Now available on DVD, this documentary looks at the ups and downs of Technicolor and the importance of film milestones such as 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; 'Becky Sharp'; 'The Black Pirate'; and 'Gone With The Wind'. It shows how colour in films grew from experiments in two-strip and three-strip bits to full-length mistakes, travelogues and total triumphs.
It makes interesting points about the fear of actresses that colour would remove their mystique (until Dietrich and 'The Garden of Allah' that is); about the constant interference of Natalie Kalmus ('creative consultant' on all Technicolor films); and about the eventual acceptance of the process as industry standard worldwide. The examples shown prove that the colour palette available to films in their heyday enhanced the 'golden age' - later films in Eastmancolor and the like look washed-out in comparison.
It makes interesting points about the fear of actresses that colour would remove their mystique (until Dietrich and 'The Garden of Allah' that is); about the constant interference of Natalie Kalmus ('creative consultant' on all Technicolor films); and about the eventual acceptance of the process as industry standard worldwide. The examples shown prove that the colour palette available to films in their heyday enhanced the 'golden age' - later films in Eastmancolor and the like look washed-out in comparison.