Page 18 - RD_March_2013.pdf

Pathé adapted the stencil color technique to their
9.5mm films in the early 1920s. Several short (30ft)
9.5mm films were released in Pathécolor; these are
quite rare and much sought after by collectors.

Several other companies produced hand colored films,
these included Edison and Méliès, but Pathé were the
masters of the technique.

They produced Pathécolor films from around 1905 until
about 1930.

I have been unable to find any information as to whether
they produced any Pathécolor films on their 28mm
gauge, although it would seem likely, a they produced a
very large range on 28mm.

Unless the film has been exposed to excessive light, the
color although somewhat muted is generally very good,
Pathé 9.5mm Stencil Color
even after close to 100 years on.
FULL COLOR MOVIES

Many attempts were made to produce true color movies pre-the 1920s. Most systems utilised
some form of rotating multi-color wheel or filters in front of the lens for both filming and
projection. The limitations of the system were caused by either the time delay between
successive color frames, or in obtaining good registration of the colors on the screen.

TECHNICOLOR

Technicolor developed various color processes between the years 1916 and the mid 1920s.
One early version involved cementing two thin
base films back to back, each tinted in
complimentary colors and containing the image
recorded by the camera through a two color filter.

In the late 1920s, Technicolor developed a two
color dye printing or imbibition process; this
method of producing Technicolor prints was
improved and expanded to a three color process in
the early 1930s and was the main color process
used for the production of color motion picture
films until the eventual demise of Technicolor
imbibition process prints in the 1970s.

Left: two color Technicolor print (silent, full frame)