Hard to find Korngold Movies

General questions regarding E.W.Korngold

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Minacciosa

Hard to find Korngold Movies

Post by Minacciosa » Thu Jul 28, 2005 4:42 am

When are we going to be able to see The Constant Nymph, Of Human Bondage, Give us This Night, etc.?
Brendan G Carroll

Movies

Post by Brendan G Carroll » Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:24 am

Perhaps never...

1. Constant Nymph - copyright issues prevent this even being shown on TV

2. BONDAGE - this IS shown on TCM occasionally

3. GIVE US THIS NIGHT - the negative has decomposed & Paramount does not even own a print! The Kiepura estate has a cut 16mm print, the Czech Film Archive has a heavily cut & dubbed print. That's all that remains of it as far as I know.

Sad news I'm afraid.
Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:43 am

Though I did purchase and read your brilliant book, would you mind recounting the problems wih Nymph being aired? How could anyone really want to stand in the way of it? It's not like someone will make major money from it.
Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:53 am

Will Escape Me Never ever be available on home video? I'm rather tired of the TCM dubs.
Guest

Post by Guest » Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:55 am

I'm sorry, not Escape Me Never, but Between Two Worlds. I bought Escape Me and Deception some years ago on cassette, but even they seem to have fallen out of license.
Brendan G Carroll

The Constant Nymph

Post by Brendan G Carroll » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:57 am

The rights issues are very complex. What follows is a very simple version.

Margarate Kennedy's book was published in 1923 and a play was made (by her) in collaboration with Basil Dean. Noel Coward & John Gielgud starred in it, in London. Following two British films of the story, Warner's purchased the rights to the book AND the play in 1940. Their film, based on both texts, was made in 1942. Unfortunately, while WB still owns the rights to the book, the rights in the play have lapsed & reverted to the original owner.

Because litigation is so costly in the US, it is very unlikely that TURNER (the huge company that now owns WB's films) will spend the $$$ to fix the problem, for a 65 year old movie that will have limited commercial value apart from to buffs. If it was CASABLANCA, a hugely popular film, then they would...not Constant Nymph!
And that is the situation for the forseeable future. Sorry!
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