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Fox releasing colorized DVDs of Shirley Temple films? (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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Deducing the truth...
After giving the Shirley Temple situation a great deal of thought, I offer the following possibility which seems even more viable after viewing Spike Lee's Bamboozled.
I have not examined the original negatives of these Fox "children's" film, but the possibility does exist that the colorization scheme is based upon the only viable studio means of releasing what may have been potentially racist-seeming films to a modern audience. Taking a similar stance to Disney on their Song of the South...
These three titles may have been filmed with sweet little Miss Temple firmly in blackface, backed up by the likes of Steppinfectchit and Buddy Ebson.
If this is the case, then colorizing and covering their tracks with promises of the films being "brilliantly restored," and within those said "restorations" placing Miss Temple firmly in what we can only call "almond-face" or "beige-light orange face" may be their only mechanism to making this children's classics from another age more palitable to a modern audience which has been finally sensitized to horrors of bigotry and Bamboozlement which occurred even within studio films between Mr. Griffith's time and the early 1940s.
Therefore, forever hiding the fact that the studio had their little imp parading about in blackface, these new "modernized," "restorations" of our classic film heritage can now stand in for the truth of Fox's moral structure in the early 1930s.
Let us print this as truth and then go to the hangings of those who would deem to colorize black and white live action feature films. Alternatively, and with a bit of a more pacifistic nature, we could simply run colorizers out of town on a rail and allow them to ply their trade elsewhere. If running out of town on a rail is also too violent, one could simply take away their computers. Cut their fingers off? No. Too violent again.
There is, of course, the possibility that this has been misreported and that the DVD released of these beloved classics starring Fox's timeless child talent will be in black and white and not the same versions being offered to the great unwashed masses on VHS.
One can only hope that Fox will do the right thing and understand their marketplace.
RAH
[Edited last by Robert Harris on October 22, 2001 at 09:49 PM]
 

Peter Apruzzese

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DaViD Boulet

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I'm one of the those eagerly waiting for these Shirly Temple classics to arrive on DVD. I watched these films annually on TV as a child with my family and I want to own them on DVD.
Some of the most breath-taking DVDs are many of the great B&W restorations coming out of WB Studios. 3-dimensional, incredible resolution, and stunning clarity.
I wish that Fox would take this same perspective with it's B&W Classics. make them gorgeos. keep them B&W and let the restoration make them beautiful just the way they are.
-dave
 

Jeff Kleist

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Couldn't those same computers used to colorize be used to remove the blackface? Just a thought...
Jeff Kleist
 

Ken_McAlinden

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Jeff,
The above post was satirically suggesting that they were using colorization to remove blackface, so it appears that you either didn't catch the sarcasm (no crime there) or you more or less just repeated the same joke.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA
 

Rain

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This is indeed strange news. Colourization? Is that still being done? Evidently, the answer is "yes." Thank goodness I don't care much for Ms. Temple's work. Hopefully this same trend won't be continued on any other B&W films.
To go off topic slightly....Is it just me or is Robert Harris getting funnier? Robert, you are going to give Steve Christou a run for his money!
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Brian W.

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Whoo hoo! DVD File is reporting that these Shirley Temple discs will contain both the colorized and original black-and-white editions of the films -- Heidi, Bright Eyes, and Dimples. Each due 1/29, each $19.95.

Way to go, Fox! Now hopefully they will see fit to do a 3-strip restoration of The Little Princess.
 

Marty Christion

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Amazon is listing Shirley Temple films on DVD in both B&W and color (on the same disc), from Fox.
Bright Eyes
B00005RT3R.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

Dimples
B00005RT3S.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

Heidi
B00005RT3T.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

January 29,02
$14.98
 

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