Technicolor vs modern color

[Osi Osgood]

I have noticed, even with Derann prints, that classical Technicolor films from the golden age, tend to have better reproduction of natural color than modern features reproduced on super 8. I noticed this when I viewed the screenshots to "Independence day". I compare that with, for instance, my agfa print of the 1938 Robin Hood which is absolutely gorgeous and so very close to the look of the original Technicolor. Your thoughts?

[Maurice Leakey]

I just love the good old Technicolor with its vivid colours, and with the knowledge that such prints will retain their colour.

[Paul Adsett]

The Technicolor process was unsurpassed, the 3-strip camera and printing process enabling the production of the most beautiful color films ever. Yes, the beauty of the films is apparent even on the tiny 8mm film prints, and DVD and Blu ray discs derived from TECH prints are way superior to discs encoded from films which used other color processes.

[Edward Nicielnik]

Star Wars 1977 was in Technicolor

[Osi Osgood]

I'm not sure about that. From what I read on the internet, "The Godfather" was the last feature shot and released in Technicolor. I don't know what film stock Star Wars was initially shot upon, bit I know that I when they were doing the special editions, they found that the initial preprint materials from 1977 had a significant fade to them already.

[Brian Fretwell]

I suspect early films were especially good as Technicolor had advisors working on them (they are in the credits) to ensure the colour palate use in costumes, set etc. would look good on the screen after being photographed. I imagine they could tell them what colours to use to get the ones that they wanted on screen in the same way that B&W television used colours that gave the right greyscale image from the non linear colour response to output level of the tube TV cameras used in the 1950s/60's.

[Lee McCaffrey]

Films like Star Wars and The Godfather were not filmed using the Technicolor 3-strip camera system, but did have IB dye transfer prints produced by Technicolor.

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

Dye Transfer IB Technicolor ceased in the USA in 1974. Not sure what film was the last one. Dye Transfer IB Technicolor continued in England until sometime in 1977. There are indeed 35mm IB Technicolor Dolby Stereo prints of Star Wars. I know because I ran one for a private late night theatre party back in the 1990’s. My memory of it from back then was that the color seemed richer than the USA Eastman prints, and most of all how good the deep rich “blacks” were. A few years later a well known film dealer offered me one, but it was far too expensive for me to afford.

There was also a 35mm 1977 Eastman mag stereo print that was offered here on this forum back in the 1990’s. I do not know if there was anything different in the sound mix. The same well known film dealer bought it for himself.

[Barry Attwood]

I read somewhere the last feature shot in 3 strip Technicolor was the British comedy classic "The Ladykillers", I may be wrong though!

[Brian Fretwell]

It is certainly credited to be the last on IMDB, but that isn't always 100% accurate.

I did read that the Techicolor printing machines were sold to China for use there after going out of use in the West due to less prints being needed making Eastmancolor type printing cheaper. I also remember a revivial being started and at least the film Titus being printed on it but that not lasting for long as they couldn't produce enough prints on the new machinery. The US DVD of Titus does look as if it has been taken from a dye imbibition print and at least one reel has a very slight registration error.

[Steve Lee]

Back in the late 60s French director Jacques Demy had both of his award winning film negatives transferred over to 3 strip Technicolor, in order to preserve them in their full glory.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg which was originally shot on Technicolor stock had already started to fade. And Les Demoiselles de Rochefort shot on Eastman had no chance of survival. Both films use that oversaturated Technicolor look as a part of telling the story, so drastic measures were needed for them to ever survive.
Fortunately the éclair-tirage Technicolor lab Paris managed to produce 3 strip composite negs of both of these films.
Over the past couple of years both films have been totally restored back to their full glory, and they look absolutely stunning

[Joe McAllister]

Films like Star Wars and The Godfather were not filmed using the Technicolor 3-strip camera system, but did have IB dye transfer prints produced by Technicolor.

The IB plant for 16 closed much earlier in the UK. Well the 35 continued and I think Star Wars may have been lost release printing job we did. Sadly that means there are no 16 IB prints of Frenzy :-( the godfather or Star Wars
The three strip camera process Had gone out of practice is years before

[Edward Nicielnik]

Look at this Print


35mm feature - "THIS ISLAND EARTH" in I.B. TECH!!! | eBay

[Osi Osgood]

All this info is awesome! I wonder if, for the German Marketing films print of Star Wars digests were printed with an IB tech negative source material? I have that two part digest, and I have always marveled at how rich and saturated the color is, especially Chewbacca's fur! If you happen to have both the German Marketing Films Digests and the Ken Films Digests, do a comparison.

[Mark Sumner]

I also have the 1938 Adventures of Robin Hood and the colours are superb. Tyrone Power's "Jesse James" is also in my collection as a 400 foot digest and the colours are also excellent. The original Technicolor has never been bettered in my opinion.