1954 ANIMAL FARM BONAFIDE HALAS
special collector's edition DVD
new digital restoration of
the 1954 film produced by
John Halas and Joy Batchelor
To Orwell Today,
re: ORIGINAL ANIMAL FARM MOVIE
Dear Jackie,
Thanks for that. I am glad to see that on the reverse side they do give us a credit....but they have no contract with us or any kind of agreement.
I have now found out more about the rogue Animal Farm DVD from various distributor friends and find that it is in fact a $1 DIGIVIEW DVD. They are manufactured in Hong Kong and sold through Canada, but they have a U.S. address. They probably truly believe that Animal Farm is in the public domain. It is not. That error goes back to the 1970s when dupe 16mm & super 8 prints were sold. Generally these DVDs are sold at discount stores like Target & K-Mart.
Both Halas & Batchelor and our US distributor IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT (formally Home Vision Entertainment/Public Media) will be contacting them but meanwhile please would you remove their DVD sleeve image from your site and use a real one which I am attaching. Any bona fide DVD will have an original image from our film and the correct credits and copyright notices. Our original DVDs have been digitally restored and re-mastered and come with great bonus material including 'a making of' program by the BBC.
Many thanks for your help in passing on the word.
Best wishes,
Vivien Halas
THE HALAS & BATCHELOR COLLECTION
PS - Your readers may be interested in our book on the Halas & Batchelor studio 'Halas & Batchelor, An Animated History' that includes chapters on the making of Animal Farm and the excellent book by Daniel J Leab 'Orwell Subverted' that tells all about the CIA and the filming of Animal Farm.
There is also a very interesting interview with the great Japanese animator Miyazaki Hayao talking about Animal Farm as the film is currently being launched along with a splendid exhibition at The Ghibli Museum in Tokyo.
Greetings Vivien,
It's magical (godcidental) the way Orwell brings people together from all over the world who contribute in their own way to interpreting his great work.
Now, through you (the daughter of John Halas, the founder of the company that produced the original animated film of ANIMAL FARM in 1954) readers of "Orwell Today" are hearing the facts "straight from the horse's mouth" (and it couldn't be illustrated any better).
Thanks for attaching the front and back covers (scanned above) of the ANIMAL FARM DVD by Halas & Batchelor which will help readers find it when looking for the bona fide original.
Your book about the history of the animation studio of your parents - John Halas & Joy Batchelor - would no doubt be a very interesting learning and visual experience.
All the best,
Jackie Jura
PS - Does your company still have copies of the book Orwell's wife Sonia is holding below?
I scanned the photo from the London Times of August 15, 2004. I was in England at the time (visiting relatives and doing PILGRIMAGE TO ORWELL and godcidently came across the article while reading the Sunday magazine supplement. See ORWELL A WRITER WRONGED.
PPS - I notice on your website there's a photo of Sonia Orwell with your parents at the celebration launch of ANIMAL FARM in January 1955.
ANIMAL FARM HARDCOVER GIFT (1954 illustrated edition of ANIMAL FARM by Batchelor & Halas)
WALLLINGTON WILLINGDON ANIMAL FARM
ANIMAL FARM A BAD MOVIE (a UK made-for-TV adaptation produced in 1999 and distributed in America in 2001 by Turner-Time-Warner)
1984 A BAD MOVIE (came out in 1984 starring Richard Burton and John Hurt)
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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