Gaumont (France)

Logo descriptions by EricS., naxo-ole, Supermarty-o, and PAV123
Logo captures by EricS., naxo-ole, Supermarty-o, PAV123, SaganStrikesBack, RedheadXilamGuy, TheEriccorpinc, and Unnepad
Videos captures courtesy of simblos, DudeThatLogo, Peakpasha, Logo Archive (OZ_Paramount87), Eric S., VINCENT, Daniele Carioti, Jason Gibson, BreadCrustCouncil, Sagan Blob Enterprises, Aaron T. Lenc, WorldIntroHD, and EnormousRat

Editions by Unnepad and others.

1st Logo
(1908-1914)

Logo: We see a stylized daisy. "Gaumont" is written inside. Sometimes, "FILMS" is shown above, and "CINEMA" is shown below.

Variants:

The logo appears on an experimental color film made in 1912. Throughout the logo, it slightly changes in hue, demonstrating the technique.
There's a golden version for L'embusqué.

FX/SFX: None. The changing hue in the variant.

Music/Sounds: Possibly the opening theme of the film. Silence for the color variant.

Availability: Ultra rare. It appears in cartels of cinema from Gaumont since 1908 to 1914, and appears on the short film called L'embusqué.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo
(1947-1964, 2006)

Nickname: "Sun Globe"

Logo: We see a revolving globe surrounded by a sun. A filmstrip surrounds the globe, and "GAUMONT" is wiped on it. Afterward,"Distribution" wipes in below the filmstrip in script. At the bottom right, "présente" appears in script.

Variants:

Sometimes, only "Distribution" wipes in below, or there would be no additional text at all.
Martin Rougmaniac: We see the sun globe with the film script. Above the globe "DISTRIBUÉ PAR" appears, and "C.", "P.", "L." and "F." appear from the lower part of the screen to the script. Then, the letters turn transllucent when "LA COMPAGNIE PARISIENNE DE LOCATION DE FILMES" from the left to the right of the script. The transllucent "C.P.L.F." is replaced by "GAUMONT" and "DISTRIBUÉ PAR" disappears.

FX/SFX: The earth moving and the words "Gaumont", "Distribution", and "présente" appearing. On Martin Rougmaniac, the texts "C.P.L.F.", "DISTRIBUÉ PAR", "LA COMPAGNIE PARISIENNE DE LOCATION DE FILMES" and, of course, "GAUMONT".

Music/Sounds: A triumphant fanfare with brass and shrilled violins.

Music/Sounds Variants:

Martin Rougmaniac: A beautiful fanfare made by an orchestra and a chorus, which begins before the logo.
OSS-117: Cairo, Nest of Spies: A rearrangement of the general fanfare is used.

Availability: Rare. It appears on films of the era. The places this logo can be spotted is on the Criterion Collection DVD of The Earrings of Madame de..., and the 2006 film OSS-117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, which is set in 1955. It has also been seen on CodeName: Tiger and Martin Rougmaniac.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo
(1955?-1971)

Nickname: "Sun Globe II"

Logo: We see a globe surrounded by a sun. A filmstrip surrounds the globe, with "GAUMONT" written on it. Written above is "LA SOCIÉTÉ NOUVELLE DES ÉTABLISSEMENTS" and below is "DÉPARTMENT FILMS". "présente" is being written in a rectangle in cursive text in the corner of the screen.

Variant: Originally was in black and white. In later films the logo is now colorised: the background is light blue, the sun is yellow, and the filmstrip is red.

FX/SFX: The globe rotating, and "présente" being written.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2nd logo. In Les Tontons Flingueurs and Les Barbouzes, the logo is silent.

Availability: Ultra rare. It appears on Les Barbouzes, Les Petits Matins, and Les Totons Flingueurs. Recently appeared on the OSS-117 films as a variant.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo
(1971-1980)<iframe frameborder="0" height="0" src="http://wikifoundrytools.com/wiki/closinglogos/widget/unknown/04b1d0b7c234bcede8182dd079072d7d6b988620" width="0"></iframe>

Nicknames: "Sun Globe III", "The Gaumont Daisy", "Daisy of Doom", "The Other G of Doom"

Logo: Against a smoky dark blue BG, we see a revolving orange globe, with several "points" moving like that of a cartoon sun, zooming in from the top right. It immediately cuts to Gaumont's "marguerite" daisy with a "G" inside it, both in white, which resembles the 1st logo's daisy. As it moves out to the left, the BG slowly turns red. Then the words "AUMONT" appear at the right, and "DISTRIBUTION" appears at the lower right.

FX/SFX: The sun globe and smoke effects.

Music/Sounds: A rather ominous fanfare that grows more and more dramatic. Three violin/timpani stabs play in sync with the animations at the end. Sometimes, it is silent.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the TeleMünchen German DVD of LeGuignolo, the music from the 9th logo is strangely kept, possibly due to a reverse plastering error.

Availability: Near extinction. Most current prints of films released during this period are plastered by any of the newer Gaumont logos (mainly the 9th and 10th ones). It is surprisingly intact on the TeleMünchen German DVD of LeGuignolo, and it can be found on the film Violette & François, which can be found in YouTube (albeit with the first half of the llogo cut off and the second half's beginning plagued by VHS artifacts). It can also be seen on La Foiles Des Grandeurs.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo
(1980-1986)

Nicknames: Space Daisy

Logo: On a blue space background, we see a white daisy zooming forward, eventually reaching the viewer and leaving the screen. The text "Gaumont" in an old-English font (the same font used for the 1908 logo) zooms out along with the daisy from before, which stops on top of the text. When it reaches the end of the screen, it disappears.

FX/SFX: The daisy zooming in, zooming out, and disappearing.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic synthesized music score with pounding synth drums, composed by Vladimir Cosma.

Availability: Very rare. This was used in tandem with the next logo until 1986. Most current prints of films released during this period are plastered by any of the newer Gaumont logos (mainly the 11th and 12th ones), such as on the U.S Criterion Collection DVD of Lafemme de chambre et le Peasant (The Maid and the Peasant). This is preserved on Lotaino Da Dove, some DVD releases of Zeder, and the Fox Lorber DVD of The Path to Power.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo
(1981-1994)

Nicknames: "Flowers/Daisies Through the Ages", "The Flowerbed from Space", "Flowered Up", Space Daisy II

Logo: Against a dark blue/black gradient BG with stars shooting forward, several of Gaumont's "marguerite" daisy logos from the past are shown zooming out into the distance. Then, a large white daisy (sans the text) slowly zooms up and out of view. Afterward, the word "Gaumont" in white with the "G" inside the same daisy from earlier (the text appears to be in 3D). The logo continues to zoom out. As this happens, several more stars shoot forward.

Variant: A variant with a gradient BG colored dark blue/dark green was seen.

FX/SFX: The logos zooming.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: Extremely rare, as Gaumont is plastering old logos. Used in tandem with the previous and next logos. This is intact on the R2 DVD of Funny Horsie, the Miramax R1 DVDs of Dead Tired, The Visitors, and on the U.S. Cinema Libre DVD of Bengali Nights. Also, it makes a surprise appearance on a German HDTV airing of La Femme Nikita, instead of the 8th logo.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo

(1980s*-) (*more likely 1984)

Nicknames: "Spinning Daisy", "Retro Daisy"

Logo: Against a black background is "GAUMONT" in a skinny red font, with the "G" inside the stylized daisy from before. The daisy spins as the logo begins, but stops about a second later. On the bottom right of the text, "PRESENTE" appears.

Variants:

A B&W variant has been spotted.
Another version has "DEPUIS QUE LE CINEMA EXISTE" below it.

FX/SFX: The daisy spinning.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Seen on post-'70s reprints of their old films.

Editor's Note: None.

8th Logo
(1985-1995)

Nicknames: "Gaumont in Space", "Zooming Daisy", Space Daisy III

Logo: Against a dark blue gradient BG, we see the Gaumont daisy slowly coming toward us, a la Viacom's "V of Doom", and stars shoot forward as this happens. It fills the screen and then we see the word "aumont" zoom out with a 3D effect. Then it slowly zooms out altogether and disappears. It's similar to the 6th logo except without any daisies.

Variants:

There's an extremely rare version with a pale green background.
Depending on the film quality, the logo would appear on a blue or black background, and the daisy would be in white or dark gray.
Starting in 1990, the logo appears on a black BG, and "Gaumont" is in yellow.

FX/SFX: The daisy zooming in, zooming out, and disappearing.

Music/Sounds: From 1985 to 1992, it used the same music as the 5th and 6th logos. From 1990 onwards on most films, it used a dramatic orchestral opener followed by a majestic fanfare, also heard on the next logo below. The 1990 variant also had the 5th and 6th logos' music, but lower pitched.

Music/Sound Variant: On Peril, a guitar version of the theme is played.

Availability: Very rare. The first version can be found on the Celebrity Home Entertainment/Just for Kids releases of Asterix vs. Caesar and Asterix in Britain. Gaumont is plastering their older logos on any new prints of their titles (with mainly the 9th and 10th logos), such as on the Region 2 DVD releases of the former two Asterix films. However, it makes appearances on the French R2 DVD of The Party, and the 2000 Image Entertainment DVD of The Twelve Chairs after the 1984 CBS/FOX Video logo (being it uses a video master made from a European print). The 1990 version has been spotted on the Fox Lorber DVD of The Last Metro, the R1 Criterion DVD of And The Ship Sails On, TCM airings of Danton, and early French DVDs of La Femme Nikita and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Editor's Note: None.

9th Logo
(1995-2004)

Nicknames: "The Gaumont Map", "The Map/Space", "Gaumont 100", Space Daisy IV

Logo: We see a map of all the Gaumont logos throughout history labeled with their respective years. The camera pans across the map following the logos until it gets to the last one. We then see a bright flash and then the camera zooms in toward a gold Gaumont daisy in space (with stars shooting forward). It has a cloud of gas revolving around it that quickly transforms into the word "Gaumont" (written in red). The daisy also turns red. The logo shines afterward.

Variant: For the logo's 1st year, the words "1895-1995" and "100 ANS DE CINÉMA" were displayed above and below the company name, respectively, in order to commemorate Gaumont's 100th anniversary.

FX/SFX: The camera panning across the map and the bright flash. A very professional logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the black background variation from the 8th logo. On some films, it would be silent, have the films opening theme, or use a wind-blowing theme.

Music/Sounds Variant: On some films that it plasters the 5th-8th logos on, it would use the theme from them. This occurs on the Sony Blu-Ray of La Femme Nikita, the Alliance Atlantis Canadian DVD of The Big Blue, and the CT DVD of Atlantis.

Availability: Uncommon. The full version can be seen on the director's cut of Léon: The Professional (the original U.S. release print replaced it with the Columbia Pictures logo), Just Visiting, Me Myself I, and international prints of The Fifth Element. In the U.S., the short version appeared as a logo for Gaumont Multimedia on the animated series Sky Dancers, Dragon Flyz, Space Goofs, The Magician, and Oggy and the Cockroaches. This does not appear on more recent episodes of the latter series, instead being replaced by the Xilam logo. This also plasters older Gaumont logos on recent prints of their films, such as My Father's Glory.

Editor's Note: This is one of the earliest 100 years logos on the Wiki; most companies haven't been reaching their 100th anniversary until recently.

10th Logo
(2004-2011)

Nicknames: "Kid with Daisy", Space Daisy V

Logo: We start at a black BG, then blue haze rises above a horizon, similar to an eclipse, with fireflies flying about. We seen see a silhouette of a boy walking from the distance and stops at a silhouette of a daisy. The boy then bends down and picks up the daisy, then stands back up and lets go of it. The boy then looks up as we travel to the daisy, which comes closer to the screen. The daisy hen turns colorful and flashes again, turning into the Gaumont logo similar to the previous logo, but more detailed and in 3D. The background changes into a detailed zooming space BG. The Gaumont logo shines and fades out.

Variant: There is also an in-credit logo.

FX/SFX: The kid, the rising, and the sparkling.

Music/Sounds: We start out with a 7-note fantasy-like fanfare. When the kid releases the daisy, a 4-note xylophone melody plays, ending with a dramatic fanfare. On rare occasions, it is silent or has the film's opening theme over it.

Music/Sounds Variant: On a plaster of Lavie dissolue de Gerard Floque, it has the previous logo's music.

Availability: Common. It appears on French films from 2004 to 2011. Was also seen as a shortened and simplified (Flash) version of this logo on the company's website. Also plasters older Gaumont logos on recent prints of their films.

Editor's Note: None.

11th Logo
(2011- )

Logo: On a black background a red light appears and bursts to form a red line. The red line rotates to look like a petal. After this several more petals fall from the screen as the background intensifies to a blood red color. Soon, hundreds of petals appears to form a red Gaumont logo resembling the one from the '80s, but in a more modern look. The petals in the circle keep rotating until the red background becomes black again.

Variants:

In 2015, "depuis que le cinéma existe" ("ever since cinema exists") in the same red font appears below the logo, and in the bottom-right corner, the words "120 ans" ("120 years") appear (in a different red font) in a "flower" similar to the one in the Gaumont logo, obviously to mark Gaumont's 120th anniversary.
Another version has "born with cinema" below it.

FX/SFX: Simple, but great animation that keeps the flower theme from the last logo.

Music/Sounds: A re-orchestrated first few seconds of the opera song Casta Diva, originally composed by Vincenzo Bellini.

Availability: Common. First seen on La Conquête. Also seen on Commeun Chef and Unjourmon père Viendra, among others. Used in tandem with the 7th logo.

Editor's Note: None.

Gaumont (France)

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