![The General (1926) (Silent) [Blu-ray]](http://cdn.hometheaterforum.com/a/ad/50x50px-ZC-ad4679dd_B002NTDX6O-515Epn8I-8L.jpg)
Hey, everyone. I was hoping to get some answers here by people who know their stuff—especially those like Mr. Harris who know a lot about film history and are involved with it in some way.
Having just watched a library copy of Kino's The General DVD (and right away upon finishing it, ordering the Kino Blu-ray), I was curious about the toned footage and whether it was intended to be seen this way, or shown this way in theaters in 1926, and if so, how they would go about doing this.
I've heard that Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror and many other silent German movies had the film put through a dye process that would give off an intended tonality per scene (to signify night and day, mood and so on). If so, how was this done exactly? Were the negatives dipped in dye? How was the dye dried, and how did they prevent the footage from being ruined or compromised in some way?
Neil Middlemiss had this to say in his The General Blu-ray review:
It is noted that The General had some prints that were tinted sepia for daytime shots, and bluer for nighttime scenes (not uncommon for the day), while other prints were the more typical black and white.
So it was just a case of some prints receiving the toning process, while others were straight black and white? Was either one more in line with the vision of the filmmakers, one holding more true to it? Or was it just a way of offering a bit of variety—a fun, early experiment with color to show American audiences?
And can anybody say whether or not the toning on Kino's transfer of The General is in keeping with the original release, or is it based on guesswork?
Thanks for reading and hopefully responding. I look forward to being educated.
And, The General was a phenomenal film; it would appear that Keaton was the single greatest physical comedian to have lived. (At least according to my limited exposure.)
Also curious which Keaton films I should seek out next.
Having just watched a library copy of Kino's The General DVD (and right away upon finishing it, ordering the Kino Blu-ray), I was curious about the toned footage and whether it was intended to be seen this way, or shown this way in theaters in 1926, and if so, how they would go about doing this.
I've heard that Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror and many other silent German movies had the film put through a dye process that would give off an intended tonality per scene (to signify night and day, mood and so on). If so, how was this done exactly? Were the negatives dipped in dye? How was the dye dried, and how did they prevent the footage from being ruined or compromised in some way?
Neil Middlemiss had this to say in his The General Blu-ray review:
It is noted that The General had some prints that were tinted sepia for daytime shots, and bluer for nighttime scenes (not uncommon for the day), while other prints were the more typical black and white.
So it was just a case of some prints receiving the toning process, while others were straight black and white? Was either one more in line with the vision of the filmmakers, one holding more true to it? Or was it just a way of offering a bit of variety—a fun, early experiment with color to show American audiences?
And can anybody say whether or not the toning on Kino's transfer of The General is in keeping with the original release, or is it based on guesswork?
Thanks for reading and hopefully responding. I look forward to being educated.
And, The General was a phenomenal film; it would appear that Keaton was the single greatest physical comedian to have lived. (At least according to my limited exposure.)Also curious which Keaton films I should seek out next.
