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EMI Films (UK)
Logo descriptions by Sean Beard
Logo captures by Eric S., Bob Fish and V of Doom
Editions by V of Doom
Background: This company was the former Associated British Corporation (best known for producing The Avengers). Associated British went bankrupt in 1968 and its assets (Associated British Film Distributors, Elstree Studios, the ABC Cinemas movie theater chain and Thames Television) were purchased by EMI Records. EMI bought British Lion Films in 1976, folding it into the company. Also, EMI opened its American subsidiary in 1977, with a television division and its own distribution unit, but in 1979, the distribution unit was closed and they went through ITC's Associated Film Distribution unit for its theatrical releases.
1st Logo
(1968-1976)
Nicknames: "Black Monument", "The Black Tombstone"
Logo: On a black screen, we see the company name stacked Fox-like in a "chiseled" font, not unlike that carved into monuments, positioned near the upper-right of the screen. The placement is like this:
Variants:
FX/SFX: None, apart from the name fading onto the screen.
Cheesy Factor: The monument plaque-style font used.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Not widely seen in the U.S. due to replacement with American distributors' logos. Was discovered on the mid 1990s Republic Pictures Home Video release of Hammer Films' Scars of Dracula. The Nat Cohen variant was found on the Showtime Networks print of the Roger Corman sex comedy Candy Stripe Nurses (apparently a UK print was used).
Scare Factor: Low, due to the lettering being similar to that carved onto tombstones, but has lower levels for the Nat Cohen version due to the smaller font used.
2nd Logo
(1976-1983)
Nickname: "Blue EMI"
Logo: On a blue screen, we see the letters "EMI" (in the familiar logo's font) zoom toward the center of the screen. As the letters move, the box draws itself into place forming
the familiar EMI logo. The phrase "EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS" then fades into place.
Variant: In later years, the byline "A MEMBER OF THE THORN GROUP" along with the Thorn logo appears instead of the company name (EMI merged with Thorn plc. around 1979, hence the name and logo described below). On some films, this was superimposed onto the film's opening credit sequence.
FX/SFX: The EMI lettering zoom-in, the rectangle drawing itself in.
Cheesy Factor: Rather simple animation, even for the 1970s.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare; check your local home video stores for older VHS releases of the company's films. But it has been preserved on the Anchor Bay DVD release of Tender Mercies, preceded by a StudioCanal logo, of course.
Scare Factor: Low.
3rd Logo
(1977-1983)
Nicknames: "Blue EMI", "The Record Dudes"
Logo: In the opening scene of a movie, a superimposed EMI logo appears just like its British counterpart, except that the legend EMI FILMS, INC. appears under it. "PRESENTS" is also below everything else.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The same as the second EMI Film Distributors logo; also appeared as a still image on later films.
Cheesy Factor: Same as its British counterpart.
Music/Sounds: The movie's opening score.
Availability: Rare-given the rather low output of its US branch, but this logo is an easier find than the British counterpart. It is retained on Convoy, The Jazz Singer (1980) and Can't Stop The Music among others (having been used as an in-credit logo in the States).
Scare Factor: Low. Given American audiences' familiarity with the logo (via the EMI-America record label and the parent company's ownership of Capitol Records). However, some might be mildly frightened by the animated version.
Logo captures by Eric S., Bob Fish and V of Doom
Editions by V of Doom
Background: This company was the former Associated British Corporation (best known for producing The Avengers). Associated British went bankrupt in 1968 and its assets (Associated British Film Distributors, Elstree Studios, the ABC Cinemas movie theater chain and Thames Television) were purchased by EMI Records. EMI bought British Lion Films in 1976, folding it into the company. Also, EMI opened its American subsidiary in 1977, with a television division and its own distribution unit, but in 1979, the distribution unit was closed and they went through ITC's Associated Film Distribution unit for its theatrical releases.
1st Logo
(1968-1976)
Nicknames: "Black Monument", "The Black Tombstone"
Logo: On a black screen, we see the company name stacked Fox-like in a "chiseled" font, not unlike that carved into monuments, positioned near the upper-right of the screen. The placement is like this:
EMI
FILM
DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED
FILM
DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED
Variants:
- For produced movies, the word "PRODUCTIONS" appeared in place of "DISTRIBUTORS".
- On a few films, we see on the blue background this text centered in the middle of the screen: "NAT COHEN PRESENTS FOR EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS LTD.". Movies with this version end with the text "A NAT COHEN PRESENTATION FOR EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS". The text is a variant of the font used for the standard logo.
FX/SFX: None, apart from the name fading onto the screen.
Cheesy Factor: The monument plaque-style font used.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Not widely seen in the U.S. due to replacement with American distributors' logos. Was discovered on the mid 1990s Republic Pictures Home Video release of Hammer Films' Scars of Dracula. The Nat Cohen variant was found on the Showtime Networks print of the Roger Corman sex comedy Candy Stripe Nurses (apparently a UK print was used).
Scare Factor: Low, due to the lettering being similar to that carved onto tombstones, but has lower levels for the Nat Cohen version due to the smaller font used.
2nd Logo
(1976-1983)
Nickname: "Blue EMI"
Logo: On a blue screen, we see the letters "EMI" (in the familiar logo's font) zoom toward the center of the screen. As the letters move, the box draws itself into place forming
the familiar EMI logo. The phrase "EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS" then fades into place.Variant: In later years, the byline "A MEMBER OF THE THORN GROUP" along with the Thorn logo appears instead of the company name (EMI merged with Thorn plc. around 1979, hence the name and logo described below). On some films, this was superimposed onto the film's opening credit sequence.
FX/SFX: The EMI lettering zoom-in, the rectangle drawing itself in.
Cheesy Factor: Rather simple animation, even for the 1970s.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare; check your local home video stores for older VHS releases of the company's films. But it has been preserved on the Anchor Bay DVD release of Tender Mercies, preceded by a StudioCanal logo, of course.
Scare Factor: Low.
3rd Logo
(1977-1983)
Nicknames: "Blue EMI", "The Record Dudes"
Logo: In the opening scene of a movie, a superimposed EMI logo appears just like its British counterpart, except that the legend EMI FILMS, INC. appears under it. "PRESENTS" is also below everything else.
Variants:
- In The Jazz Singer (the 1980 Neil Diamond version), the still EMI logo appears superimposed in the style of the opening credit sequence.
- The notorious Village People movie Can't Stop The Music had the EMI logo appearing as if it was made of solid gold.
- The Deer Hunter opened with the Universal Globe followed by a black and white EMI Film Distributors ID ("A Member of the Thorn Group" byline version).
FX/SFX: The same as the second EMI Film Distributors logo; also appeared as a still image on later films.
Cheesy Factor: Same as its British counterpart.
Music/Sounds: The movie's opening score.
Availability: Rare-given the rather low output of its US branch, but this logo is an easier find than the British counterpart. It is retained on Convoy, The Jazz Singer (1980) and Can't Stop The Music among others (having been used as an in-credit logo in the States).
Scare Factor: Low. Given American audiences' familiarity with the logo (via the EMI-America record label and the parent company's ownership of Capitol Records). However, some might be mildly frightened by the animated version.
VofDoom |
Latest page update: made by VofDoom
, Aug 30 2009, 2:58 AM EDT
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