Forgotten Color: Revisiting Early Color Films

Film

Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

Technicolor test, Pioneer Pictures, 1933–35

This program presents several recent collection rediscoveries, all painstakingly restored in 4K and faithful to the original color palettes. Among the highlights are hand-colored butterfly dance films from the 1890s; some of the finest existing examples of artificially colored animations from maestros Winsor McCay and Wladyslaw Starewicz; new Kinemacolor restorations derived from original camera negatives; some truly remarkable demonstration footage made to promote Technicolor’s new three-strip process in the early 1930s; plus other surprises! Professor Barbara Flueckiger, founder of the Timeline of Historical Film Colors, will join us for a discussion of the films and technology. Piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura. Program approx. 90 min.

Followed by a book signing to mark the launch of the English-language
edition of Color Mania (Lars Müller Publishers), edited by Barbara
Flueckiger, Eva Hielscher, and Nadine Wietlisbach.

This film accompanies Hidden Histories.

Licensing

If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA’s collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).

All requests to license audio or video footage produced by MoMA should be addressed to Scala Archives at firenze@scalarchives.com. Motion picture film stills or motion picture footage from films in MoMA’s Film Collection cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For licensing motion picture film footage it is advised to apply directly to the copyright holders. For access to motion picture film stills please contact the Film Study Center. More information is also available about the film collection and the Circulating Film and Video Library.

If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication or moma.org, please email text_permissions@moma.org. If you would like to publish text from MoMA’s archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to archives@moma.org.