7744gb

I, too, am a great lover of old British movies and would love to see the colorisation treatment applied to a number of them, especially the old musicals.

I know there are many ardent black and white movie buffs against this latest technology saying it would spoil their enjoyment and memories of these old films but I really think there is an opening now for colorised versions to be sold alongside the originals I am sure there would be plenty of interest out there.

Any comments, guys?

Regards, Gerry B

Steve Crook

There are quite a few threads here about colorised films. The most recent one is here

The general feeling about is "Why?"

B&W photography and cinematography is different to working in colour. You look for different things in the image you're making. It's not just a matter of the presence or the absence of colour.

When films were made to be seen in colour then that's how they should be seen and when they were made to be seen in B&W then that's how they should be seen. Colorising a B&W film is essentially vandalism. Like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa. It's saying that you think that the film looks better in colour - that you know better than the people that made it

There are case where a film would have been made in colour if the facilities had been available. But they weren't available so the cinematography was planned as a B&W film. The same objections apply. Adding colour to a B&W films does not make it a colour film. It only makes it a B&W film with colour daubed over it.

Welcome to the forum

Steve

BobL

It has taken me forever to find this site. I am a film buff and a child of the sixties and have alot of films I would love to get hold of. I live in Costa Blanca and have over 500 Videos I need to sell (cheaply) to make space

Marky B

Welcome,Bob.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

rrh

As per title, hello everyone!
Not sure what the usual point of entry is, so I posted on here.
I shall mainly be busy trawling threads for the next few days......

Simon

faginsgirl

Its above you

welcome anyway!

FG xx

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ThomasC

Hello everyone. My name is Thomas. I'm a fan of the 1970's comedy films and also a crime and thriller fan.

faginsgirl

Welcome Thomas!

xx

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

earlb

If my memory serves me correctly all the great Technicolor films were filmed in black and while using at the same time 3 colour strips (technicolor). That is why they always had a technicolor consultant on hand to get the best of the 3 colour process.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Steve Crook

Your memory doesn't serve you correctly.
They were filmed in B&W or in colour. I don't think anyone ever filmed anything on Technicolor and in B&W

The "B&W" scenes in A Matter of Life and Death were actually filmed in Technicolor, they just processed them differently so that they would appear in monochrome (a sort of pearly white instead of the white of a B&W film). But the cinematographer knew which parts would be processed like that so he framed things differently to how he would have done if it had been in B&W or in full colour.

As for the Technicolor consultant. That was usually Natalie Kalmus, wife of the inventor of the Technicolor process. She had to be on hand to give her opinion as part of the contract that let people use Technicolor.

She tried to specify the exact colours of all scenery, costumes etc. so that they would show the Technicolor process to its best effect - in her opinion. But she didn't have an artists eye and she just wanted everything to be bright and garish. Most directors, art directors and cinematographers in Britain just ignored her

On the Technicolor films of Powell and Pressburger, epecially those filmed by Jack Cardiff and designed by Hein Heckroth like The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus they often did things that broke the rules laid down by Technicolor. But Kalmus finished up by saying that they were some of the most beautiful Technicolor films ever made

It's interesting to compare the differences between British and American Technicolor films. There are differences, you can nearly always tell which country they were made in. Was it something different in the processing? Something in the watre? Was it the differences in the landscape? The "green and pleasant land" with an often overcast sky as opposed to the bright sunshine of California? Was it that Natalie Kalmus had more control over the American films because she was closer to them?

Steve

batman

welcome to all new members!

I wish I had claws.

freda

I hope that this is the right place to introduce myself. I have stumbled on the britmovie site by accident when trying to establish certain facts about Anna Neagle. I was in Bexhill on Sea in the 60's and was told that she had a house there. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Freda

TimR

There is one American film from the golden age of old films that is as rich in its texture and as beautiful as the British technicolor films of the period, yet was made in California: The Adventures of Robin Hood.

The other US film that has that richness is the 1952 Ivanhoe, filmed in England. Although I suppose that might be a UK/US co-production?

Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp are stunning.

Hereafter, in a better world than this,
I shall desire more love and knowledge of you

Steve Crook

Maybe Natalie Kalmus was on holiday when they made that one

Steve

belledejour27

Hello everyone, I am new to this site but I did notice someone was asking about the 1966 movie with Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham. called THE TRAP. An excellent movie, and now out on dvd. although the cololur is not as good as the original.