Thanks Jessica, for your very informative response! I will write to you with more specific questions directly off the list.
Robin From: Jessica Rosner <jessicapros...@gmail.com<mailto:jessicapros...@gmail.com>> Reply-To: "videolib@lists.berkeley.edu<mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu>" <videolib@lists.berkeley.edu<mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu>> Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 3:15 PM To: "videolib@lists.berkeley.edu<mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu>" <videolib@lists.berkeley.edu<mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu>> Subject: Re: [Videolib] Trying to get DVD copy of "Passion for Life" Sadly this falls right into the issue I was posting about yesterday, the overwhelming majority of non US films not being in distribution in the US. Brandon films is long gone and even if they ever had legit rights they would be expired. I suspect Water Bearer may have distributed as a Public Domain title which it would have been till roughly 1995 when the US signed the GATT Treaty. Short version is that problems with US copyright laws left almost all non American films released in the US before 1960 and many more till 1976 unprotected and GATT restored their copyright. You will need to find the rights holder in France. It is listed some places at UGC but your best clue may be the company that has it out on DVD in France. I will try to get you at UGC contact. However realistically even if you found them, there is very little chance they would agree to sell a copy to an American library where one assumes they would prefer a distribution deal. You could use the French copy but I don't think it has English titles. Keep in mind while their are exceptions ( like many Janus titles) most foreign films are acquired for distribution in the US on contracts averaging between 7-10 years and many times one party or the other is not willing to renew (or out of business) at the end of this time. which means that only are the vast number of films that were never released in the US not available, but so are what I believer are tens of thousands that were at some point. When the contracts expire all rights revert back to rights holder and so many of these films just fall through the cracks. Good Luck On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 12:44 PM, Feinland, Robin <feinl...@lesley.edu<mailto:feinl...@lesley.edu>> wrote: >Hi all, > >Does anyone know if a DVD copy of the French film on teaching, "A Passion >for Life" is available? It's a 1951 feature film, I believe. I don't >think it's even officially in distribution anymore, but I'm only seeing >VHS copies anyway. If no DVD is available, does anyone know who to >contact for permission to make a DVD copy from a VHS? I see Brandon Films >and Water Bearer Films attached to it, and I think I've seen Brandon >Films as the copyright holder, but have no contact info. > >Any other suggestion welcome. > >Thanks! > >Robin > Robin Feinland Instructional Media Specialist eLearning and Instructional Support Lesley University 29 Everett Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-349-8863<tel:617-349-8863> feinl...@lesley.edu<mailto:feinl...@lesley.edu>
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
