BBC Feature Film prints

[KennyG]

Hi,

A slightly odd one here. What happened to the BBC's library of Feature Film prints? I'm asking because the print they used of the Marx Brother's Animal Crackers until the 1980s has a few bits that are missing from current prints distributed by Universal.

Any chance that its lying around the BBC somewhere?

[Sherwood]

A large number of BBC held feature film prints went to the BFI a few years ago. It might be tricky to find out their exact holdings though.

Presumably the BBC don't broadcast any films from 16 or 35mm any more.

[andrew martin]

Nothing has been directly transmitted from film since the end of the 80s, however the BBC still retains a very few feature film prints (other than BBC Films productions which it naturally has copies of) - I couldn't say whether "Animal Crackers" is one of them, but I wouldn't be surprised if that had gone to the NFA.

[KennyG]

I presume that the NFA would preserve it? It appears to be the only print out there that represents the UK release version and it has bits that the censors lobbed out in the US.

[Deleted]

andrew said:

Nothing has been directly transmitted from film since the end of the 80s

That must have reduced the number of breakdowns quite significantly? I have a recording of a Star Trek from 1985 or 1986 where the film snaps just before the title sequence. Pretty funny as you can see someone starting to move the stationary film around in the telecine gate.

[Nick Eden]

Not to mention the Marx Bros film transmitted on BBC2 some 25 plus years ago, that was actually shown with 2 of the reels played in the wrong order.