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Posted: Tue., Oct. 8, 2002, 4:01pm PT Lorber, 3DD buy TV rights to classic pix 14 films from the wife of late producer Landau acquired By MEREDITH AMDUR The rarely seen American Film Theater collection of classic titles featuring works by such directors as Arthur Hiller, Tony Richardson, Lindsay Anderson, Harold Pinter and John Frankenheimer is getting a new lease on life. New York-based TV and video distrib Lorber Media and overseas partner 3DD Entertainment out of the U.K. have acquired non-U.S. pay and free TV rights to the collection of 14 films from the wife of late producer Ely Landau. The Landau estate retains theatrical and homevideo rights to the titles and plans to launch a series of U.S. re-releases of the newly digitally remastered films, which include "The Iceman Cometh," "Three Sisters," "A Delicate Balance" and "Man in the Glass Booth" plus a specially backed video/DVD collection. None of the titles has ever been released on video, and they have been virtually unseen for more than 20 years. Landau had originally conceived of the AFT collection to be shown (as it was in selected movie theaters between 1973 and 1976) as a theatrical subscription series , similar to a concert series. In the U.S. market, CEO Richard Lorber says he expects to sell the collection into a pay TV window for broadcast next summer before selling to a specialty basic cable outlet like Bravo, TNT or AMC. 3DD also is producing a one-hour documentary on the AFT and its celebrated directing and acting talent. |