Lumiere (UK)

Background : Lumiere Pictures was a British film and television company formed in 1992 as a merger between two French companies: Jean Cazes' Initial Groupe (est. 1984) and Investissements en Droits Audiovisuelles (est. 1987). Lumiere owned a substantial library of films from the Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment/Weintraub library, representing a third of all films made in the UK from the beginning of silent pictures. In 1996, it was acquired by UGC, which was acquired in turn by Canal+ that same year. As a result, Lumiere's library is now owned by StudioCanal.

1st (known) Logo

(Early-Mid 1990s)

Logo : On a blue background we see a gold and silver logo that has the words "LUMIERE" drawn in a 3D isometric view. Rays appear to be hovering on the top and bottom of the logo, to give the logo it's distinctive look. "PICTURES" appears in a box, under the logo.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Appears on the Republic Pictures Home Video releases of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, and the 1996 Director's Cut VHS of Highlander.

Scare Factor : None.

2nd Logo

(Early-Mid 1990s)

Logo : On a white background, we see the Lumiere logo colored pink.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Seen on a few British-distributed Lumiere cassettes.

Scare Factor : None.

3rd (known) Logo

(Mid 1990s-1998)

Logo : We zoom into a cloudy background with faint lightning piercing though the clouds. The camera then pans into a box that is opening up and illuminating light. The camera zooms into an isometric view of the box, in which you could faintly see the words "LUMIERE". The box then explodes and the logo reveals itself.

FX/SFX : Wonderful CGI, but...

Cheesy Factor : The sudden change in the music is very, very awkward.

Music/Sounds : A cool jazz tune, which ends with a choir theme when the logo reveals itself.

Music/Sounds Variants : On the 1997 DVD of Highlander, it uses the 1995 Republic Pictures theme. This is likely due to a strange plaster attempt.

Availability : Uncommon in European territories, but very rare in the United States. It can be seen on the 1997 DVD of Highlander, the MGM DVD of Touch, and the Platinum Disc Corporation release of Somebody to Love. It is also seen on some R2/4 and StudioCanal BD releases of The Deer Hunter and Leaving Las Vegas. This logo is common in Brazil, can be seen in some brazilian releases, as O Trapalhão e a Luz Azul, Olga, Os Normais - O Filme and Cidade de Deus.

Scare Factor : None to low, since people don't like thunder and explosions, but they don't play a major effect on this logo, which is why the scare factor is low. This can be a favorite of those due to its laidback atmosphere.