CANNON QUOTES:

"Naturally, when we came in the beginning, the door was closed. But Menahem and me, if the door is closed, we come in through the window. And if the window is closed, we come in through the air-conditioning." -Yoram Globus, 1986, Cannes Film Festival

"We think it's an obligation of Charles Bronson and Chuck Norris to pay for Franco Zeffirelli." -Menahem Golan, 1986, Cannes Film Festival

“Menahem Golan rings me up from Israel and tries to talk me into making the flick. The money is so insulting that I ought to punch him in the mouth.” -Klaus Kinski, Operation Thunderbolt

“For what I spent in England for four days I could, without exaggeration, shoot for three weeks in Israel,

with prices and government subsidies.” -April 1975, Menahem Golan

"This is not a picture about what it looks like -it's a picture about who's in it" -Menahem Golan talking about Number One With a Bullet

THE BEST...

Kent Church has run his ruler over his favourite Chuck Norris Cannon film. It was a close call I can tell you.

Read more www.cannon.org.uk/kcb1.htm

More from Kent www.cannon.org.uk/kent.htm

Thanks to Kent for the great article.

WE DON’T WEAR T-SHIRTS

A nice new picture of GG in sunny Cannes from 1985-86. Note the Cannon logo adorned sweatshirt. That’s the sort of style you can’t buy.

Added with another couple of newly found images www.cannon.org.uk/gggallery.htm

If you have any photos of GG you’d like to share please get in touch Contact Me

TOO LATE?

                                                                    click for full size

20 years too late.

SEEKING TREASURE (1985)

Menahem and Yoram signing a supply deal with MGM in 1985 –and they certainly supplied some strange titles like The Great Skycopter Rescue (1978) and The Treasure Seekers (1979). With an interesting cast of Rod Taylor, Stuart Whitman, and Elke Sommer Seekers is a truly awful piece of crap. Very poor effort. AKA Contraband [UK home video] / Forty Million Bucks / Jamaican Gold / On a Dead Man’s Chest. Apparently filmed in Iran.

Those 2 VHS home video releases from the USA are rotting away but as you can see from the pictures the tapes are brand new. They were still sealed with the security labels on the box. Fulls scans added to the Cannon IMDb A-Z www.cannon.org.uk/AZ.htm

No sign of any Cannon logo on the start of the films. I’ve no idea how Cannon came by these titles but I suppose they had to supply MGM with something. Cannon are linked to Seekers as “Cannon Productions” at http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/375809 I don’t know how accurate that is however.  The Great Skycopter Rescue (1978) later appeared in West Germany through Cannon in the great cover to the left.

If you’ve something you’d like to share about these films, or have information about them or some artwork, please let me know Contact Me

CANNON TO WEINTRAUB (1987)

You may of seen me mention Cannon’s old Thorn-EMI Screen Entertainment (TESE) back catalogue often on this site. That substantial catalogue was sold off to the Weintraub Entertainment Group. Strange purchaser who was never going to be around long once the cash ran out. They made a handful of films like My Stepmother is An Alien and fell into bankruptcy late 1990. It’s extraordinary that film library went for as little as it did and that money must have been made back multiple times over by the new owners since DVD came along. Much of those films are now released in the UK through Optimum Releasing (owned by Vivendi-Universal).

Weintraub Firm Seeks Bankruptcy Protection

LA Times,  September 15, 1990

Weintraub Entertainment Group and three of its units on Friday filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code after the company's banks insisted that $84.8 million in loans be paid.

The studio will try to reorganize and keep operating, President Kenneth Kleinberg said. The filing doesn't affect the personal assets of Jerry Weintraub, the company's chairman and chief shareholder.

Some of the company's bondholders, who are owed $91 million, had threatened to file an involuntary bankruptcy petition after the Bank of America and Credit Lyonnais Bank Nederland demanded payment of their loans, which are secured by Weintraub's 2,000-title film library.

The bondholders feared that they would get little if the banks retired their own debt by  selling the library. Kleinberg said restructuring efforts were hampered by a weakened economy. "Like many other assets, including Southern California real estate, the library, if sold today, is not expected to realize its true value," Kleinberg said. Weintraub Entertainment bought the library from Cannon Group Inc. two years ago for more than $80 million.

The federal government is the largest unsecured creditor, with $22.5 million in Weintraub junk bonds that were bought by failed thrifts. Those bonds are now held by the Resolution Trust Corp., the federal agency in charge of mopping up the savings and loan mess.

The bankruptcy petition listed $15 million in bonds owned by the RTC that had been owned by CenTrust Savings in Miami, a now-defunct thrift that was sold to Great Western Financial. Another $7.5 million was owned by Imperial Federal Savings in San Diego, now operated by government regulators.

Also, $13 million in bonds is owned by two troubled thrifts--Columbia Savings in Beverly Hills and Far West Savings in Newport Beach--that the government could eventually own if they are ultimately seized by regulators.

The Weintraub bond offering was underwritten by Bear, Stearns & Co. But the list of bondholders also includes many former customers of Drexel Burnham Lambert junk bond chief Michael Milken, a Weintraub friend. The thrifts were all major Milken customers. A unit of Zenith National Insurance, headed by Milken's second cousin, Stanley Zax, owns $3 million in Weintraub bonds.

The petitions also listed debts to Hollywood writers and producers who have worked on films that Weintraub still hopes to produce. Among those debts are $280,000 to writer Sam Hamm for a script called "The Avengers" and $100,000 to writer Joe Eszterhas for "Jade."

Weintraub Entertainment, launched with more than $400 million in funding in 1987, got into trouble after half a dozen of its films flopped. –LA Times

WEG went bankrupt in September 1990. From SEC.gov:

Weintraub Entertainment Group ("WEG") during the period January 23, 1987 through October 1, 1990. Named as defendants are WEG (WEG is a debtor in bankruptcy, and is thus named as a defendant only to the extent permitted under federal bankruptcy law), certain officers and directors of WEG, including Jerry Weintraub, Kenneth Kleinberg and Dennis Pope (the "Individual Defendants") and Bear Stearns, the place- ment agent in WEG's 1987 private placement of WEG debentures and warrants.

Most of this film catalogue is now with StudioCanal who are owned by Vivendi-Universal.

www.cannon.org.uk/cse.htm

JOE (1970)

click for larger

Never enough Joe (1970) artwork from around the world. Added to the A-Z www.cannon.org.uk/AZ.htm If you have something you’d like to add to the A-Z Contact Me

Cannon trailers www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN7rGFckL1k and www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRlhkPKFBsM

On DVD in North America from MGM www.dvdpacific.com/item.asp?ID=28072 & www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005V9HL -and all the usual places.

MR JENKINS –Where are They Now?

www.cinemauk.org.uk

Last seen standing astride Messrs Globus & Golan www.cannon.org.uk/cannoncinemas.htm

While digging around I also found this (not the video) interesting TV clip. I see Alexander Walker got his oar in at the end (and he was apparently ‘banned’ by Cannon).

ELSTREE STUDIOS: CLOSE DOWN:

ITN Clip Description:

ELSTREE STUDIOS: CLOSE DOWN:

Clip Description:

T30068805 ELSTREE STUDIOS: CLOSE DOWN: Elstree film studios are to

30.6.88 close. The owners, Cannon, say the studios are no longer

TX commercially viable.

MARSHALL,PENNY/PHILLIPS,STEPHEN

a)C4N: F'back clapper board as camera crew seen:

Excerpt "Blackmail" with Alfred Hitchcock: Excerpt

"Indiana Jones": F'back Yoram Globus Cannon Group

speaking in 1986: F'back studio set & crew: Intvw

Alexander Walker Film Critic: Intvw Barry Jenkins Managing

Director, Cannon UK:

VIDEO PATHE WEINTRAUB/LIB(ITN/UIP)/ENG(Shayler)/STUDIO:

MIX/FX ARCHIVE TAPE & CAS ONE 34312 88/C4N/HH41732 11.55 TO 13.14

b)NAO: F'back clapper board as camera crew seen:

Excerpt "Blackmail" with Alfred Hitchcock: Excerpt "Look

back in Anger" with Richard Burton: Excerpt "Hasty Heart"

with Ronald Reagan: F'back studio buildings: F'back studio

set & crew: F'back Yoram Globus Cannon Group speaking in

1986: F'back Film set & crew: Intvw Alexander Walker Film

Critic "The Standard":

VIDEO PATHE WEINTRAUB/LIB(ITN)/STUDIO/ENTERPRISE PIX/WEINTRAUB

ENTERTAINMENTS:

MIX/FX ARCHIVE TAPE & CAS ONE 34339 18.04 TO 19.24

**** THE ELSTREE STORY & FILM CLIPS - NOT FOR RESALE OR REUSE:

-------------------------------------------------------------

**** RUSHES KEPT (7504 & 7505)

OTHER RUSHES NOT RECEIVED IN CATALOGUING

a) (Phillips,Stephen)

ENGLAND CMS Boy claps clapper board and turns away ) THE ELSTREE

Elstree as camera crew in b/g and cameraman ) STORY (B/W)

tracks towards as music SOF ) PATHE/WEINTRAUB

EXCERPT 'Blackmail' showing cameo performance )

by director Alfred Hitchcock as music )

SOF )

EXCERPT 'Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom' ) TX 11.6.84

showing Harrison Ford as music SOF ) UIP

INT/1986

CMS YORAM GLOBUS (Cannon Group) INTVW SOF ) TX 2.5.86

(Expects Elstree studios to be busy) ) ITN

"Elstree will develop -- )

BV Little girl dressed as Dorothy ) TX 22.5.84

along away PULL OUT 'Wizard of Oz' ) ITN

set as studio crew in f/g )

-- very busy" ) TX 2.5.86

ITN

ITN CMS ALEXANDER WALKER (Film critic 'The Standard') INTVWSOF

(Cannon have sold almost all their holdings in

the film business - are not interested in film

production)

"Cannon have been -- property disposal business"

BARRY JENKINS (Managing Director, Cannon UK) INTVW SOF

(Because all studios are bidding for same Blockbuster

films, prices are being cut reducing profits)

"We are all -- at the studios"

TX:30.6.88/C4N

b) (Marshall,Penny)

ENGLAND CMS Boy claps clapper board and turns away THE ELSTREE

Elstree as camera crew in b/g and cameraman ) STORY

tracks towards as music SOF ) PATHE/ WEINTRAUB

EXCERPT 'Blackmail' showing titles and cameo ) B/W

performance by director Alfred Hitchcock as music SOF

EXCERPT 'Look Back in Anger' with Richard ) ENTERPRISE Burton and ? ) PICTURES

EXCERPT 'Hasty Heart' with Ronald Reagan ) WEINTRAUB ENTERTAINMENTS

GV Studio buildings as van away past them ) PATHE

) B/W

Elstree CBV Little girl walking away through garden)

(Return to as stone figures in b/g PULL OUT ) TX 22.5.84

Oz Set) members of film crew in BV in f/g ) ITN

CMS Back drop as models of set in f/g PULL OUT )

INT/1986

ITN CMS YORAM GLOBUS (Cannon Group) INTVW SOF ) TX 2.5.86

(on development of Elstree) ) ITN

"Elstree will develop -- )

Elstree BV Studio workers move model for ) Tx.16.2.83

(Dark part of set away ) ITN Crystal Set) -- in Elstree"

MS Car with mounted camera towards as )

creatures from film 'Dark Crystal' )

moving along in b/g PULL OUT ) TX 16.2.83

MS Creatures and characters from film ) ITN

'Dark Crystal' along as camera seen )

passing in f/g PAN R-L )

CMS ALEXANDER WALKER (Film critic 'The Standard') INTVW

SOF

(Cannon have sold almost all their holdings in

the film business - are not interested in film

production)

"Cannon have been -- property disposal business"

TX:30.6.88/NAO

 http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist/itn/1988/06/30/t30068805

Seen this or got the clip? Get in touch Contact Me

Thanks to Philip Turner for the Cannon Classic photograph.

                                                                                         Number 1 fan.

Yes, I know he doesn’t look much like Stallone, but when you run a fan site people send you stuff and I like to be sure I don’t upset them, and I think to myself, “Is that a real grenade?”.

So I post the image.

Just to be sure.

CANNON:ON SET

Added 3 on set videos to my YouTube Channel. Some good stuff featuring Invasion USA (1985), the first 2 Missing in Action (1984-85) Films, Lifeforce (1985), Exterminator 2 (1984), Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)and The Naked Face (1985).

Cannon: On Set- Invasion USA www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0noFRuoDF4

Cannon: On Set- Lifeforce www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRllOkjgTLE

Cannon: On Set Missing in Action www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_AY-m-5ghM

Cannon: On Set Exterminator 2, Breakin'2, Naked Face www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ00Qdywb6A

VARIETY

THERE’S NO STOPPING US! No, that’s not a threat, but a Cannon promise from Cannon’s publicity department from Variety magazine that Your Video Store Shelff very kindly sent over to cannon.org.uk. The images are from May 1986 and February 1987 (I note Warner’s name creeping into the titles for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and Over the Top (1987) –when the wheels started to come off the Cannon Group Inc). Interesting, Christopher Walken (seen in Cannon’s Puss in Boots (1988)) is linked to River of Death (1989) which of course fell to Michael Dudikoff. Walken was long gone by the time the much reduced budget Breton/Cannon production started. Same name different film.

Direct link to the images: www.cannon.org.uk/promo2.htm

YVSS also sent over another lot of promo images and they’ll appear on that link soon too –I’ll update this page when I add the images.

A real find of a film blog with podcasts of some great interviews. Take a look and listen.

www.yourvideostoreshelf.com

YVSS is also planning a book and I’ll post again with an update when it’s published. Hope to see some Cannon stuff in there!

BARFLY RETURNS

I know there’s a few releases (Denmark, Russia, Greece, Spain etc) out there but the excellent Warner Region 1 release is long out of print and has never been bettered sadly. So it’s worth mentioning another English language release option (although those mentioned above seem to have English too) in the hope it has some extras -and it’ll give people a chance to see the film rather than pay the US$100+ asked for price for the Region 1 DVD. This June 2009 Australia release is a re-release as it was withdrawn. Why or how I’m not sure. Warner have claimed rights to this film (they forced Google/YouTube to remove the audio from the trailer on my YouTube Channel) so maybe the lack of a Region 1 DVD is due to music licensing or more likely a squabble with MGM over their Cannon back catalogue rights.

No information on the specifications. If you get some info LMK.

Distributor’s site:

www.shockdvd.com.au/default.aspx?s=releasedisplay&artistid=11043&releaseid=34681

Search available stores in Australia: www.dvdplaza.com.au

 It’s also been listed at Amazon.com www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002CTJW0G That distributor, 101 Distribution, seem to do imports from all around the world. Strange that Amazon claim it ships direct from themselves.

I recently watched The Wrestler and it was great again to see Mickey Rourke at the top of his game.

DIRECT LINKS

Since I’ve updated the site I’ve had to update some site links where you can bookmark certain areas.

www.cannon.org.uk/direct.htm is where you’ll find a list. I’ll update that when possible or if someone wants a special link added or finds a broken link.

These links are also on the main menu under  More Stuff

An excellent sampling of Bronson's Cannon era.

During his winter years in the 80s, international action star Charles Bronson made movie after movie for the maligned Cannon Group Inc, the production company run by Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus. Cannon got its start making (and did quite well with) exploitation pictures and just about every one of Bronson's films for them has the flavor of grindhouse exploitation cinema in the mix. But that does not mean the movies are plain bad, or so bad they're good, far from it. While Bronson did make some clunkers (Death Wish 2 in my opinion) and a few cult classics perfect for the MST3K treatment (Death Wish 3), some of his Cannon pictures are quite good. The quite good ones were usually directed by J. Lee Thompson. This box set gathers together the Bronson/Thompson team ups, with the exception of Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. All feature widescreen anamorphic transfers, again with the exception of the not included Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. Each movie is a solid piece of entertainment where Bronson did not simply phone in an embarrassed and wooden performance. Odd trivia: the cover of the box set uses an image for Death Wish 4, did I mention it's not inlucded in this set?

10 TO MIDNIGHT (1984):  Was the first thriller Thompson and Bronson worked on for Cannon (the two had previously teamed on The Evil That Men Do and, I believe, The White Buffalo) and its one of the best. Bronson plays a cop (a standard role for him when he wasn't replaying Paul Kersey in Death Wish sequel after Death Wish sequel) who matches wits with a cunning serial killer. Gene Davis plays the killer with a bemused and arrogant indifference that might appear wooden, until his mask of control slips. Andrew Stevens is Bronson's book smart partner and the lovely Lisa Eilbacher plays Bronson's estranged daughter (obviously she got her looks from her mother). Bronson grows desperate when his emotional investigation puts his daughter at risk. The characters and mind games are well set up in the script, but it degenerates into a slasher movie in the final reel. Nonetheless, it's a solidly crafted thriller.

MURPHY'S LAW (1986): Bronson is a cop (again) who is dealing with his wife's leaving him by hiding in a bottle of booze. When he is framed for her murder, he escapes (with foul mouthed girl-woman Kathleen Wilhoite shackled to his wrist) to find the real killer. Gail Morgan Hickman's script (she also wrote Death Wish 4: The Crackdown and the story for the third Dirty Harry movie, The Enforcer) won't win any awards, but the story places enough obstacles in Bronson and Wilhoite's path to keep the yarn from getting boring.

MESSENGER OF DEATH (1988):  This is a real change of pace for Bronson. He plays an investigative reporter trying to get to the bottom of a mass murder that, at first, seems to be result of a venom filled blood feud between two fundalmentalist Mormon brothers. The mystery gets the emphasis over the action (though there is enough of that to keep it from getting boring) and only a rushed conclusion keeps it from being more than a tad above average.

KINJITE: FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS (1989):  This was last movie from the Bronson/Thompson/Cannon team and it's the weakest. Bronson is a vice cop slowly cracking from the pressures of dealing with the sleaze soaked Job. His obsessive hunt for a particular pimp named Duke is hampered by things like due process and his teenaged daughter getting groped in a crowded bus. What he does not know is that the father of the child kidnapped by Duke is the same man who felt his daughter up on the bus! The unpleasant subject matter (molestation and child prostitution) just isn't mixed well with the standard plot. It isn't there to make commentary about the characters, it's there to either titilate or shock. The script needed a little more work ironing out those story problems to really cook.

Any fan of Bronson or Cannon or both (they're out there, I should know, I am one of them) will want this collection, as it pretty much puts the best of Bronson's Cannon years in one box. Recommended.

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007EFII

Not the best of Bronson by a long shot, but it’s still nice to see people appreciate the man. Mind and checkout his gallery www.cannon.org.uk/bronson.htm

To:  Ms. Leslie Moonves, CEO CBS-TV

June 1, 2001 - Rabi Al-Awwal 9, 1422

Ms. Leslie Moonves, CEO June 1, 2001 - Rabi Al-Awwal 9, 1422

CBS-TV

7800 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Fax: 323-653-8276

A Call To Boycott All Advertisers on CBS-TV and Radio

Dear Ms. Moonves:

On behalf of seven million Muslim-Americans and three million Arab-Americans, we must inform you that CBS-TV leaves us no choice, but to start a boycott

campaign:

1. against watching CBS-TV channels nationwide;

2. against listening to CBS radio stations nationwide;

3. against all advertisers on your TV and radio stations;

4. to prevent all CBS productions from entering the 54 member countries of

the Organization of Islamic Conference, including the 22 member countries of

the League of Arab States, comprising 1.3 billion Muslim consumers of your

productions:

This world-wide boycott campaign will also endeavor to appeal to the millions of fair-minded friends in the U.S. and the world to joint this boycott. Why this boycott?

1. Because CBS Television is preparing two high-profile programs in which Muslims and Arabs will, yet again, be depicted as terrorist villains. One is your TV movie "The President's Men: Ground Zero" starring Chuck Norris, while the other is the debut episode of your new series based on the CIA called "The Agency".

2. Because CBS and Chuck Norris' history is replete with Arab and Muslim-bashing, as proven in 19 movies previously aired through CBS-TV. Unless CBS-TV ceases and desists from airing or producing movies which vilify and defame Muslims and Arabs and promote ugly anti-Muslim and anti-Arab stereotypes.

Dear Ms. Moonves, you know very well how media images shape public perceptions, especially of ethnic and religious minority groups. Such vilification creates an atmosphere of hostility and fear, which leads to discrimination and even hate crimes against Muslim and Arab-Americans. Especially vulnerable are the innocent children, who have no defenses against negative stereotypes and who face harassment and worse at schools an playgrounds based on widespread prejudices which the media promote.

We need not remind you what happened in Nazi Germany! Media institutions such as CBS have a responsibility commensurate with your influence on popular culture and public perceptions. Bigoted depictions of Muslims and Arabs and other human beings are completely irresponsible and must be unacceptable to CBS as well.

Dear Ms. Moonves, to refresh your memory here is a partial list of films starring Chuck Norris, which consistently vilified Arabs and Muslims:

(1985) "Invasion USA", (1986) "Firewalker", (1986) "Delta Force", (1990)

"Delta Force II" and (1991) "The Hitman" - These films were produced by the notorious Canon Films run by the Israeli producers Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus, who pioneered the stereotype of Muslim and Arab "terrorist villains" in action films. Another similar film was "Not Without My Daughter". It is obvious, why Israelis would want to negatively stereotype Arabs and Muslims, but why CBS?!

CBS-TV has a long history of airing and promoting programs and films which

show Muslims and Arabs committing acts of brutal terrorism against Americans, including "Black Sunday" (1977), "To Live and Die in L.A." (1986), "Wanted Dead or Alive" (1986), "Terror in Beverly Hills" (1986), Terror Squad" (1987), "Terrorist On Trial: The U.S. Versus Salim Ajami" (1988), one of the most racist anti-Arab movies broadcast on TV; True Lies" (1994) "Executive Decision" (1996) and "Path To Paradise" (1997).

Ms. Moonves, since 1998, CBS-TV, more than any other network, has promoted the ugliest stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims through episodes of series such as "Family Law", "Judging Amy" and several episodes of "JAG". One episode of "JAG" shows Palestinian killing and rampaging through a Washington, DC hospital!! Why this negative depiction?! On the contrary, statistics show

that many Muslim doctors are helping to cure patients in, almost, every hospital in the USA!!

Ms. Moonves, if your ethnic or religious groups were the ones vilified, demonized and dehumanized consistently in these propaganda films, we would also call for the boycott of CBS-TV. The least you can do is to make sure that CBS channels do not air such films and CBS-TV does not participate in the production of such Nazi-like and full of hate films, uncalled for in any society. We urge you not to force us to start this boycott campaign.

Anxiously awaiting your reply.

Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/icli23/petition.html

END

I think there’s more important petitions out there but at least people have the voice. Yes, many Golan-Globus era Cannon films do a bit of Arab-bashing but that’s due to the nature of the producers and writers. As many people of  that generation of a Jewish-Israeli background they’re reacting to decades of bashing too. It’s not nice for either side but it’s a fact.  Are things better now than they were? I hope so.

COMPOSERS COMPLAIN MGM INFRINGED ON COPYRIGHTS IN NEW MEDIA

Composer Arik Rudich Demands $1.9 Million

Date: 07.05.2008 - 13:23

Category: IT, New Media & Software

Press release from: Moshe Zingel Law Office

[May 6, 2008, Tel Aviv] Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) acquired the movie repertoire of Cannon Films, previously owned by Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus, in an auction in May 1992. Skip a couple of decades and MGM began exploiting these movies in new media. Now, at least two composers are discovering that their copyrights in the music of MGM's films were simply ignored, and they claim that MGM infringed their rights and refuses to pay for the talent they use.

Israeli composer Arik Rudich is demanding compensation in the amount of $1.9 Million from MGM in a "cease and desist" demand letter sent by his attorney Moshe Zingel of Tel Aviv on April 30, 2008 to MGM regarding the motion picture "Snow White." Rudich composed nine songs and the underscore for this motion picture. Snow White was part of the fairy tales

collection of Cannon Films, which was shot in Israel. Rudich claims that in order to exploit copyrighted music in new media, there must be a signed agreement or assignment that specifically permits the Hollywood producers to use the music "in any media now known or media which will become known or developed in the future". Rudich insists that not only such a provision was ever signed, but actually there was no written agreement with Cannon at all, and therefore when MGM digitally remastered the movie and released the DVD in 2005 without negotiating royalties with him in advance, MGM committed repetitious acts of infringement.

The American Copyright Act permits an award of up to $150,000 per each intentional infringement, and in this case all the songs and underscore were copied twice: once from the 35 mm to the Master Disc, and then from the Master Disc to consumer DVDs, which were offered for sale and for rental.

Allegedly, when MGM ordered the replication of the discs, and when it contracted with affiliates and distributors to promote the sales, MGM gave a warranty to these third parties that all content has passed copyrights clearance. Thus, potentially the

manufacturers of the discs, and all those who may have distributed MGM's "Snow White" may be secondarily liable as well, if MGM has indeed breached its warranty.

Rudich's attorney, Moshe Zingel adds that Rudich's claims are corroborated by the results of arbitration between Rudich and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, as sub-distributor of MGM. The controversy in the arbitration was to determine who had the right to receive publishing royalties collected by copyright societies such as ASCAP and ACUM. Eventually, Sony/ATV

admitted that no document was ever signed between Cannon and Rudich, and thus Sony/ATV and MGM relinquished all claims to receipt of publishing royalties as of October 2006. That however did not end the dispute, because MGM failed to disgorge all previously collected publishing royalties, and there was no separate agreement as to the rights to exploit the Snow White soundtrack and underscore in new media.

According to Zingel, prior to exploitation in new media, and DVD is certainly new media not foreseen in 1987 when the movie was made, producers must perform a copyrights clearance process. All contracts with right holders must be examined,and if no license to exploit in future media was originally granted, they must negotiate fresh royalty agreements with the

Seite 1 / 2 contributing talents, cut scenes, or use unprotected music instead. "This case demonstrates that there are potential major deficiencies in MGM's copyright clearance process, and perhaps a conscientious decision to use talent without paying for it,"

says Zingel.

Already, one of Zingel's other clients had sued MGM in the Western District Court of Wisconsin on April 28, 2008 for $12 Million because of infringements of music compositions in connection with DVD and other digitized exploitation of the Motion Picture "The Apple", also originally produced by Golan-Globus/Cannon in 1979. That composer was forced to file a

complaint after MGM indicated that there will be compensation unless a United States court orders it to do pay the artist.

Moshe Zingel Law Office

9 Kikar Malchei Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel 64163

Tel. +972-3-524-3381

Agent: David Mannor PR

Tel. +972-544-212-635

Moshe Zingel Law Office in Tel Aviv specializes in Commercial Law, Banking Law, International Business, Intellectual Property and Mass Torts.

www.openpr.com/news/43927/Composers-Complain-MGM-Infringed-On-Copyrights-in-New-Media-Composer-Arik-Rudich-Demands-1-9-Million.html

The lawyer Moshe Zingel is a specialist in “Mass Torts” –I don’t know about anyone else but I wouldn’t want my masses torted.

I do wonder watching some of these old Cannon films (especially the Lemon Popsicle series) just how they managed to secure the music rights.

How did the whole presence of Troma at the Cannes Film Festival come about?

Well, before Michael and I founded Troma we produced some independent movies, one of which (the obscure comedy Big Gus What's The Fuss?) was made in Israel for the great Menachem Golan. He arranged for us to come to Israel and shoot a movie with two negatives, one in Hebrew, one in English. And I think once again we accomplished something that no-one else has done in the history of cinema, we made two negatives that sucked for the price of one! At any rate we learned from Menachem Golan that the Cannes Film Festival was a great place to sell your movie. So I went for the first time in 1971 and found out what goes on there - how you try to get the attention of the international buying community - and since there's an enormous amount of industry power there in an area less than a square kilometre, you don't have to spend $50,000 on a billboard - you can do some good old-fashioned grass roots carnival type promotion. So slowly over the years we built on it - we did small things first and now we've developed our parade, and parties, and street demonstrations. Of course the festival has changed quite a bit since 1971.

Full interview with the Kaufman himself http://english.sem40.ru/interview/8342/

http://www.troma.com