EMI Films (UK)

Background : This company was the former Associated British Corporation (best known for producing The Avengers). Associated British went bankrupt in 1968 and its assets (Associated British Film Distributors, Elstree Studios, the ABC Cinemas movie theater chain and Thames Television) were purchased by EMI Records They later bought Anglo-Amalgamated in 1971 and British Lion Films in 1976, the latter being folded it into the company. Also, EMI opened its American subsidiary in 1977, with a television division and its own distribution unit, but in 1979, the distribution unit was closed and they went through ITC's Associated Film Distribution unit for its theatrical releases.

1st Logo (1970-1976)

Nicknames : "Black Monument", "The Black Tombstone", "The Filmreels", "Extreme Fast Letters", "Royal EMI".

Logo: On a black screen, we see the company name stacked in a "castellar" font, not unlike that carved into monuments, positioned near the upper-right of the screen. The placement is like this:

       EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED

Variants :
 * For produced movies, the word "PRODUCTIONS" appeared in place of "DISTRIBUTORS".
 * On early Nat Cohan films just after the purchase of Anglo-Amalgamated, we see the words "EMI" zoom back as red and blue lines come from the top of screen to form a spinning film reel. The camera zooms on the red reel and letters spin around it quickly and fly from it which say "NAT COHEN" in the computerized font, then some letters fly in from the top of the screen to the right to form "PRESENTS FOR ANGLO-EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS LTD." below "NAT COHEN" in the same computerized font, letters on the reel disappears when it's almost formed.
 * On a few films, we see on the blue background this text centered in the middle of the screen: "NAT COHEN PRESENTS FOR EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS LTD.". Movies with this version end with the text "A NAT COHEN PRESENTATION FOR EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS". The text is a variant of the font used for the standard logo. On some others, the logo is silent, and has a black background, and the letters look more colored orange.

FX/SFX : None, apart from the name fading onto the screen.

Cheesy Factor : The monument plaque-style font used, and it doesn't quite match the regular EMI logo used on record labels. On the other hand, the Nat Cohen variations have animation that's quite ahead of their time.

Music/Sounds : Silent, or the films opening music, for both variants.
 * For the second Nat Cohan version, a bombastic fanfare is used.
 * On Demons Of The Mind: It uses a dramatic music composition on the Anglo-Emi variant.

Availability : Not widely seen in the U.S. due to replacement with American distributors' logos. It was discovered on the mid 1990s Republic Pictures Home Video release of Hammer Films' Scars of Dracula, and Demons Of The Mind. The second Nat Cohen variant was found on Are You Being Served? (the movie, not the TV show) and a Showtime Networks print of the Roger Corman sex comedy Candy Stripe Nurses (apparently a UK print was used). It was seen after the Paramount logo on Murder on the Orient Express, while the newer copies have the 2013 Universal Pictures and the 2011 StudioCanal logos. It also appeared on the UK theatrical release of Dougal and the Blue Cat, but the VHS release lacks this logo and the DVD has the Second Sight Films logo.

Scare Factor : Depending on the variant:


 * Original Version: Low, due to the lettering being similar to that carved onto tombstones, but has lower levels for the Nat Cohen version due to the smaller font used.


 * Anglo-EMI Version: Low to medium. The letters spinning so fast and the rest of the logo looks sort of ugly. But, some people may find this a cool logo.


 * 2nd Nat Cohan Version: Minimal. The music might spook a few. Nevertheless, this is a royal logo.

2nd Logo (1976-1982)
 * Demons Of The Mind Version: Medium. The dramatic music might increase the scare factor of it.

Nickname : "The EMI Block"

Logo: On a black screen, we see the letters "EMI" (in the familiar logo's font) zoom toward the center of the screen. As the letters move, the background turns into blue and a box zooms out itself into place forming the familiar EMI logo.

Variants :
 * Sometimes the logo is shown in 4:3 "open matte" format and exposes more vertical space, therefore the EMI "rectangle" fills in a letterbox position.
 * For films shot in scope format, the logo is squashed or cropped depending on the film.
 * In later years, after its purchase by Thorn EMI, a byline appears below the logo.

FX/SFX : The EMI lettering zoom-in, and the rectangle drawing itself in.

Cheesy Factor : Simple animation.

Music/Sounds : Usually silent, or on rare occasions, the films opening music.

Availability : Extremely rare in the U.S due to replacement with other distributors logos, while bordering on rare to uncommon in international territories. The easiest place to find this is on International prints of The Driver (after the StudioCanal logo). it was seen at least once when TCM aired Cross Of Iron (which used a restored UK print rather than the U.S DVD master by Hens Tooth Video).

Scare Factor : Medium to high, due to the fast zoom of the logo on a dark background, and the finished product filling the whole screen. The absence of noise could also be a little eerie. Low to medium for the used people.

3rd Logo (1977-1981)

Nicknames : "The EMI Block II", "Blue EMI", "The Record Dudes"

Logo : In the opening scene of a movie, a superimposed still EMI logo appears, except that the legend EMI FILMS, INC. appears under it. "PRESENTS" is also below everything else.

Variants :
 * In The Jazz Singer (the 1980 Neil Diamond version), the EMI logo appears superimposed in the style of the opening credit sequence.
 * The notorious Village People movie Can't Stop The Music had the EMI logo appearing as if it was made of solid silver.
 * The Deer Hunter opened with the Universal Globe (on U.S. prints) followed by a white EMI print logo. When "PRESENTS" fades in, the logo fades out to make room for it.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : Usually silent, or on rare occasions, the films opening music.

Availability : Rare. Given the rather low output of its US branch, it is far easier to find than the British counterpart. It is retained on Convoy, The Jazz Singer (1980) and Can't Stop The Music, among others (having been used as an in-credit logo in the States).

Scare Factor : Low. Given American audiences' familiarity with the logo (via the EMI-America record label and the parent company's ownership of Capitol Records).

3rd Logo (1982-1983)

Nicknames : "The EMI Block III", "Blue EMI II"

Logo : A modified version of the 2nd logo, except it has a thin rectangle and "EMI" is more smller. The byline, either "A MEMBER OF THE THORN EMI GROUP" or "A MEMBER OF THE" with the Thorn EMI logo and the word "GROUP" next to it.

FX/SFX : The EMI lettering zoom-in, and the rectangle drawing itself in.

Cheesy Factor : Rather simple animation, even for the 1970s.

Music/Sounds : Usually silent, or on rare occasions, the film's opening music.

Availability : Uncommon. Not widely seen in the U.S. due to replacement with American distributors' logos. Can be seen on some films of the era on old VHS's and DVD releases, such as the Anchor Bay releases of Tender Mercies and Bad Boys (1983), among others. Most current prints are usually preceded by a StudioCanal logo. This is also seen on the Brazilian DVD of Never Say Never Again, which uses the original UK theatrical print converted to NTSC (most releases have the 3rd Orion Pictures logo instead).

Scare Factor : Low to medium, due to the animation.