Thursday, February 7, 2013

THE VIKING: First Technicolor film with sound

Pauline Starke in THE VIKING

The first film to use a new Technicolor process, a dye-transfer process, was a film from the PEPLUM genre. THE VIKING (1928) was also the first Technicolor film with sound (even if there's no talking in it). It looks gorgeous for something that's 85 years old. Other films, like THE BLACK PIRATE starring Douglas Fairbanks, were full featured film made in Technicolor 2-strip process.Also, many silent films had Technicolor inserts within the film but weren't shot fully in Technicolor from beginning to end.

Initial reviews were mixed. Many loved the colors but many critiques thought the characters looked like they stepped right out of an opera.

You can watch THE VIKING on Youtube.


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