Restoring a RCA 21CT55

[benman94]

Originally Posted by Dave A

...Not sure what they did differently.

One woman is responsible for the difference: Natalie Kalmus.

While she technically was the "color consultant" for Technicolor here in the US, she was largely ignored by American directors and cinematographers. Virtually everyone who came in contact with her hated her. George Cukor had terrible things to say about her, and is known to have ordered her off the lot on at least one occasion, Victor Fleming loathed her, etc If you wanted to shoot in Technicolor, you had to put up with Natalie.

Herbert Kalmus eventually started sending her over to "help" the Brits, mostly in an effort to get her out of his hair. They seemed to have actually taken her suggestions. Dare I say the British IB Technicolor looks better? She may have been an enormous b*tch, but she wasn't stupid. The more subtle color works.

Edit:

A few other great films for color roundie demonstrations:

La Cucaracha (1934) *Just a short
The Garden of Allah (1936)
A Star Is Born (1937)
For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)

And the following all shot by Freund:

Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
This Time for Keeps (1947)
South of St. Louis (1949)
Montana (1950)