16mm Print of SOTS on Ebay

[Bugsmer]

Somebody is selling for almost $1000.00 a 16mm print of Song of The South (http://cgi.ebay.com/16mm-Disney-SONG-OF-THE-SOUTH-1946_W0QQitemZ120295036091QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63821 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)on Ebay.

[Leviathan]

That's actually not that bad a deal, considering how rare the film is.

[Tom Stathes]

And it comes from a reputable collector. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with the purchase.

[thornhill]

It's not that good of a deal. That guy ripped me off on a Marx Bros. feature last year.

[Tom Stathes]

Has that been taken up on the 16 forum?

[Vdubdavid]

I wonder if this print is duped from an original release copy, and would thus have the RKO name at the start, or is a Buena Vista reissue?

[Ray Pointer]

I wonder if this print is duped from an original release copy, and would thus have the RKO name at the start, or is a Buena Vista reissue?

Does it matter? It must be a new print considering the high price tag. Normally color features used to sell for around $365.00, but that was when I was in the collecting circles 30 years ago.

[Tom Stathes]

High demand features on low or non-fade color stocks can command prices in the thousands, most notably films like Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Similarly, good prints of the better Disney features have fetched well over the $500 mark with 1940s and 1950s originals commanding even higher prices.
Buena Vista prints, someone correct me if I'm wrong, were made in 80s or so and are definitely legitimate...just later issues.

[Steve Stanch]

I've seen a print of that same reduction... it's very nice, though not as good as some of the other prints of other titles....I wish the colors were a little more saturated. It's from a 35mm print, though perhaps not IB. Still, it is a rare film in 16mm. The 1986 prints in 16mm are the only low fades ones you'll find. The other prints are Kodak SP and are fairly orange these days..

[Ray Pointer]

Disney was not releasing in Technicolor prints in the 1970s when SONG OF THE SOUTH was re-released "by popular demand." This may explain why the colors may not seem as saturated. There have been reductions of the various segments floating around for over 30 years as well. Again, these were on Eastman color stock since that was preferred stock then as promoted by Eastman Kodak. Color Reversal prints that I have are not faded after all these years.

[Steve Stanch]

Disney often would use older prints of the features for reissues, so there were IB Technicolor prints issued in the 70's of most of the older Disney features through the late 70's (Disney's 1978 reissue of Pinocchio was the last to use the IB prints). Often the studio would 'rejuvinate' these older Technicolor prints to remove scratches, coating both sides of the film with a plastic-like substance. The problem with this process is that it sealed the film stock, not allowing it to breathe, so the prints would start to degass, releasing a strong smell and eventually curling up/shinking. The film collecting circles call this 'vinegar sydrome'; a term Kodak picked up on in the late 80's. The truth is that it's the acetate stock starting to decompose. Other conditions can lead to decomposition, but it is usually related to prints that are sealed in cans or sealed with this plastic-like coating (One was called Vacumite, other called Pix Fix....).

Song of the South has been an especially hard film to find in good color; the 1972 reissue used both (older) IB and Eastman prints. The Eastman prints then were somewhat brownish, as was the all Eastman 1980 reissue (even without any fade). I haven't seen the 1986 print, but it was full frame on Low Fade stock.

This is why there are so many prints of Disney features in 35mm with VS..... Sometimes they would pair IB reels of the whole feature together, and sometimes they would combine reels with new Eastmancolor prints-some reels in Tech and others in Eastman (either Eastman SP (after 78) or Standard Eastman color).

Many prints of kiddie features have this same issue (as in prints of the 50's stop motion Hansel and Gretel).

[thornhill]

I smell something stenchy.

[The G Man]

(though such things shouldn't be in the public forum, to be fair, I sent his package a week and half ago, and sent email after email to him- only to keep getting emails stating he never gets a response from me! He did today though....finally!)I have just received your emails, and have deleted my previous posts regarding this matter. I sincerely apologize for any suspicion I may have aroused.