Universum Film AG (1917-1945)
Background
Universum Film AG derives from UFA, the oldest German film studio created in 1917 and produced a lot of worldwide-known films. The studio later went into control of Nazi government and continiued to work during World War II. After the war, the studio facilities remained in Soviet occupation zone and was renamed DEFA, quickly returning to production, becoming the main filmstudio in DDR and created many acclaimed movies until closed in 1992. In West Germany, filming industry remained long dormant, although Universum Film AG was resurrected in 1950's and acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1964. Later Universum Film began releasing home videos since 1979. The merger of Germany led to the existence of loosely based companies UFA, formerly DEFA, and Universum Film with their UFA Home Video label, which got rights to distribute former DEFA-made movies on DVD. Universum Film AG celebrated their 30 years in 2009. This has no relation to the other German company Universum Film GmBH, which uses a logo with planets and confusingly also operates the UFA Home Video label.
UFA Filmkunst
(1930's-1945, 1955-1970's)
Nickname: "UFA Signature", "Almost-Ambigram-Styled Signature"
Logo: We see UFA signature logo taken into a rhombus. Other details depend on the movie shown.
Variants:
- In early years, the construction was thinner.
- On Munchausen, the logo looks like neon-tubes, the rhombus is red and "Filmkunst" appears in decorative font
- On Kolberg, the background was blue and the logo had purple metallic look.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Silence.
Availability: Was seen on German films made in 1930's-1940's, such as Munchausen, Der Blaue Engel, or Kolberg.
Editor's Note: None.
Universum Film AG
1st (known) Logo (1970's-1980's)
Logo: On a space background with the overhead view of the Earth at the bottom, a three-dimensional UFA logo flies in from the top-right in a tilted position, leaving thick solid red-yellowish-white trail with some plastic glare, then "UFA präsentiert:" in the typewriter font wipes in below. The logo and text fade out, leaving the space background, and the words: "Einen kurzen Blick in die große UFA-Video-Welt" would fade in with the same font as before.
FX/SFX: The logo flying in and the words typing in. Good 70's animation.
Music/Sounds: A high string note breaking into the triumphant fanfare accompanied by the swoosh.
Availability: Extremely rare.
Editor's Note: None.
2nd (known) Logo (1980's)
Logo: We zoom through the void of space, suddenly a pink laser comes in from the top-left and hits the near bottom-right corner, forming the grid floor. The horizon flashes and the grid shines, afterwards, the purple shimmering glowing rhombus rises from the horizon to the near-top, the light ping rises from the left corner of the rhombus to the top and shatters, revealing the familiar signature logo inside the blue rhombus, then the red outline wipes in quickly from the top followed by the white outline wiping in from the bottom. However, the logo zooms in and lowers a little, and the text quickly dissolves in below the rhombus, reading:
präsentiert
FX/SFX: The grid, rhombus, and the space background.
Music/Sounds: A spacey synth tune that turns turn into a dramatic fanfare. Whooshes and crashes are heard throughout.
Availability: Rare, was seen on German tapes.
Editor's Note: The synth tune suddenly turning to a dramatic one and the effects used will scare some.
