MovieChat Forums > Becky Sharp (1935) Discussion > First color film?

First color film?

posted 18 years ago by Rebel40
10 replies | jump to latest

hi,

i have read somewhere that Becky Sharp is said to be the first color film. But a few days ago I have read that it is "the black pirate" which was actually the first color film. Which one is it?

[–] wrk6539 18 years ago

Neither is actually right if you are talking about the FIRST color film.

There are Kinemacolor samples surviving from 1910 (which was actually black and white film with colored filters added during projection) and the first Technicolor film (THE GULF BETWEEN) dates from 1917 (also additive color like Kinemacolor.)

THE BLACK PIRATE (1926) was probably the most succesful of the early two-color Technicolor epics. It was a smash hit when released and still survives complete.

BECKY SHARP was the first feature shot with Technicolor's perfected three-color process (capable of reproducing all shades of all colors) and is often referred to as the first FULL-color feature film.

Hope that helps.

[–] Rebel40 18 years ago

Thanks a lot for your answer!! That really helps a lot!

I have often heard similar things concerning "The Jazz Singer" - that it is not really the first talkie-film...

[–] Ron in LA 12 years ago

Seventh Heaven (1927) was released before The Jazz Singer with a soundtrack that included sound effects, music, and crowd noises, but no dialogue. There is not very much dialogue in The Jazz Singer either, and it functions mostly as a silent film with a soundtrack and intertitles.

[–] Diosprometheus 18 years ago

I would like to add that Walt Disney shot many of his cartoons in the 3 color Technicolor film before any full length features were made. Walt was among the first to use it and had for a period a exclusive with Technicolor.

[–] Diosprometheus 18 years ago

There is a good biography on one of the men who advanced the development of Technicolor at

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1533405/bio
.

[–] les-mrhowell 18 years ago

Although "Becky Sharp" (1935) was the first full-length 3-strip Technicolor feature, the process was used a few times the previous year for certain scenes in other films. "The House of Rothchild", "The Cat and the Fiddle" (which is shown occassionally on TCM), and "Kid Millions" all had Technicolor sequences which fortunately have survived. And of course there's the eye-popping short "La Cucaracha".

[–] wrk6539 17 years ago

Does the color finale from "House of Rothschild" still exist? I have never seen it in anything but black and white and was under the impression that the color footage was lost. If true, very good news,

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ksf-2 15 years ago

i'm not a fan of period pieces to begin with, but i really wanted to like this due to its place in history (color film process) and all the great names appearing in it (Alison Skipworth, Billie Burke, Nigel Bruce) love them all ! but this was just a disappointment.. the dvd sound & picture quality, the directing, the script.. everyone was just yelling all the way thru it. /ksf-2

[–] bill3-1 11 years ago

Does the color finale from "House of Rothschild" still exist? I have never seen it in anything but black and white and was under the impression that the color footage was lost. If true, very good news,

It still exists but it's not shown in TCM's print that they run, here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gxEk-7OWmo