Associated British Picture Corporation
Background
Founder John Maxwell bought British National Studios at Elstree in 1927 and renamed the company British International Pictures. An early hit for BIP was Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail (1929), regarded as Britain's first 'talkie'. Hitchcock made several films for the company between 1927 and 1937- his departure for Gaumont-British. Under Maxwell's paternalistic management the company prospered and during 1933 it acquired British Pathé, which as Associated British Pathé now functioned as the distribution division. The company was renamed Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) in 1933 and was now in a position to vertically integrate production, distribution and exhibition of films. After World War II, Maxwell made a deal with Warner Bros. to distribute ABPC films stateside. ABPC's greatest period of success was during the 1950s and 1960s. ABPC was taken over by EMI in 1969.
1st Logo (1930s-1940s)
Visuals: Superimposed on a screen, there is a ribbon. Beneath the ribbon is the white text "ASSOCIATED BRITISH PICTURE" with the small word "CORP. LTD" down below. Below the ribbon is the words "presents" in a script font.
Technique: A printed image made using traditional ink and paint.
Audio: None.
Availability: Can be found on ABPC films from the period, a few examples are The Terror and Thursday's Child.
Note: During the 1950s and 1960s, ABPC did not use a formal logo, instead being named in the opening credits of any films they produced or released.
2nd Logo (July 4-18, 1970)
Visuals: On a black background is multiple rectangle outlines zoom forward bringing forth a blue EMI logo. The logo disappears and the screen zooms into the blue rectangle bringing forth three white circles containing spinning black triangles each containing the letters A, B, P respectively. The triangles move away from the circles and each of the shapes form a stacked pattern. The triangles also become white. The text "ASSOCIATED BRITISH PRODUCTIONS" appears above the shapes followed by "A MEMBER OF THE |EMI| GROUP". "PRESENT" appears beneath the shapes.
Technique: Motion-controlled animation.
Audio: None.
Availability: Its only known appearances are And Soon the Darkness and The Man Who Haunted Himself.
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Associated British Picture Corporation |
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