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Monday, September 29, 2008
The movie colorizers respond - and so do I
Last week I blogged about the upcoming DVD reissue of Holiday Inn, lamenting the fact that a colorized version is on the set, coming out Oct. 14.
The company that performed the colorization got word of my post and responded to it. A Barry B. Sandrew, Ph.D., the founder of Legend Films, wrote:
“Eric, I appreciate the review though rather bias. I suggest we let the consumers decide. They can view the color trailer on the Legend Films web site.
“Our designers purposely did not go for a Technicolor look. There are many people who think that the goal of colorization is to duplicate a specific film style. Actually colorization is a creative process intent on producing a separate color interpretation of the film while being sensitive to the original element.
“We assess the underlying black and white element and, after extensive research, create a color interpretation of the film that is appropriate for the available luminance. If we went for a highly saturated Technicolor look we’d find many people who would decry the effort as bad colorization with unrealistic colors. Of course those same people would never criticize an actual Technicolor film with the same glasses.
“Our intent was to create a color storyboard that makes the film look as if it was shot in color back then with what would be considered contemporary film stock. To recreate a brilliant saturated 3 strip look would truly be intrusive, making the color the primary focus of the film. Indeed the most successful colorization is when the viewer forgets the film was colorized. I believe we succeeded in both It’s A Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn.
“The actual DVDs are not at all muted but appropriate for the available gray scale. In fact most people who have watched Holiday Inn and It’s A Wonderful Life religiously every year for decades are amazed at the detail they see in the color release that they never noticed before. It’s a different experience than watching the orginal black and white version and should stand on its own without comparison.”
My response:
I understand and appreciate that Legend Films took care with the colorization process, rather than just slopping color on the movie willy-nilly like the colorizers of old did. One could argue that this is similar to engineers making stereo mixes out of mono recordings like the Beach Boys Pet Sounds. That experience was meant to be different if not necessarily better, and it was done with Brian Wilson’s consent and participation. It’s important to note that the mono version of Pet Sounds is still available, just like the black and white Holiday Inn is still available.
However …
I remain against colorization in principle, for reasons I have already explained. I consider it vandalism, particularly when it is done against the wishes of the original artists, as was the case with It’s a Wonderful Life. There is nothing anyone can say to convince me that colorization is a worthwhile enterprise, unless the original filmmakers perform the process themselves. And that’s not exactly likely.
The reason I brought up the Technicolor technique is because that’s what most color films of the period were made in. When I think of Fred Astaire in color, I think of the vibrant three-strip look in movies like The Band Wagon and Easter Parade. I do not think of the more modern palettes of Finian’s Rainbow or The Towering Inferno. For that reason, among others, the colorized Holiday Inn simply looks wrong to me, no matter how much care was taken with it.
Sandrew said it would not do to replicate the three-strip look and I actually agree. Therefore, no one should try - at all.
Sandrew says to let the consumer decide, so I will open the floor to you. You can watch a trailer for the color Holiday Inn on the Legend films Web site. Watch it and tell me what you think.
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Another thought on Paul Newman - with thanks
First and foremost, my profound thanks to all the commenters who did such a great job offering their thoughts on the late, great Paul Newman. If you’d still like to contribute there, you are more than welcome to do so.
I wrote my tribute with such haste on Saturday (I literally woke up to the news and typed out my thoughts) that I focused very heavily on his movie career, and didn’t mention his charitable works. Many of the commenters filled that gap very nicely.
I would like to add one more thought, however. Speaking about Newman, George Clooney said, “He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us.”
Well said. However, that doesn’t man that we can’t meet that bar, and shouldn’t try. If we at least attempt to follow Newman’s example, we can do a lot of good.
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