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As all film collectors know, Film Office was taken over by Hachette in 1981. Hachette was the leading book distributor in France, with sole rights to sell books and newspapers on the SNCF and RATP networks [railways] (Hachette owned 49% of the capital of NMPP). The financial consolidation by acquiring 49.95% of Film Office shares gave Hachette, already active in video production, a direct foothold in video distribution. Film Office was notable as the distributor of the Warner, United Artists and Walt Disney catalogues and, henceforward, rights held by Hachette: Tintin, productions from Marvel, Au théatre ce soir….

Hachette also held 42% of the capital of Pathé Cinéma and, from 1981, was in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox in the production and distribution of cinema releases. It was important therefore to restate the position of Film Office (a company that had never disappeared or become bankrupt, as has too often and quite wrongly been alleged) within the Group, mindful that turnover rose from 19.591m francs in 1981 to 59.139m francs in 1982.

Film Office was from then on part of the audiovisual division of the Hachette Group as re-structured, with Yves Sabouret as Chief Executive.

To look at our area of direct interest, film releases, I met Mr Lannes, commercial Director of Film Office on Tuesday 24^th January for him to explain to me more clearly the motives underlying the ending of 8mm film releases. Although company HQ is in Nueilly on Seine, our meeting was in the Paris office, 25 Rue de Berri in the 8^th arrondisement, near the Place de L’Etoile. Film Office shares the office with another Hachette subsidiary, Edi Monde Loisirs.

After hearing the purpose of my visit Mr Lannes made it clear that printing of Super 8 films definitely ceased at the end of 1987. If copies were later found on dealers shelves, these were mostly remainders, but in any case, there had been no printing since then. The final catalogue had appeared in 1982/1983 and thereafter only occasional print runs had been undertaken to serve a market that, despite everything, Film Office considered to have disappeared. These print runs had been mainly of films popular with the public, some Walt Disney extracts, the Tom and Jerry series and extracts from Emmanuelle…. In fact, it was practically always the same titles that were stocked by the several shops that placed orders in time for the year-end festivities.

In reply to my question about the evidence on which Film Office had based the end of printing, Mr Lannes said that a mail shot during 1987 to 1000 retailers had elicited only 50 or 60 positive responses about demand for film. It must be borne in mind that Film Office publicity had all been directed towards wholesalers and that they had never maintained direct contacts with individual retailers. Film exports were via agents in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, RFA and even North Africa.

It all began in 1946, when two film extras[?] bitten by the cine bug decided to set up a company specialising in sub-standard gauge films, films that anyone could show at home with a simple cine projector in 8, 9.5 or 16mm.This inspired idea proved a success over time and encouraged other similar enterprises. Nevertheless, Film Office remained the undisputed leader in a market it dominated with up to 90% of total sales by 1973. The record year was 1978 with a 22-page catalogue listing 1200 titles. On the subject of the catalogue, the first dates from 1947 and is now a collector’s item. The commercial director is somewhat surprised (and a little flattered) to learn this, as one who has seen thousands of catalogues pulped. But hold on, there is worse: shortly after the advent and success of Super 8, the entire stocks of unsold standard 8 and 9.5 films were binned and sent to dumps in the Ile de France. Each gauge has had its moment of glory in dethroning its predecessor and even Super 8 knew the shame of being binned as a result of stocks of titles no retailer wanted. Once again, the iron law of the market prevails….

Why edited and complete versions? What criteria govern the choice? Essentially commercial, from what Mr Lannes says. Everything depended on the contracts between the film companies and distributors like Film Office. Royalty payments were determined by footage, whether B&W or colour and sound or silent. It was then necessary to respond to the very diverse tastes of a wide public who were by no means collectors nor ready to invest significant amounts in complete Super 8 versions, whether sound or silent. Mr Lannes recognised that prices were substantial for the time, but justified them by reference to royalties and laboratory costs. The laboratories were unwilling to undertake runs of fewer than 52 copies per title (printed four at a time).

As for complete versions of films, these came to the catalogue quite late because they were always much more difficult to sell. In 1980, Film Office decided by way of experiment to issue two popular successes: La Grande vadrouille and Le Corniaud. Print runs of between 500 and 600 demonstrated high levels of optimism, counting on an unprecedented commercial success based in part on the all-time record for a French film achieved by La Grande vadrouille, with 17.266m in ticket sales in cinemas. Unfortunately, these hopes were overturned by a new arrival: video.

Mr Lannes explained that both Film Office and Walt Disney Productions had come late to video. Basically, you didn’t change a winning formula while it continued to pay dividends. In general terms, the success of film on TV did not of itself explain the crisis of falling ticket sales at the cinema. The film market was changing and companies were striving to adapt to the new situation. Competitors had quickly seen this and had rushed to pick up the ball and run with it (to make up for serious management errors, Mr Lannes said). Therefore, although most competitors had gone bankrupt in the course of this difficult re-adjustment, Film Office was still in a market that was undergoing radical change thanks to the unwavering support of Walt Disney Productions who had judged the right horse to back for the release and distribution of cine products for the mass market. Obviously, this fact had been taken into account in the context of the financial consolidation promoted by the policy wonks at Hachette. If proof were needed, it would be found in the extraordinary similarity between the titles released on video and those already released on Super 8 (the exclusive presence of complete versions was the only real difference).

In conclusion, according to Mr Lannes, Film Office had never sought to "bury" Super 8 as some collectors had been too ready to suggest. It was the public who had changed and who had replaced the traditional Super 8 home movie projector with a VHS VCR.

In showing me out, the commercial director explained that he would be retiring next year; at that moment I felt that the page had been well and truly turned, that an era had in some way come to an end.

In the face of this manifest and undeniable situation, there is no point in attacking photographic shops when they respond "What?" to the traditional question "Have you got any Super 8 films?" that you persist in putting when you see the old-fashioned Photo-Cine neon sign. The hardened film collector must look elsewhere. As for France, there is only Les Grands Films Classiques in Paris (as reported in many previous articles). Those mainly interested in Film Office releases (whose number is legion) must possess their souls in patience and scan the lists of second-hand films issued here and there by various specialist dealers and by Michael Nouchy’s Occafilms, on which we have also reported in an article in Infos-Ciné No. 3.

One last tip that I have found useful; place a small ad in magazines such as "Plaisirs du Cinéma et de la Vidéo", "Chasseur d’Images", "Vidéo 7 and other video mags ( because even in this type of mag, it can work; think of the poor unfortunate who has invested in video and wants to get rid of a collection of Super 8 films now useless and in the way) or even local papers which, I am sure, have sprung up in your area. The cost of an advert is well worth the trouble and you will sometimes be agreeably surprised by what you are offered and the price asked. In a situation where the law of supply and demand no longer applies, (we are not speaking of collecting but of getting rid of what is seen as junk) and prices are generally a matter for agreement between the two parties, leaving you ample margin to negotiate for something that nobody but you is interested in.

(This article first appeared in issue No. 6 of Infos-Ciné, June 1989).

Do we need to explain what a film distributor means to a collector?

Apart from getting new films, he can order any film he wants from the catalogue.

If the secondhand market is sometimes interesting, you can’t organise your purchases and quality is not guaranteed; films are often sold at high prices and in unsatisfactory condition (splices, scratches, missing sections etc….).

Fortunately, there are some honest sellers.

However, although distributors past and present could guarantee print quality which, en passant, is not always good), there are regrettably huge numbers of edited or incomplete films or short extracts in all genres. I am thinking particularly of my own area of special interest: American comedies.

Putting the US situation to one side, let’s look at the balance sheet for our own country.

Kodak – who had to cease activity in the 40’s and 50’s (?) – printed many complete films, at levels of quality ranging from acceptable to barely passable on 8 and 16.

Pathé, in 8 and 9.5 and Film Office in the three gauges, were notable for good quality prints, but not always complete (especially Film Office) and both championed the short extract (1/4 and ½ reel). What a terrible shame! What a blow to Cine! Daniel Florence used to say that the distributors never treated their customers as collectors.

One man, however, issued complete films on narrow gauges in France: I am talking about Jean Gaborit.

Jean Gaborit was a cinema professional. He restored L’Atlantide (Pabst) and, with Jacques Durand, Renoir’s La Règle du Jeu.

He was also a producer for French TV,inter alia producing, with Jacques Durand, the series The Great American Comedies(Comics?) He not only had extensive knowledge of cinema, but his love for cinema went far beyond the purely professional. He wanted to spread knowledge of the cinema and turned his mind to film lovers who already had libraries and record collections and hoped to create a home film library.

In 1971 he set up CINEMATHEQUE POUR VOUS(CPV). CPV was a club with the aims of

- bringing cine collectors together

- arranging mutual contact

- publishing a magazine

- helping to track down and exchange films

- but above all, releasing on 8 and Super 8 complete versions of the great classics of cinema.

Apart form Jean Gaborit, the founding members were Mrs Françoise Gaborit (President), Catherine Gaborit-Girault (Treasurer). Marie-Claude Sebaoun (Secretary) and Simon Dargols. The magazine was edited by Jean and Françoise Gaborit. There was a Number Zero, then Number One appeared in the fourth quarter of 1971.

From the start, characters such as Pierre Tchernia, Robert Dhery and Maurice Ronet were members.

Equally notable was the standard of articles appearing in the magazine, the authors being cinema historians or experienced cinephiles: Raymond Borde, Pierre Leprohon, Jacques Robert, Claude Beylie, Robert Florey, Roger Icart, Jean Mitry, Jean Gaborit…

The last issue was the double No. 6/7(Jan/Feb/Mar 1973). Of course, the magazine carried small ads and, interestingly, an "Any Answers" section where anyone could put forward for advice problems they had been unable to resolve (film identification, length of a complete version….).

The mere existence of the club helped to bring collectors together and to meet the need for information and communication.

One other point was close to Jean Gaborit’s heart: releasing complete versions of the great classics on narrow gauge. The aim was two-fold; "to introduce to collecting that section of the public that was interested and keen to know more but who were daunted by the high price of 16mm prints and the space they took up" and to issue complete narrow-gauge prints, something not attempted by the big distributors.

Of course, 16mm was not ignored. To make prints, an original was needed. It was the club "Connaissance du Cinema", set up several years earlier by Jean Gaborit himself that, through its researches and exchanges, was to make it possible for CPV to release films.

A pool of films for release was built up by purchasing rights in various countries.

It was a considerable undertaking: research, negotiating to buy rights etc. But the results were worth it; in American comedies alone, the catalogue comprised no less that two hundred titles. To this must be added titles by Méliès, Jean Vigo, cartoons, major historical events classic features (Les Trois lumières, Le Dernier des homes. Le Cabinet du Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu le vampire, Métropolis) but also imports from the prestigious American distributor, Blackhawk.

Such was the scope of the CPV-Connaissance du monde catalogue, and all the films were available in 16mm as well as 8 and Super 8. It’s would be impossible to list here all the titles issued in this period.

During 1972, Jean Gaborit, with Simon Dargols and André Marinie, set up the Association "Les Amis de Charlot". The CPV mag opened its pages to this association, whose aim was not simply to bring together Chaplin fans but to create a cine club "designed to arrange showings of Chaplin films no longer under copyright and American silent comedies".

I have wonderful memories of these shows, where I saw some excellent comedies.

Although the CPV club formula had advantages (mag, small ads, film of the month promotions, credit sales…) it did have one serious drawback which was in the end fatal; sales were so poor and its impact so limited that it took up too much of Jean Gaborit’s time and energy, when he was already ill. The operation was no longer sustainable.

Jean Gaborit left us in April 1976 and with him went CPV and the "Friends of Chaplin". Today, only the "Connaissance du cinema" remains. Françoise Gaborit is the President, Annette Ferrasson, Director, Sophie Leroureau covers programming and Catherine Gaborit assists the team. She has restored three Pabst films issued by "Connaissances du cinema" : Loulou, La Rue sans joie and Le Journal d’une fille perdue.

By 1981, all the 16mm copies made for collectors were gone, and only a few Super 8 titles remained. There is no point in contacting Connaissances du cinema, there are no copies left and Catherine Gaborit does not plan to print any more. Only the negs belonging to CPV remain, which are being carefully conserved.

It’s a bit upsetting for collectors to know that a veritable treasure-house of full-length comedies, often unavailable from American distributors, exists in negative but with no prospect of further prints, but that’s the way it is, the only consolation being that the films do exist on video.

We can only regret the passing of CPV and hope to find copies on the secondhand market.

My thanks to Catherine Gaborit for all the information she provided and who authorised this article.

(This article by Jacques Bourget appeared in No 13 of Infos-Ciné, July 1991)

The list of films below is a mess when imported as a Word document, so it's a pic.

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