Thank you for your preview of The
African Queen
restoration and release on DVD and Blu-ray. Now I can finally sell my
laser disc
version. The questions that have perplexed me are why have the rights to
The
African Queen changed hands, how did Paramount acquire it and why the
long
delay in releasing this title on DVD? Hollywood is an industry that
likes
to double and triple-dip movie releases on DVD and someone has lost a
fortune on
this classic which should have been released over 10 years ago.
Â
Sincerely,
Doug Oswald
Â
Retro responds: Doug, the film has a long and convoluted history in terms of ownership. This goes back to the fact that the film's producer, Sam Spiegel had some complicated financing deals in place in order to produce it. The movie was considered a major failure in terms of artistry - right up until it actually premiered and was highly acclaimed. Over the decades, the rights to the movie changed hands. Some of this background is discussed in the documentary on the new DVD. Ron Smith, who headed the restoration team, said it took years for Paramount to secure the video rights. Incidentally, we just conducted an in-depth interview with Ron about the restoration which we'll be presenting in the near future.