Early Technicolor Films

[happyfilmluvguy]

Technicolor and forms of color processing may have had it's real start in the 1930s, it's heyday in the late 1940s and 1950s, but Technicolor had existed since the silent era, though hardly used. Many films were shot in Technicolor, but through the years the colored prints were initially lost, leaving only a black and white print, explaining why so many films are still in black and white to this day. What early Technicolor films can you recommend?

(I may have my information wrong, but I did my best )

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I wrote an article on the cinematographer Harold Rosson (maybe best known for his marriage to Jean Harlow). The Academy Awards created a brand new award for his cinematography on The Garden of Allah. Achievements in color cinematography, before the Color Cinematography oscar was even invented.

Garden of Allah was about 1936 or so. Probably the first technicolor film to actually not look absolutely horrible. It is very melodramatic, but probably a must see for anyone into cinematography's history. An early color flick in an exotic land? Marlene Deitrich? Nothing I would ever rewatch, but interesting.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm a big fan of the early two-color process, and there are some excellent surviving examples --

"The King of Jazz" (1930) -- All star revue with Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, with visual design by legendary Broadway director John Murray Anderson. Some very interesting light and color effects, and the music's great too!

"Follow Thru" (1930) -- A Paramount adaptation of a 1928 Broadway show with Buddy Rogers, Nancy Carroll, Jack Haley, and Zelma O'Neal, this is one of the only two-color Technicolor films to survive as an original camera negative. UCLA did a restoration of it some years ago, and if it comes to a film festival near you, run don't walk to see it.

"Whoopee" (1930) -- Eddie Cantor musical that Technicolor founder/inventor Herbert Kalmus called the best example of what could be accomplished with the two-color process.

"Doctor X" (1932)/"Mystery of the Wax Museum" (1933) -- Creepy Warner Bros. horror/suspense films that were among the last two-color features to be made.

Two color films are hard to find these days, but they're definitely worth the effort!

 

[Haversack]

I would recommend Douglas Fairbanks' 1926 silent, _The Black Pirate_. It is two strip Technicolor as opposed to the later three strip so the colors are not vibrant. Still, this was the movie which set the mold for all subsequent pirate films. As a bonus, there are even "Making Of It" shorts from the period about filming with Technicolor and how Fairbanks did some of his stunts.

Haversack.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The Toll Of The Sea (1922) was the first full-length film to use the 2-strip process. It's not a bad movie.

Buster Keaton's Seven Chances (1925) has a 2-strip sequence in the beginning. Excellent movie!!!

The Hollywood Revue Of 1929 has colour sequences at the end.

On With The Show! (1929), Sally (1929), and Life Of The Party (1930) are three movies that were originally shot in 2-strip, but are now only available in B&W. One portion in the middle of Sally is all that remains of it's colourfulness! I adore all 3 of these movies!

Lest we not forget the best 2-strip short movie ever made - The Devil's Cabaret (1931)!! This is a must-see not only for the colour, but for the pre-Codeness of it!

The first 3-strip feature was Becky Sharp (1935). I haven't seen this one -- I have a phobia against costume movies :/

Other notable movies have already been mentioned: The Black Pirate (1926) and Doctor X (1932). Both cool films!

 

[Novella]

"Follow Thru" (1930) -- A Paramount adaptation of a 1928 Broadway show with Buddy Rogers, Nancy Carroll, Jack Haley, and Zelma O'Neal, this is one of the only two-color Technicolor films to survive as an original camera negative. UCLA did a restoration of it some years ago, and if it comes to a film festival near you, run don't walk to see it.

I've only watched a clip of Zelma O'Neal singing "I Want to Be Bad," and that was enough to make me think I'd love Follow Thru! I can only imagine how great the rest of the film must be.

Lest we not forget the best 2-strip short movie ever made - The Devil's Cabaret (1931)!! This is a must-see not only for the colour, but for the pre-Codeness of it!

I saw that on the pre code films livejournal community - I think it was you that posted it? It's really fantastic - I love film with a flavor of pre-code!

 

[Trampilot]

I can't believe there's been no mention of Lon Chaney's Phantom Of The Opera and the masked ball sequence. Rather lurid two colour, but quite fitting in the circumstances.

 

[CharlieH.]

I can't believe there's been no mention of Lon Chaney's Phantom Of The Opera and the masked ball sequence. Rather lurid two colour, but quite fitting in the circumstances.

Wish I could watch it...

There's this fella on YouTube that had scores of early Technicolor clips (Both 2 and 3 component) but they got wiped on the tube's latest copyright purge.... However, what little survives is great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1HdO1XS2Dw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqTZFhB23vA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG4J5xs60xk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1AmIhluFiE

(Okay, the last two aren't really Technicolor, but they're sure fascinating!)

 

[Fletch]

And more great unseen stuff is relegated to potential lawsuit fodder. :rage:

 

[CharlieH.]

And here's more:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/kingofjazz.html

If Universal were to restore just ONE of their early talkies, it better be this one!

(Speaking of restorations, isn't Doctor X on DVD?)

 

[Fletch]

Better bite your tongue Charlie - I'm sure they'd like nothing better than to restore just one, and let the rest rot. [huh]

 

[CharlieH.]

Okay, strike that. Make it - Universal! Restore 'em all!

Makes me wish this one (and many other) were WB property... those folks sure know how to treat a movie (at least when they release them).