PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Background
PolyGram Pictures was formed in 1979 by producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber. It was the launched as the film division of the PolyGram Records label. Universal Pictures would handle U.S. distribution for a majority of their films (with the exceptions of Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing, Split Image and Flashdance, which were distributed by United Artists, Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures respectively) while Producers Sales Organization would handle distribution outside the US. In 1982, Peters and Guber left PolyGram to form The Guber-Peters Company which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later in 1983. Two years later in 1985, MCA Home Video sold the video rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to Vestron Video as a way of cutting losses due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to Deadly Blessing would go to Embassy Home Entertainment while the rights to Flashdance would remain with Paramount. Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram films they distributed, which included Endless Love, An American Werewolf in London and Missing, among others. Lionsgate holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures-era films (except Flashdance) such as The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, King of the Mountain and Six Weeks, under license from Hearst Entertainment, which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features, Lionsgate eventually gained the TV/streaming rights to Hearst's library in 2015.

In 1986, PolyGram Pictures was relaunched as "PolyGram Filmed Entertainment". The reorganized film unit was based in England and became a European competitor to Hollywood. However, they didn't enter full US distribution or use a logo until 1992. Prior to that, PolyGram often used other US distributors for some of their films such as The Samuel Goldwyn Company (Wild at Heart and Fear, Anxiety & Depression) and New Line Cinema (Drop Dead Fred, Fools of Fortune and Chicago Joe and the Showgirl). Between 1990 and 1995, PolyGram would acquire several production companies such as Working Title Films, Propaganda Films, Interscope Communications, Island Pictures and ITC Entertainment, among others. They also formed 2 other labels as well: Gramercy Pictures in 1992 (which was launched as a joint venture between PolyGram and Universal Pictures. It also acted as an art house label for Universal and a US distributor for PolyGram) and Rogue Pictures in 1997 (which was launched as a low budget label for PolyGram). In 1998, PolyGram was acquired by Seagram & Sons, and operated until 2000, when it was shut down and folded into Universal Studios. In 1999, Seagram & Sons sold most of the pre-March 31, 1996 library to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and it was incorporated into their Orion Pictures library. Currently, most of the pre-March 31, 1996 PolyGram film library, including most films from Island Pictures, the entire Atlantic Releasing Corporation library (through Island), and the Epic library (which PolyGram had acquired in 1997), is owned by MGM while Universal owns the rights to some pre-March 31, 1996 films (Backbeat, Before the Rain, Hate (also known as La Haine), The Jacksons: An American Dream, Drop Dead Fred (in the UK only) and Cold Blooded) and the rest of PolyGram's films until its disestablishment.

1st Logo (May 18, 1980)
Logo: We see the text "PolyGram Pictures" in. There are stars lined up underneath the name.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the movie.

Availability: Extremely rare. Only known to be seen on the 1980 ABC TV movie Mysteries of the Sea, which is very hard to come by as it seems to not have been reran in years and the recording that's available may be from the only airing the film had.

2nd Logo (April 4, 1981-April 14, 1982)
Logo: On a black background, we see stars going up, then down in a curve (like the 1980 Telepictures Corporation logo), revealing the text:

PolyGram Pictures

The stars are in a line under the name.

Variants:
 * An early variant features the stars and name wiping, without any animation at all.
 * On An American Werewolf in London, the logo cuts to black instead of fading to black at the end.

Technique: Scanimate effects.

Music/Sounds: Usually none or the opening theme of the film.

Availability: Appears on An American Werewolf in London, Endless Love, King of the Mountain and Deadly Blessing (preceded by the 1976 United Artists Pictures logo). Also seen on the 2013 Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-Ray release of the latter.

3rd Logo (November 13, 1981)
Logo: On a background of, and yellow stripes, we see the words "POLYGRAM" in a Prisma-like font near the middle of the screen.

Variant: An open-matte version exists on VHS prints of the film.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Very rare. The only known film to use this logo is The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper. Preserved on current prints (including the future Kino Lorber Blu-Ray release) and the 1982 MCA Videocassette VHS release of said movie.

1st Logo (September 4, 1992-1998)
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Logo: On a black background, "PolyGram" appears. Then "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" appears under the name. A line is drawn between "PolyGram" and "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT", which causes a  flash after it stops drawing, then it shines once.

Variants:
 * There is an earlier version where the words are already faded in, and the colors are completely inverted.
 * On some movies, "FILM DISTRIBUTION" replaces "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT". This can be spotted on the 1998 film, Le Clone.
 * There is a scope variant where the logo is cropped from 1.85 to 2.35 to fit the aspect ratio. This can be spotted on Moonlight and Valentino, French Kiss (which was a co-production with 20th Century Fox) and the theatrical trailers for The Game (1997).
 * A rare variation of this logo exists where the text "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION" appeared underneath the PolyGram name, the red line is longer and it flashes afterwards with no shining.
 * On a September 27, 2004 French airing of Romeo is Bleeding (1993) on M6, there is an ultra rare variant where the entire logo is in a different font. The line also doesn't flash or shine.
 * On The Price of Love, the text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" is shown above the logo.

Technique: Motion-controlled computer animation.

Music/Sounds: Usually none or the opening theme of the film.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * The 1999 Universal Studios Home Entertainment UK DVD of Twelve Monkeys uses the last half of the fanfare from the 1990 Universal logo, due to an editing mistake.
 * On Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie (or Bean: The Movie in the USA), a ding can be heard when the logo flashes, part of the film’s opening score. It can also be heard on the film’s deleted scenes featurette Bean Scenes Unseen.

Availability: Uncommon. Found on most 1992 to 1997 PolyGram films, most notably Posse, Romeo is Bleeding, Jason's Lyric, Four Weddings and a Funeral (it was left intact on the 2007 MGM Region 4 DVD release, proceeded by the 1986 MGM logo), Dead Man Walking, Kalifornia (1997 PolyGram Video DVD and 2000 MGM DVD releases only, the 1994 PolyGram Video VHS release and current prints have this logo removed), A Gnome Named Gnorm (1994 PolyGram Video VHS release only, plastered by the 2005 Lionsgate Films logo on current prints due to PolyGram only handling that home media release and Lionsgate owning the film through producer Vestron Pictures), Fargo, The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (but not on the 1995 PolyGram Video VHS release) and Bean, among others. Also seen on UK trailers for PolyGram films, some which can be found on VHS releases in the United States by PolyGram Video. Appears on the PolyGram Video United Kingdom VHS, some 1996 US VHS prints, and 1999 MGM US DVD of The Usual Suspects. This logo is not seen on Shallow Grave, the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman films (which PolyGram gets credited as a producer on due to Jon Peters and Peter Guber producing the films and PolyGram receiving a portion of the films' earnings as part of Peters's and Guber's departure from the studio), The Matchmaker or any pre-1992 PolyGram films. It is unknown if this appears on any video prints of The Basketball Diaries, which they acquired through its purchase of Island World a few months before its theatrical release. On newer prints of post-1996 films, and pre-1996 films that they own, this is plastered with the 1997 Universal logo. This is seen on current prints of The Borrowers (which originally used the next logo) when it last aired on Disney XD, Discovery Family and Netflix and on the Universal DVD as well (after the 1997 Universal logo respectively). This also happens on a 16th April 2001 UK airing of Spice World: The Movie (1997) on BBC One as well. The inverted variant can be seen on The Jacksons: An American Dream on TV One, VH1 and VH1 Classic, although it's plastered by the short version of the 1997 Universal logo on BET and Centric (now BET Her) broadcasts, the Motown DVD releases and Tubi's print. This logo also made an appearance during the documentary Return to Shining Time: Your Ticket to Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which can be seen as a bonus feature on the 2020 Blu-Ray/DVD copy of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

2nd Logo (September 12, 1997-April 2, 1999)
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Logo: On an dark cloudy skyscape, we see a transparent, crystallized winged man standing against some mountains. The camera pans outward as he jumps up and remains in the air, as his wings move back and forth. The camera pans to his left as he freezes in the air, where several white streaks appear across his body. The silver word "POLYGRAM" flies under the man and centers in place as he flashes white all over and becomes still. "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" (or "FILMS") appears under "POLYGRAM", and everything shines.

Trivia: This logo was designed by Michael J. Deas, who painted and designed the 1992 Columbia Pictures and 1993 Merv Griffin Enterprises logos, and animated by the London-based Picture Production Company. It was created to coincide with the launch of PolyGram Films, which was to release PFE's big-budget releases in the U.S. The logo was based off of the sculpture "Speed" by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, intended as a hood ornament for cars by the Gorham Manufacturing Company. It may be based off of the ancient Greek statue known as The Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Variants:
 * A prototype version of the logo exists, with just the winged man and the word "POLYGRAM" in a stylistic font. Then either "FILMS" or "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" in a smaller font fades in.
 * Some direct-to-video releases, such as Cats, refer to the company as "POLYGRAM VISUAL PROGRAMMING".
 * There is a cut short videotaped variant that can be found on several UK VHS releases such as Spice World: The Movie and Bean (both 1997), and Barney's Great Adventure, among others. This just has the Icarus shining and the "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" text zooming out underneath. This was also used as the basis for the short PolyGram Video and PolyGram Television logos.
 * A cut short videotaped variant of the "POLYGRAM VISUAL PROGRAMMING" logo also exists which is seen on a UK VHS trailer for Maisy.
 * An open matte version can be found on the theatrical trailer for Barney's Great Adventure.
 * There are two variants done for some films shot in the 2.35 aspect ratio. There is one where the 1.85 variant is cropped to 2.35 to accommodate the scope format. The other one is where the 4:3 version is cropped to 2.35. The cropped 1.85 version can be found on the PolyGram Video DVD of Your Friends and Neighbors. The cropped 4.3 version plasters over the prototype version on some prints of The Game.
 * Another variant exists where "FILM DISTRIBUTION" replaces "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT". This can be spotted on a French trailer for The Borrowers in a short version while the full version is found on both Fin août, début septembre and Trafic d'influence, the latter of which is in scope.
 * On a promotion seen before the warning screen of the French VHS tape of Spice World: The Movie, the "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" variant of the prototype version of the logo is seen with a dark yellow tint.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the film.

Availability: Very rare. This was used for only three years, and later home media releases as well as most television airings of films that originally used this logo have it plastered by the 1997 Universal logo. Theatrically, the "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" variant was seen outside of the US, while the "FILMS" variant appeared on PFE's "tentpole" features in the US, including The Game, The Borrowers, Barney's Great Adventure, What Dreams May Come, Very Bad Things, Return to Paradise, and The Proposition. PFE's other films would use the Gramercy Pictures logo in the US instead. Can be found on PolyGram Video VHS and DVD releases of films such as Barney's Great Adventure, The Big Lebowski, Elizabeth, Clay Pigeons, The Borrowers, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, among others. The prototype version with "FILMS" can be seen on The Game (where the logo debuted), a teaser trailer and a TV spot for The Borrowers and a trailer for Barney's Great Adventure which can be found on the Lyrick Studios VHS releases of Barney: It's Time For Counting and Barney In Outer Space, including the screener version of the latter. The "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" variant of the prototype version can be seen on Dead Letter Office, the United Kingdom trailer for The Game, the theatrical trailer for The Borrowers and makes a surprise appearance on an early teaser trailer for The Green Mile. When Universal Studios Home Entertainment reissued PolyGram Video/USA Home Entertainment DVD releases from 2002 to 2004, they re-released the PolyGram manufactured discs in their original packaging, but edited out almost all references to said company on the cases (however, it would be likely that films from this time frame released in this method would preserve this logo) - one such release was a 2003 reprint of The Big Lebowski under Universal. Also found intact on a 2008 Showtime airing of The Hi-Lo Country, as well as a Hulu print of Your Friends & Neighbors. The "FILMS" variant was seen on theatrical prints of The Borrowers and on a TMC on Demand print of What Dreams May Come (the VHS and original DVDs of both films used the "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" variant). One of few films, if not the only one, to retain this on all current prints is Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie, where it's sometimes preceded by the 1997 Universal logo, especially since 2014 when Mattel (a Universal partner) acquired the HiT Entertainment library.