benbess
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Messages
- 5,670
- Real Name
- Ben
Like most of you here, I'm a big fan of the unique look of the 3-strip Technicolor process. We've already had some stunning releases on blu-ray from the original negatives of such films as The Wizard of Oz, GWTW, The Red Shoes, and several others. I'm hoping some of us can chip in on doing a year by year of the 3-strip Technicolor full-length film. I think the process got started with Becky Sharp, which was released in 1935. I think the process lasted about 20 years. The number of Technicolor releases grew fairly steadily in the 1940s, esp. after the huge success of GWTW. Because of the expense and the demands for extremely bright lighting, Technicolor was generally reserved for big, prestige productions, esp. in the early years.
There is what appears to be a good site listing many of the Technicolor features, which apparently is based on a list that RAH posted here once. Anyway, here's the site:
http://www.lopek.com/3stf/3stf_index.php
I saw Becky Sharp about 20 years ago on the restored version then available. The film itself is only so-so, as I recall (although my memory of it is pretty vague), and more than that the original negative was mostly lost and what remained was damaged. In other words, even though the restoration was a heroic effort for the early 1990s, there was only so much they could achieve. And in any case, beyond the historical curiosity of it being the first full length Technicolor film, I'm not sure there's that much to recommend it. In other words, there's probably no reason to ever try to bring this one to blu...
The two other Technicolor films from 1935 I've not heard of, and I don't know if that means anything or not. Perhaps it's already time to move to 1936, where there might be a promising title or two?
There is what appears to be a good site listing many of the Technicolor features, which apparently is based on a list that RAH posted here once. Anyway, here's the site:
http://www.lopek.com/3stf/3stf_index.php
I saw Becky Sharp about 20 years ago on the restored version then available. The film itself is only so-so, as I recall (although my memory of it is pretty vague), and more than that the original negative was mostly lost and what remained was damaged. In other words, even though the restoration was a heroic effort for the early 1990s, there was only so much they could achieve. And in any case, beyond the historical curiosity of it being the first full length Technicolor film, I'm not sure there's that much to recommend it. In other words, there's probably no reason to ever try to bring this one to blu...
The two other Technicolor films from 1935 I've not heard of, and I don't know if that means anything or not. Perhaps it's already time to move to 1936, where there might be a promising title or two?