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I remember working with an artist on a couple of projects, one of which was a nightmare because a chunk had to be redone on the grounds of not quite matching the contractual requirements concerning the relative sizes of the two stars' heads, and then I offered him something Eastern European.

Wearily, he said "So what are the contractual requirements this time?"

I said "As far as I'm aware, none at all."

"What, you mean I have total creative freedom?"

"Yup."

"Wow!"

Incidentally, I suspect this might partially explain why Second Run's covers are invariably so good. Obviously, Robert Riley's designs are a whopping part of the reason, but it seems to me that hardly any of them - possibly not even any - would have been labouring under the kind of contractual restrictions that affect all major studio licenses to this day. When I oversaw The Manchurian Candidate, someone complained that we'd failed to mention Angela Lansbury on the cover, as though it was our decision rather than a contractual stipulation from 1962 that only the three main stars get that kind of prominence. (She is sort of on the Arrow cover, but that constitutes a mild spoiler.)

Do they design considerations run in perpetuity? Will certain films have to always be advertised with certain constraints until they fall into the public domain?

TMDaines wrote:Do they design considerations run in perpetuity? Will certain films have to always be advertised with certain constraints until they fall into the public domain?

In a word, yes. The contract for, say, Sweet Smell of Success is fast approaching its 60th birthday, but its stipulations about credit size, order and content and who can and cannot be featured on the artwork (and if one person appears, who else must appear at the same size) remain just as binding as ever.

But in my experience it's generally only major studio films that come with this sort of thing - I've produced numerous releases sourced from France, Italy and various eastern European countries and have had complete carte blanche. Or rather, I almost always need to secure the approval of the rightsholder before signing off on artwork, but I can't recall ever being up against any advance prescriptions (and proscriptions) other than the label's own house style.

Getting back on topic, Woody Allen is an unusual case in that his contracts with United Artists and Orion (effectively the same company in terms of personnel) insist on his own personal approval of all artwork, disc contents, etc. But that's very very rare indeed.

Ribs wrote:The second set should be entirely white on the side assuming they're all using their most famous posters of the two we don't know about

Well, it was a nice hope while it lasted.

Ribs wrote:

Ribs wrote:The second set should be entirely white on the side assuming they're all using their most famous posters of the two we don't know about

Well, it was a nice hope while it lasted.

Per the original poster of course, but I am glad to say that from SLEEPER on, all the spines are white.

That's good!

MichaelB wrote:

TMDaines wrote:Do they design considerations run in perpetuity? Will certain films have to always be advertised with certain constraints until they fall into the public domain?

In a word, yes. The contract for, say, Sweet Smell of Success is fast approaching its 60th birthday, but its stipulations about credit size, order and content and who can and cannot be featured on the artwork (and if one person appears, who else must appear at the same size) remain just as binding as ever.

Ah, now that I look at Arrow's new and vintage covers and Criterion's design, the stipulations do stand out. "If Curtis' face is on there, you HAVE to have Lancaster's somewhere." "Lancaster's name on the left or above Curtis'." etc.

I have to say, I thought some of Twilight Time's designs for Woody Allen's films were not just disappointing but poorly chosen, so I'm surprised that he gave them his approval. (Or maybe his management?)

Ribs wrote:That's good!

The spines contain potassium benzoate.

hearthesilence wrote:

I can't believe Allen approved this for the September cover art

hearthesilence wrote:I have to say, I thought some of Twilight Time's designs for Woody Allen's films were not just disappointing but poorly chosen, so I'm surprised that he gave them his approval. (Or maybe his management?)

You're not kidding! The one they did for Purple Rose of Cairo is an abomination.

I'm looking at the Caps-a-holic for Interiors, and wow, I knew the DVD looked bad before, but the jump from that to the Blu-Ray is literally night-and-day.

The third box set of the remaining titles will likely be announced tomorrow, by the way.

Should be called Woody Allen: Seven Films 1986-1991 and will include Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days, September, Another Woman, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Alice, and Shadows and Fog, with separate editions of those first two in February and the others in the following months ahead.

Will be great to get hold of some of these! Not sure I'll be buying the whole box sets but definitely the ones I already know I like, and some I've been recommended.

PS: I watched Play It Again Sam on Netflix just the other day and really enjoyed it. Since it's a Paramount title, I'd hope MoC or someone could get it, but not holding my breath. It's actually more likely MoC will get Martin Ritt's The Front seeing as they have a Sony deal at the moment...or maybe even Husbands and Wives, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Sweet and Lowdown.

As expected, it's coming out 20 February. Even better, it's actually listed at the same MSRP as the others even though it has another disc!

When the listing first popped up on the site there was the information about who was writing each of the essays, but that's since disappeared. All I recall is that Richard Ayoade was on the list.

Beaver Danny Rose

Also Stardust Memories

Yikes, Stardust Memories looks really noisy.

It's not noise, it's grain!

The second set is now in stock at the Arrow store.

I've seen it countless times but somehow I never realized Mrs Johnson's blond boy Van was in the Purple Rose of Cairo until reading the interview in the Arrow book. Also, Woody Allen is a terrible interview subject when it comes to his own work!

Beaver and Her Sisters
Crimes and Misdebeavers
Radio Days
Another Woman
Shadows and Fog

The final set is now in stock at the Arrow store

I have the third set in my hands now, and can at least say that Richard Ayoade's piece in the book "about" Crimes and Misdemeanors is a hoot. If nothing else, I will never look at Vilmos Zsigmond the same way again after reading Ayoade's description of him.

The Narrator Returns wrote:I have the third set in my hands now, and can at least say that Richard Ayoade's piece in the book "about" Crimes and Misdemeanors is a hoot. If nothing else, I will never look at Vilmos Zsigmond the same way again after reading Ayoade's description of him.

Do you mean Sven Nykvist? And just curious, can you elaborate at all on what Ayoade says of the cinematographer?