Cannon Video/Summary

Background : Cannon Video (formerly EMI Videogram and Thorn-EMI Video) was originally owned by Thorn-EMI, a multimedia and electronics company until 1986, when Cannon Films bought out Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment and renamed the video division there. In 1984, the parent company formed a joint venture with HBO that was known as Thorn EMI/HBO Video and this US branch of the company was absorbed into the new partnership. In 1987, following a series of divestures, the Australian division was renamed to Crystal Screen Entertainment, and the original US branch, by then known as HBO/Cannon Video, was renamed to HBO Video. This US branch did not see again until 1988 when Cannon returned to the US home video marketplace with Warner Home Video acting as distributor.

1st Logo
(November 15, 1981-Early 1982) Nickname : "Thorn-EMI Video Entertainment"

Logo : On a blue (or dark blue) background, we see the 1979 Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment logo, only it is in black and white and there is now a black box under "THORN EMI" that says "VIDEO".

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Extremely rare. You can find this on the earliest Thorn EMI Video releases, including their first twelve releases (The Tubes Video, April Wine Live in London, I Am a Dancer, Can't Stop the Music, Times Square, Death on the Nile, The Cruel Sea, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Best of Benny Hill, Scars of Dracula, Sophia Loren: Her Own Story and S.O.S. Titanic), and The Mirror Crack'd.

2nd Logo
(March 20, 1982-1985) Nicknames : "Thornimated"

Logo : Against a black background, a blue circle of light zooms up into the screen, spins around, and turns rainbow, then splits into two light circles which spin and shrink into the Thorn corporate shape. A white box with a blue aura is drawn around the shape, and it backs away. As this happens, a white box with the words "THORN EMI" appears under that box, which has since turned blue, and when that backs away a white box surrounds that, the bottom of which contains the word "VIDEO".

FX/SFX : Scanimation.

Music/Sounds : A light, synthesized tune that ends in the beating of a drum.

Music/Sounds Variant : A silent variant was spotted on a Thorn-EMI release of Once Upon a Time in America.

Availability : Rare. Appears on Ready, Steady, Go!: Volume One, the first few collections of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and Danger Mouse. Thorn EMI also distributed releases from Thames Video, Hemdale Film Corporation, The Saul Zaentz Company, Kings Road Entertainment and Carolco Pictures, as well as early HBO material like Flashpoint (1984). Several releases that had this logo were Xtro, The Evil Dead, The Terminator and First Blood. Among the first were Queen's Greatest Flix, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Lord of the Rings, Rockshow, The Burning, and Heartland. This logo is also found on various pre-cert releases in the U.K., including First Blood, A Passage to India, certain copies of The Wicker Man and the later pre-cert release of Watership Down (the very first release, from 1982, has no logo at all).

3rd Logo
(Australia and New Zealand Only; 1982-1983)



Nicknames : "Oceania Thornimated"

Logo : On a blue background, a thorn spins into view, and after it finishes, a box fades in around it, followed by the rest of the Thorn EMI Video logo.

FX/SFX : Simple computer effects.

Music/Sounds :


 * New Zealand : A bombastic fanfare with a male announcer saying "Welcome to the world of Thorn EMI Video Entertainment. Enjoy with us now the movie of your choice, which is just one of the finest range available. These star-studded blockbuster movies, action classics, TV shows, and children's films are duplicated from superior quality 2-inch master tapes, for your enjoyment."


 * Australia : "Imposing Theme Link", by Richard Hill, with an announcer saying "Welcome to the world of Thorn EMI Home Video entertainment. Thorn EMI Video has an exciting catalog of home video programs, from movie blockbusters and action classics, to great children's films and top TV shows, all duplicated from the finest quality 2-inch master tapes for your enjoyment."

Availability : This was found on a New Zealand VHS of Goodbye Pork Pie, as well as Australian releases.

4th Logo
(Australia and New Zealand Only; 1983-1984)



Logo : On a teal background, a large glowing Thorn EMI logo scrolls up and zooms out with a flash. The inner border with "THORN EMI" below flips up to face us, which is followed by a large vertical beam of light turning outward to the left, forming the outer frame with "VIDEO" below. The logo then angles downward and slides out.

FX/SFX : 2D Animation.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over : Same as before.

Availability : Extremely rare; seen on early Australian releases.

Editor's Note : Better animation than before, though not by much, as it is very choppy.

5th Logo
(Australia and New Zealand Only; 1984-1986)

Logo : On a space background, a beam of light brings forth a spinning cube with various movies playing on each side from the upper left corner of the screen. A second later, Thorn EMI Video the movies morph into the Thorn EMI Video logo on a filmstrip, each playing on one side of the cube. As the cube rotates, it shrinks to the upper right hand corner of the screen, where another red beam of light takes it away.

FX/SFX : The spinning box, the 2D thorn logo.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over : "Flash", by Keith Mansfield, accompanied by zapping sounds and a male voiceover who says, "Presenting a world of home video entertainment for your enjoyment from Thorn-EMI Video; Movie blockbusters, action classics, children's films, top TV shows, and much, much more. So stay tuned for preview scenes of other exciting attractions at the end of this movie./So for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy!".

Availability : Seen on every Australian Thorn EMI Video release from 1983 onwards. In other words, it's extremely rare.

1st Logo (1986-1990)
Nickname : "The Cannon Hexagon"

Logo : It's just the 1984/1985 Cannon Films logo shown without any video indicator whatsoever, although the colors are brighter.

FX/SFX : Same as the 1984/1985 Cannon Films logo.

Music/Sounds : Same as the 1984/1985 Cannon Films logo.

Availability : Seen on Cannon Screen Entertainment's releases from the UK, Australia and Germany, such as the German VHS of Superman III, the UK and Australian VHS tapes of Highlander and Link, and the UK VHS tapes of Hero and the Terror, Year of the Dragon, Messenger of Death, American Ninja 3, Joyriders, Appointment with Death and Death Wish 4: The Crackdown.

2nd Logo (1988-1994)
Nickname : "The Cannon Hexagon"

Logo : On a black background, a blue flash occurs, and the words "CANNON VIDEO" and the Cannon logo, both in blue, zoom-out and in simultaneously, respectively. The logo shines, and the words turn gold. Then, the words and logo fly toward the screen, with the logo separating and "folding" away.

FX/SFX : The flash, the words zooming out, and the logo shining.

Music/Sounds :


 * A dreamy tune ending with a synth horn fanfare, which sounds similar to the Cannon Films jingle.
 * Later films used a much more menacing tune.

Availability : Rare. It's seen on old North American tapes of Cannon Films from the time period. Cannon Video titles were distributed by Warner Home Video, but the only way you could tell is the label (striped), and a mention on the back of the box. The "Cheesy Shield" does not make an appearance on any of these tapes, although it does appear before this logo on Brazilian VHS releases of The Borrower and Midnight Ride.

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