Updates, News and errr… Cannon Stuff

MAY 2008 (see menu for older news)

Got a better image, information or something I’m missing or I have wrong? Like to add something? See the Contact Me page on the main menu

GOLAN’S ELECTRIFYING

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That’s right, rock music AND martial arts! You read it here first. Menahem Golan’s Cannon classic The Apple (1980) on UK VHS. Added to the Rank gallery.

Other UK scans added:

Bolero (1984) Cannon / Guild

Escalier C (1985) Cannon / Rank Video Gallery

Great Bookie Robbery, The (1986) [pt 2] Cannon Screen Entertainment

Nana (1982) Cannon / Guild

NON-VIOLENT ANIMATION WITH A CUP O’ TEA

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Very nice. Strangely not listed on Jon Pertwee’s IMDb bio (that I can find) but mentioned at www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/545943 and the excellent www.thechestnut.com/lgm.htm

Cartoons on the tape:

The Visitor from Space
There's No Fun Like Snow Fun
Up Up and Away
Greenie Thro' the Looking Glass
Help for The Duke

I remember this from ITV I think. Not sure who Matthew Smith is, however. Added to the Cannon Screen Entertainment gallery.

GRAND GRANDE

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I knew French posters were large but I didn’t think they were THAT large. 1560mm x 1160mm (approx 46" x 61"). Click the image for a size comparison to the UK rental VHS.

BACK TO THE FUTURE….

Managed to acquire several years’ worth of the film magazine, Films and Filming. I’ll be working through them for Cannon stuff and here’s 2 bits of news from June 1986.

Year later…, 4 pages from July 1987, just as the Cannon Group Inc’s finances were imploding I’d say (and the subject of these scans one of the main reasons why):

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DECISIONS, DECISIONS…

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HE LOVES A GOOD FIGHT

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Finally found (where are they all?) the UK rental (‘’big box’’) VHS tapes of Van Damme’s Bloodsport (1988) and Death Warrant (1990). Note the copyright on Death Warrant which states Cannon just

before the name disappeared. Also worth noting it says Pathe Video (which had just disappeared) but the cover/tape say MGM and of course Warner distributed this. The well known Cannon logo

starts the film although the “A Cannon Film” or “from Cannon Pictures” has been removed from the end titles, and it’s fairly obvious too.

Added to the Van Damme Gallery and the UK home video galleries.

NEW LOGO

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Beautiful logo from Kenneth Rive’s Gala Film Distributors (1952) which Cannon bought whilst employing Rive. Not researched this fully so if you’d like to add a page on this please get in touch.

Kenneth Rive (1918 - 2002)

Kenneth Rive was the longest-serving member of Film Distributors' Association. During his fifty-year career in distribution, he championed many international filmmakers and introduced Bergman, Kurosawa, Truffaut and others to UK audiences. His main legacy is a more diverse arthouse cinema, where the recent success of releases such as City of God, Amélie and Y Tu Mama Tambien is a testament to his nurturing of the subtitled sector.

Born in Canonbury, north London, in July 1918, Ken Rive spent his whole life in entertainment. As a young boy, he accompanied his photographer father to Germany and became a child actor in silent German films of the 1920s, including Rasputin starring Conrad Veidt. Returning to London, he took various jobs in showbusiness until seconded to British Intelligence at the outbreak of World War Two.

After the war, Rive began work at the then Berkeley cinema on Tottenham Court Road and soon took over as manager. Looking to exhibit the films he himself wanted to see, he travelled to Moscow and negotiated a license for a package of Russian films, previously unseen in the UK. So began his career as a distributor, which lasted until 30 December 2002, the day he passed away. The company Rive formed in 1953, Gala Film Distributors, continues today.

In the 1960s, he ran a small arthouse cinema circuit with Leslie Grade, and in the 1980s he managed the UK distribution operation of the Cannon Group. One of his greatest successes came in 1985 with Gala's UK release of Claude Berri's saga, Jean de Florette, which scooped four BAFTA awards, and its sequel, Manon des Sources.

As his success grew, his commitment to the industry deepened. Rive was a co-producer on a handful of British productions in the early 1960s, and he adopted two industry charities, the CTBF and Variety Club, for which he raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds. He was Chief Barker of Variety Club in 1965 and founded Variety at Work, the on-going strand which arranges excursions and experiences for children in care.

FDA helped to organise a tribute to the career of Ken Rive, which was held at the National Film Theatre on London's South Bank on 29 April 2003, attended by more than 100 film industry guests and members of his family. He is much missed by us all, although his legacy lives on.

Film Distributors' Association Ltd.

WHO CHANGED THE CANNON LOGO? -UPDATE

Finally found a high quality image of the “CP” as used by Cannon Pictures on a few USA cinema releases. “Cannon Pictures” was really just the bastard child of The Cannon Group Inc and was quickly

closed down by the banks when they took over MGM. Why they thought changing the logo was a good idea I don’t know. If you have any ideas get in touch.

More on this logo in Film & Image Who Changed The Cannon Logo?

CANNON HAMMER TIME

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It was the only picture I could find. Honest. Interesting VHS cover for Twins of Evil (1971). Apparently from Holland but with markings from Australia. Maybe they used part of the artwork.

Big thank you to Cees for the great cover.

CANNON EMAIL

From www.moscowfilmfestival.ru

Another in a line of nice people wrongly contacting me. Sadly, I’d love to be able to supply them with Cassavetes’s great film but the best I could do would be a DVD.

Mind this is a fansite and you should see the Contact Me page on the main menu where you’ll find the correct people to contact for stills, loans etc.

For Love Streams (1984) that should be www.mgmstills.com or a rental company or by contacting a film institute.

I have also had emails from Sony, people looking for movie jobs, looking to sell me plots of land in Los Angeles and movie-set rental air conditioning. As of wiritng I have not been sent cheques for

$10,000,000 or been in merger talks with anyone.

MOONLIGHTING WIVES (1966)

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Cannon? Seen this listed in a few places but that's not really a confirmation unless I see an image or some other good (more than 3 sources) info. If Cannon were involved then it may be the first Cannon film.

There’s a few connections to Cannon (director Sarno Inga (1968) (Inga trailer here)) and Philip Turner claims this is a Cannon film in his UK book (I’ve noticed errors in there (no surprise when you see one of his

sources, Andrew Yule’s Cannon book and to be fair, almost forgotten films with very little archived history).

Looks like it may have had 2 USA releases which complicates things. If you have information on this please get in touch.

Review of the DVD at DVDTalk.com Nice to see old Cannon films being treated well after 40 years (yes, I know it doesn’t get a good review but my point is someone’s spent time on the release

and took some care in the production).

MICHAEL

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Interesting VHS cover from South Africa. Very nice and the first image on this site from Africa. Thanks to HalloweenNight from the USA for the great image.

If you have an image you’d like to share please get in touch.

NEW LOGO

From Cannon’s cinema chain here in the UK. As seen in their foyers like this I managed to get that from the Cannon Cinemas promo poster here I’ll be adding a better picture once I get the

Cannon Posters Gallery started (I have around 60 Cannon full size cinema posters so far).

Loads more logos in the Cannon Logos, Intros & Outros section within Film & Image on the main menu.

I’m always after promo stuff like this so please get in touch if you have something. See the Contact Me page on the main menu

UNE FILLE DIABOLIQUE!

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Thanks to Diabolik from Denmark for this great cover from this Danish film.

Helga: Heksen Fra Silberg (1977)

Also known as:

Girl Slaves

Helga the Leather Mistress

Helga: She Wolf of Silberg (1977)

Will add that to my Scandinavia Gallery on the next update.

HMMMM…

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Not sure what’s happening in that picture but it looks like they’re on the way out of a restaurant or are preparing to piss on someone they don’t like.

THE ASSAULT / DE AANSLAG

Fons Rademakers, 1920-2007

The Assault / De Aanslag (1986) -gallery/screebgrabs added in the Cannon’s Best section.

One of my favourite films whether it had a Cannon logo slapped on it or not. A very moving film that was well directed and produced. All concerned were at the top of their game hence the multiple

award winning status of the film.

Got a better image, information or something I’m missing or I have wrong?

Like to add something? See the Contact Me page on the main menu

www.cannon.org.uk

use only and has no connection whatsoever with The Cannon Group, Inc.