Embassy Films Associates
James Fabiano, Sean Beard, Eric S., Jess Williams, Matthew Anscher, Supermarty-o, Mark Edward Heuek and indycar
Captures by
Eric S., V of Doom, Supermarty-o, Derrick Anderson, Gilblitz112 and TheEriccorpinc
Editions by
V of Doom, Mr. Logo Lord, kidinbed, Shadeed A. Kelly and indycar
Video captures courtesy of
eyeh8nbc and AaronTLenc2
Background
In January 1982, when acclaimed TV producers Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio acquired Avco Embassy Television and dropped "Avco" from its name, the film division followed suit, reverting to the previous Embassy Pictures name. In 1984, the film division was renamed "Embassy Film Associates". Lord Lew Grade (who had just stepped down as head of ITC Entertainment) was brought in to run the international unit until Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy to The Coca-Cola Company on June 18, 1985.
In late 1985, Coca-Cola sold the Embassy Pictures division to Dino de Laurentiis, who folded Embassy Films Associates into his own De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. However, Coca-Cola continued to own the television division, by now renamed to ELP Communications (standing for Embassy Limited Partnership, Embassy Lear Perenchio, or Embassy Lear Pictures, depending on the source), which subsequently served as an in-name only unit of Columbia Pictures Television. Coca-Cola then sold Embassy Home Entertainment to Nelson Holdings International, which formed Nelson Entertainment in 1986.
In 1988, DEG went bankrupt and its library assets were sold to Parafrance International, a firm eventually purchased by StudioCanal, which merged the DEG library with that of Carolco Pictures when it itself went bankrupt (Carolco owned DEG's Wilmington studio and the rights to several features that were in production at the time of the DEG bankruptcy).
Currently, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer owns American home media rights to most of the Embassy film library after they acquired the rights to the pre-March 31, 1996 PolyGram library, which also included the Nelson library. Sony Pictures Television owns television rights to the film library as successor-in-interest to Embassy Communications. Sony also owns the Embassy logo, names and trademarks through ELP Communications. Lionsgate Films owns American streaming rights to select titles in the Embassy library, and home media rights to at least some of the same, by agreement with StudioCanal.
Logo (February 19, 1982-May 2, 1986)
Visuals: Over a blue background, 2 large white pieces, consisting of a large white E with a triangle cut-out, and a strange-looking "C" zoom out while rotating clockwise. They slowly move together during this, in which they meet up to form the Embassy logo, a boldface "E" in Futura Medium Bold BT extended to feature a star cut-out. The text "EMBASSYPICTURES" in the same font as the logo, fades in underneath, as well as a registered trademark symbol under it.
Trivia: This logo was designed by Chermayeff & Geismar Associates of New York, who also designed the 1984 PBS logo.
Variants:
- Starting in 1984, the logo appears without the "EMBASSY PICTURES" text and the registered trademark symbol is shifted to the logo. This is when the film division was referred to as "Embassy Films Associates".
- Depending on the film, the color of the blue background may differ, and the "☆E" may be gray.
- Some films lack the registered trademark symbol.
- Current prints of This is Spinal Tap have the colors highly saturated, making it resemble the Embassy Television logo.
Technique: Motion-controlled animation, done by R/Greenberg Associates.
Audio: None, or the film's opening score.
Availability:
- Embassy's library is shared in various forms by StudioCanal (copyright and most international rights), MGM (domestic home media rights), SPT (television rights) and Lionsgate (domestic internet streaming rights under license from StudioCanal) with any of their logos preceding this logo.
- It is more common than the Embassy Television logos and can still be seen on This is Spinal Tap and The Sure Thing.
- The version without the text can be seen on the 2013 Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-ray releases of Crimewave, the 2014 Kino Lorber Blu-ray of The Emerald Forest, the trailer for A Chorus Line and the VHS release of The Sure Thing (along with some television airings). However, the 2004 MGM DVD release and Encore airings of the latter use the standard version instead. It was also seen on the MGM Movie Time VHS of Eddie and the Cruisers.
- This might have appeared on theatrical prints of Zapped and Parasite (1982), but home media releases show no evidence.
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