hardly on the same order as some of the examples pointed out here, and definitely not like UA, who would change the logos every time they changed their corporate logo, regardless of the age of the film.

\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert

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#8
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1/23/09 at 3:24pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Aaah, see I didn't know that this film never had an opening Paramount
logo. That makes me feel much better knowing it was never compromised
as it was never there.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#9
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1/30/09 at 8:49am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I am also disappointed with changing of the Transamerica United Artists Logo on the early James Bond films and replaced it with the new United Artists-MGM logo. They probably wanted to not advertise for Transamerica, I always associated the Transamerica UA with those films. They might have removed it entirely on Yellow Submarine.
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#10
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1/30/09 at 7:45pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

For some reason, I always liked seeing the Transamerica UA logo sequence as a kid (with the TA logo spontaneously springing up, curved line, by curved line and then moving back to show the Title)

I think I do have it on video somewhere but wish it wasn't deleted in most new versions of UA TA movies.
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#11
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2/2/09 at 1:00pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

First of all I have to say I LOVE this thread. I thought I was the only anal rententive one that cared about the opening logos etc.

I always prefer the original logo for the opening of the film. Each time I see WB's or any other studio changing the logo to say a more updated logo... it actually takes me out of the mood of the film. At times I usually sit there angry the whole time thinking about the LOGO!

I don't mind it if there was never a logo before the opening and they insert one.. I can deal with that... OR like VERTIGO etc let Universal show their new logo first then as the film starts we get the original logo also! Nothing Wrong with that. I wish WB's would follow this on most of their 70's and early 80's titles. I LOVE that classic Saul Bass logo. They seemed to give it back to the Dirty Harry films... and I love watching them for those logos.

and to those who LOVE the classic UNITED ARTISTS logos esp the Transamerica ones! I love those also! Seems like the classic United Artist logos from the 70's and early 80's had a scaryness to them. anyhow whenever I find a release with them it makes the whole film.



I wish they would understand they are the history of the film.
JackDVD78@aol.com
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#12
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2/3/09 at 5:36pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I am also a "logo" fan. I miss the original b&w United Artists logo that opened A Hard Day's Night (which I was still able to see in 16mm prints in the early 1980's), and the WB7A and stylized zooming WB logo that lasted into the early 80's on films like The Shining, going so far as being emossed onto several album covers back in the WEA days. Marx Brothers original Paramount and MGM logos survive to this day, why can't others be left alone?

I don't like SPAM!

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#13
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2/4/09 at 4:57am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I do notice that Warners usually keeps there original logos on there films, and so does Universal. MGM/UA is the huge culprit, I miss the Transamerica logo and the music that went along with it (it was Tympani based). I first saw it when I taped Fiddler On The Roof off of cable in 1988. But RAH is right. The Godfather originally had no logos. The original video edition I got in 1989 had no Paramount logo at the beginning.
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#14
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2/4/09 at 6:10am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Husar
I do notice that Warners usually keeps there original logos on there films, and so does Universal. MGM/UA is the huge culprit, I miss the Transamerica logo and the music that went along with it (it was Tympani based). I first saw it when I taped Fiddler On The Roof off of cable in 1988. But RAH is right. The Godfather originally had no logos. The original video edition I got in 1989 had no Paramount logo at the beginning.

Actually WB's removes the original logos A LOT.. usually for the 70's films they sometimes use the 80's logo instead of the Saul Bass logo.... But for a lot of the other Like Seven Arts etc those usually remain intact.

I wish I could see Exorcist again with the original Saul Bass logo and the music over it... the new logo just doesn't do it for me.
JackDVD78@aol.com
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#15
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2/4/09 at 9:14am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I hope when Woodstock comes out on Blu Ray in July they keep the original logo for that. In fact I never saw the original logo on any of the prints. The original video edition had the Bass W red and black animation, and the new directors cut has the 80s/90s WB logo.
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#16
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2/4/09 at 12:44pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

I think I remember the Clockwork Orange DVD having the original logo
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#17
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2/4/09 at 4:24pm
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Rogers
I think I remember the Clockwork Orange DVD having the original logo

Only Barry Lyndon has the stylized 70's Warner Logo intact.

What I actually find most funny is that the heavily CGI updated director's cut of THX1138 also retains the original Warner logo.

Due to this whole logo revisionism, I was actually surprised to read that Gremlins was the first movie to re-introduce the old style WB logo.
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#18
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2/5/09 at 5:01am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

A Clockwork Orange did not have a logo. It just started with the orange screen and than the words came up "Warner Bros. A Kinney Company Presents". They added the logo later I believe. RAH can confirm that.
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#19
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2/7/09 at 8:17am
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Re: The Godfather Paramount Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Husar
A Clockwork Orange did not have a logo. It just started with the orange screen and than the words came up "Warner Bros. A Kinney Company Presents". They added the logo later I believe. RAH can confirm that.
Yeah the worm logo didn't even exist at the time so even if something was plastered it would have been that weird Red/Bronze shield Warner had at the time.
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