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Warner Bros. "Fanny" and other rights problems
"This was posted over at the films score monthly website. It might explain why certain films are not available on DVD currently
.....By the way, according to Warner Bros recent chat at the HTF they no longer hold the rights to "Fanny" which is why it hasn't been released on DVD/or shown on tv lately. And yes it is one of his better films. Leslie Caron spoke at a screening a few years ago and was just lovely and had many interesting things to say. Wonder who holds the rights and who would release the film on DVD?....."
This seems to be the classic case of any of the films based on the Marcel Pagnol trilogy.
Remember that the "rights holder" and the "negative owner" may be two different entities.
Warner Bros. undoubtedly still owns the negative of FANNY, just as the old MGM---now Turner---owns the negative of the 1938 MGM-Wallace Beery-Maureen O'Sullivan production of PORT OF SEVEN SEAS, directed by James Whale, and also based on the Pagnol works.
The trouble is, they can't do anything about it, unless or until they are able to renegotiate the necessary underlying rights again.
Warner/Turner have a number of other films in that situation including the Joan Crawford LETTY LYNTON, MGM's NIGHT FLIGHT, based on a work by St. Exupery, the 1943 DESERT SONG, Warners' THE CONSTANT NYMPH, the 1951 RKO BLUE VEIL, and the 1954 FLAME AND THE FLESH, among others. Recently added to those ever-expanding lists appear to be the Bette Davis BEYOND THE FOREST and the Jayne Mansfield WAYWARD BUS.
Some of these films are unimportant in the whole scheme of things, others are high-profile movies of their type.
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