Samuel Goldwyn Films has signed a worldwide catalog deal with Concord Originals for rights to three Rodgers & Hammerstein films. The distribution pact involves two classic Hollywood films, 1958’s “South Pacific” and 1955’s “Oklahoma!” It also includes a filmed Royal National Theatre production of “Oklahoma!” that was staged in 1998 and starred a pre-Wolverine Hugh Jackman. The films will be released on VOD and other home entertainment platforms in the fourth quarter of 2023. Goldwyn will also release all three films in new DVD and Blu-Ray anniversary editions.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has been actively acquiring library content, nabbing rights to Christopher Nolan’s “Memento,” as well as “The Name of the Rose” starring Sean Connery and “Wild Target” starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint and Bill Nighy.
“We are delighted to partner with Samuel Goldwyn Films to continue championing the legacy of these iconic films from the Concord library and introduce a new generation to these classics from Rodgers & Hammerstein,” said Concord Originals SVP Sophia Dilley.
“Classic cinema and musicals have always been core to the Samuel Goldwyn brand,” said Goldwyn CEO Ben Feingold, adding, “We are excited to be working with Rodgers & Hammerstein and Concord.”
“80 years after their partnership began, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s titles remain a part of the cultural conversation. We look forward to collaborating with the team at Samuel Goldwyn in their new release of these landmark works,” added Imogen Lloyd Webber, SVP of Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
“South Pacific” tells a love story about naive young nurse who is drawn to an older French Plantation owner on a U.S.-occupied South Sea island. “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!” follows two young cowboys who square off against an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler to win the affections of two women they love in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the 20th century.
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Concord Originals rereleased the Jackman version of “Oklahoma!” theatrically this summer in more than 800 cinemas around the world with Trafalgar Releasing as a part of the movie’s 25th Anniversary. It also coincided with the 80th anniversary of the musical’s 1943 premiere on Broadway.
The deal was negotiated by Feingold on behalf of Samuel Goldwyn Films, along with Dilley from Concord Originals and David Markman from DLA Piper LLP (on behalf of Concord).
Samuel Goldwyn Films has also distributed the Oscar-winning “Another Round” and Oscar-nominated film “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.”
