Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!cepu!ucla-cs!reiher
From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: First Color Films
Message-ID: <4792@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 13-Apr-85 15:35:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4792
Posted: Sat Apr 13 15:35:04 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Apr-85 00:31:39 EST
References: <556@cornell.UUCP> <1315@yale.ARPA> <4651@ucla-cs.ARPA> <1814@zehntel.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Distribution: net
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 28
Summary: 

In article <1814@zehntel.UUCP> jackh@zehntel.UUCP (jack hagerty) writes:
>
>The first Technicolor film for public release was the Disney short "Flowers
>and Trees" (1932).  

I've only heard about the supposed 1920s Technicolor feature, but I'm given
to understand that it does exist, and has even survived and is in the process
of being restored.  It was also supposed to be released.  The Techincolor
sequence in "Phantom of the Opera" was at least included for its first run
showings in major cities.  I've seen the sequence, which features Chaney as
the Phantom, dressed as Poe's Red Death, crashing a costume party in the Opera
House.  The sequence isn't widely known today because most exposure to this
film is through 16mm film collector's prints, which of course were entirely
black and white.

>Apparently, Disney was so taken with the Technicolor
>process that he bought the exclusive rights to it (for anamation only?) for
>the next five years.

Almost certainly just for animation, as all of the big studios knew about and
were interested in Technicolor.  A small outfit like Disney could never have
acquired exclusive rights for all formats, but animation is a possibility.
It would also explain why the Fleischer brothers were fiddling around with
inferior color animation techniques during this period.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher