List of early color feature films explained

This is a list of early feature-length colour films (including primarily black-and-white films that have one or more color sequences) made up to about 1936, when the Technicolor three-strip process firmly established itself as the major-studio favorite. About a third of the films are thought to be lost films, with no prints surviving. Some have survived incompletely or only in black-and-white copies made for TV broadcast use in the 1950s.

Background

The earliest attempts to produce color films involved either tinting the film broadly with washes or baths of dyes, or painstakingly hand-painting certain areas of each frame of the film with transparent dyes. Stencil-based techniques such as Pathéchrome were a labor-saving alternative if many copies of a film had to be colored: each dye was rolled over the whole print using an appropriate stencil to restrict the dye to selected areas of each frame. The Handschiegl color process was a comparable technique. Because transparent dyes did not impact the clarity or detail of the image seen on the screen, the result could look rather naturalistic, but the choice of what colors to use and where was made by a person, so they could be very arbitrary and unlike the actual colors.

Edward Raymond Turner's process, tested in 1902, was the first to capture full natural color on motion picture film, but it proved to be mechanically impractical. A simplified two-color version, introduced as Kinemacolor in 1909, was successful until 1915, but the special projector it required and its inherent major technical defects contributed to its demise. Technicolor, originally also a two-color process capable of only a limited range of hues, was commercialized in 1922 and soon became the most widely used of the several two-color processes available in the 1920s.

Beginning in 1932, Technicolor introduced a new full-color process, "Process 4", now commonly called "three-strip Technicolor" because the special camera used for live-action filming yielded separate black-and-white negatives for each of the three primary colors. The final print, however, was a single full-color strip of film that did not need any special handling. This became the standard process used by the major Hollywood studios until the mid-1950s.

List of films

YearTitleCountryColor processLengthProduction company
1903La Vie et la passion de Jésus Christ FrancePathéchromePathé Frères
Extant. Also known as The Passion Play and Vie et Passion du Christ. Not released as a single feature, but as 32 individual shorts in three different groupings and shot at different times. Some scenes are partially hand colored (e.g. 98 min. copy on YouTube (with Dutch intertitles)). The later scenes feature different actors and costumes from the earlier scenes.[1] On DVD.
1909Ukhar Kupets Russiahand-coloredPathé Frères
Extant. Also known as The Dashing Merchant and The Happy-Go-Lucky Merchant.
With Our King and Queen Through India United KingdomKinemacolor16,000 ft.Natural Color Kinematograph Company
First feature-length documentary capturing natural color rather than colorization techniques. The original footage ran for 2½ hours (16,000 ft.), presented in two different programmes. The main film of the Delhi Durbar itself was shot on 12 December 1911. The rest of the film was made in other locations in India up to 30 December 1911, of which only a ten-minute extract still exists. Released in UK on 2 February 1912.[2]
Making of the Panama Canal United StatesKinemacolor2 hoursKinemacolor Company of America
Most successful Kinemacolor documentary after With Our King and Queen Through India. The film was nine reels long and ran for 2 hours. It was also shown by Charles Urban in Britain. Only black and white stills remain.[3]
United KingdomPathéchromeJoseph Menchen (personal project)
Filmed in Austria in October 1912; hand-colored in Paris by seventy people;[4] UK release on 21 December 1912. Original UK length 7,000 feet; censored versions showed at 5,000 and 5,500 feet. Designed to be accompanied by score for full symphony orchestra and chorus by Engelbert Humperdinck. A B&W print of a cut version is extant, held at the CNC Archives, France. Available on YouTube and final scene only, with extracts of the original music.
United KingdomKinemacolorNatural Color Kinematograph Company
First feature-length narrative film in natural color. Lost.
Little Lord Fauntleroy United KingdomKinemacolorNatural Color Kinematograph Company
Lost film. Only black and white stills remain.
1914/15With The Fighting Forces of Europe United KingdomKinemacolor 20,000 ft[5] Color Films Ltd.
Documentary film about the First World War, produced by Color Films Ltd., successor to the Natural Color Kinematograph Company. Some scenes were reused from the pre-war period, but many were shot during the war, particularly on the Western Front. The film was released shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914 and was constantly updated with new material until 1915. For this reason, the length of the film varied, with contemporary accounts reporting around 20,000 feet. The film has been lost.[6]
1915Britain Prepared United KingdomKinemacolor insertsJury's Imperial Pictures
First British propaganda film. Extant.
1916Joan the Woman United StatesHandschiegl Color Process insertsFamous Players–Lasky
Survives complete with color sequences. Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. (Color was billed as the "DeMille-Wyckoff Process")
United StatesTechnicolor featureTechnicolor Corporation
First American film shot in color. Lost film. Only a few frames from test prints, showing star Grace Darmond, have survived.
United StatesHandschiegl Color Process insertsFamous Players–Lasky
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Only two reels survive in AFI collection at Library of Congress.
Cupid Angling United StatesDouglass Natural Color featureDouglass Natural Color Film Inc.
Lost film. Only feature film made in this process.
Our Navy United StatesPrizma featurePrizma
First feature film shot in Prizmacolor.
Treasure Island United StatesHand coloring (Handschiegl?)Paramount Pictures
Lost film.
Roman Candles United StatesHandschiegl Color Process insertsCineart
Prints exist.
Way Down East United StatesTechnicolor insertD.W. Griffith Productions
Extant in black-and-white only.
Bali the Unknown United StatesPrizma featurePrizma Inc.
Five-reel documentary opened 27 February 1921 at Capitol Theatre in NYC. Considered lost.[7]
United StatesHandschiegl Color Process insertsUnited Artists
Restored in 2022.
United StatesTechnicolor feature3190 ft.
The first natural-color feature film made in Hollywood. The final two reels are apparently lost. Available on DVD.
United StatesHandschiegl Color Process inserts188 ft.Goldwyn Pictures
Lost film.
United States/
United Kingdom
Prizma featureUnited Artists
Directed by J. Stuart Blackton. Extant at the British Film Institute. On DVD.
Flames of Passion United KingdomPrizma insertAstra Film
Directed by Graham Cutts. Lost film.
Foolish Wives United StatesHand coloring insertsUniversal Pictures
Hand coloring by Gustav Brock.
Red Lights United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsGoldwyn Pictures
Extant in black-and-white only.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts, Handschiegl Color insertsParamount Pictures
Survives complete. Is on DVD.
Vanity Fair United StatesPrizma insertGoldwyn Pictures
Directed by Hugo Ballin. Lost film.
United KingdomPrizma insertJ. Stuart Blackton Productions
Directed by J. Stuart Blackton. Status unknown.
I Pagliacci United KingdomPrizma insertNapoleon Films
Starring Lillian Hall-Davis. Status unknown.
Maytime United StatesTechnicolor insert200 ft. B.P. Schulberg Productions
Partially restored.
United StatesTechnicolor insertMetro Pictures
Preservation status unknown.
Cytherea United StatesTechnicolor inserts230 ft.Technicolor / Goldwyn Pictures
Lost film. First Technicolor film shot under artificial light.
Wanderer of the Wasteland United StatesTechnicolor feature3854 ft.Paramount
First western in color. Lost film.
Venus of the South Seas United StatesPrizma InsertLee-Bradford Corp.
Extant. Restored by the Library of Congress in 2004. Final reel is in Prizma.
The Heritage of the Desert United StatesTechnicolor inserts34 ft.Paramount
Starring Bebe Daniels. Unknown status.
Greed United StatesHandschiegl Color Process insertsMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Short version of film extant, coloring lost (a few specimen frames may survive). On DVD.
United KingdomFriese-Greene Natural Color (formerly Biocolour)Friese-Greene Productions
Unknown if a feature or short film.
Moonbeam Magic United KingdomFriese-Greene Natural Color (formerly Biocolour)Spectrum Films
Produced by Claude Friese-Greene. Status unknown, possibly at BFI.
Ben-Hur United StatesTechnicolor inserts1029 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant. On DVD.
Cyrano de Bergerac Italy/
France
Pathéchrome feature9501 ft.Unione Cinematografica Italiana
Starring Pierre Magnier. Extant.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts, Kelley Color /Handschiegl Color497 ft.Universal Pictures
One color segment survives. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor insert136 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Film survives, including two-minute color sequence.
Stage Struck United StatesTechnicolor insertsParamount
Extant with color sequences. Restored by George Eastman House. Starring Gloria Swanson.
Pretty Ladies United StatesTechnicolor insert 597 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant only in black-and-white.
His Supreme Moment United StatesTechnicolor inserts 517 ft.First National Pictures
Lost film.
United StatesApplied color by Technicolor154 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Feature and color exists. On DVD.
So This Is Marriage United StatesTechnicolor insert 729 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Lost film.
United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsFirst National Pictures
Status unknown.
Seven Chances United StatesTechnicolor insert 275 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant with color. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts 105 ft.Famous Players–Lasky
Survives complete.
Lights of Old Broadway United StatesTechnicolor inserts, Handschiegl Color Process insertsCosmopolitan Productions
Extant in Library of Congress.
1925Peacock Feathers United StatesTechnicolor insert82 ft.Universal Pictures
Lost film.
Fig Leaves United StatesTechnicolor insert 969 ft.Fox Film Corporation
Extant only in black-and-white.
Beverly of Graustark United StatesTechnicolor insert354 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
Monte Carlo United StatesTechnicolor inserts1000 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
Into Her Kingdom United StatesTechnicolor insert221 ft.First National Pictures
Lost Film.
The Yankee Señor United StatesTechnicolor insert475 ft.Fox
Extant.
1926The Far Cry United StatesTechnicolor insert807 ft.First National Pictures
Extant.
1926Hell's Four Hundred United StatesTechnicolor insert321 ft.Fox
Extant.
United KingdomFriese-Greene Natural Color (formerly Biocolour)Friese-Greene Productions
Series of documentary films shot between 1924 and 1926. A print was restored and shown on the BBC in 2006. On DVD.
ItalyPathéchrome feature12083 ft.Società Italiana Grandi Films
Extant. US Title: The Last Days of Pompeii On DVD.
Irene United StatesTechnicolor inserts972 ft.First National Pictures
Survives complete with color sequences.
Beau Geste United StatesTechnicolor insertsParamount Pictures
Extant.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts203 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant at Library of Congress.
United StatesTechnicolor insert 1574 ft.Paramount
Lost film. Two trailers, and brief clip of color insert, survive at the Library Of Congress.
Volcano United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsParamount Pictures
Extant at Library of Congress. Preserved by UCLA and Television and The Museum of Modern Art.
Mike United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant at Library Of Congress. Complete print of 70 minutes found at Library Of Congress in December 2015.
United StatesTechnicolor feature8124 ft.United Artists
Original Technicolor Process 2 print survives at the BFI. Commonly seen version was created from surviving negatives. Outtakes survive in black-and-white. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts, Handschiegl Color inserts692 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Film extant, but color is incomplete. At Library of Congress .
United StatesTechnicolor insert285 ft.Fox
A copy may survive in the Museum of Modern Art film archive.
Flames United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsAssociated Exhibitors
One reel exists in the Library of Congress.
United StatesHandschiegl Color insertsFirst National Pictures
Preserved by Warner Bros. from original negative and nitrate handschiegl print.
1927Long Pants United StatesTechnicolor insert950 ft.First National Pictures
Extant.
1927White Pants Willie United StatesTechnicolor insert533 ft.First National Pictures
Extant.
1927The Girl From Rio United StatesTechnicolor insert125 ft.Gotham Productions
Extant.
1927Frisco Sally Levy United StatesTechnicolor insert381 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
United StatesTechnicolor insertsDeMille Productions / Pathé Exchange
Survives complete. Is on DVD.
Winners of the Wilderness United StatesTechnicolor insert180 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
16mm print extant. Starring Joan Crawford. On DVD.
Annie Laurie United StatesTechnicolor insert204 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant with color at the Library of Congress.
United StatesHand coloringFox
Lost film.
Napoléon FranceKeller-Dorian process sequences
Extant. Keller-Dorian process proved to be impractical.
La revue des revues FrancePathéchrome inserts
Extant.
1928The Garden Of Eden United StatesTechnicolor insert277 ft.First National Pictures
Extant.
1928The Actress United StatesTechnicolor insert121 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
1928Revenge United StatesTechnicolor insert329 ft. United Artists
Lost film.
1928The Big Hop United StatesTechnicolor insert500 ft.Buck Jones Productions
Lost film.
The Woman and the Puppet FranceKeller-Dorian process
Extant. Directed by Jacques de Baroncelli
None but the Brave United StatesTechnicolor insert 549 ft.Fox
Unknown
United StatesTechnicolor insert, hand coloring.294 ft.Paramount
Extant. Directed by Erich von Stroheim
Red Hair United StatesTechnicolor insert57 ft.Paramount
Lost film. Color tests survive at UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Casanova GermanyPathéchrome insertCiné-Alliance / Pathé
Extant. Based on operetta by Ralph Benatzky.
United StatesTechnicolor feature8398 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant. The first Technicolor feature with sound (synchronized music score and sound effects only, no dialog or "live" sound). On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts332 ft.Paramount
Status unknown.
Court-Martial United StatesTechnicolor insert 473 ft.Columbia Pictures
Status unknown.
Redskin United StatesMostly Technicolor with sepia-toned sequences4463 ft.Paramount
Synchronized music score and sound effects but no dialog or "live" sound. Survives complete. On DVD.
On With the Show! United StatesTechnicolor 9592 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant in black-and-white. 20-second color clip exists in private collection. The first all-talking color feature. On DVD.
Harmony Heaven United KingdomPathéchrome sequencesBritish International Pictures
Extant at British Film Institute
United KingdomPathéchrome featureBritish International Pictures
Sound version released July 1930. First British sound film released in color, using the Pathéchrome stencil-coloring process. On DVD.
Devil-May-Care United StatesTechnicolor insertMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Prints survive.
United StatesTechnicolor feature9987 ft.Warner Bros.
Only survives in black-and-white except "Chinese Fantasy" number with Myrna Loy and Nick Lucas and part or all of "Meet My Sister" number. On DVD with latter number in black-and-white (color footage only recently discovered).
Pointed Heels United StatesTechnicolor inserts270 ft.Paramount
Extant complete at UCLA. Broadcast master is in black-and-white.
Paris United StatesTechnicolor inserts3645 ft.Warner Bros.
Picture lost except 3 fragments at Seaver Center. Soundtrack extant.
Gold Diggers of Broadway United StatesTechnicolor feature9122 ft.Warner Bros.
Two incomplete reels and some short fragments extant. Complete disc soundtrack extant. Surviving reels on DVD.
Sally United StatesTechnicolor feature9280 ft.First National-Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white. Two-minute color sequence also extant. On DVD.
Glorifying the American Girl United StatesTechnicolor insert 897 ft.Paramount
Extant complete at UCLA. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor insert307 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Technicolor sequence survives in black-and-white only. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor insert 306 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant in black-and-white only.
Sunny Side Up United StatesMulticolor insertsFox
Extant in black-and-white only.
United StatesTechnicolor inserts 1360 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant
Broadway United StatesTechnicolor insert 198 ft.Universal
Survives in a talking version and a silent version made for theaters without sound equipment. The talking version is missing the final reel, the color sequence, which does survive in the silent version.
Married in Hollywood United StatesMulticolor insertFox
Only final reel in Multicolor survives at UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Red Hot Rhythm United StatesMulticolor insertPathé Exchange
Only one number in color, the title song, survives.
This Thing Called Love United StatesMulticolor insertPathé Exchange
Lost film except for color sequence.
United StatesTechnicolor insert 779 ft.Paramount
Extant in black-and-white.
Footlights and Fools United StatesTechnicolor inserts1183 ft.First National-Warner Bros.
Lost film.
His First Command United StatesMulticolor insertsPathé Exchange
Extant in black-and-white. Status of Multicolor sequences unknown.
It's a Great Life United StatesTechnicolor inserts1391 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant. On DVD from Warner Archive Collection.
United StatesTechnicolor feature8569 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant at UCLA. Complete Technicolor print was discovered in Prague, December 2013 and premiered at the 33rd Pordenone Silent Film Festival in October 2014. On DVD.[8]
Rio Rita United StatesTechnicolor insert2680 ft.RKO Radio Pictures
Survives in a cut re-release copy with all color sequences. On DVD.
United StatesMulticolor insertsFox
Lost film.
United StatesMulticolor insertsSono Art-World Wide Pictures
Survives in black-and-white except for missing color musical number "The Ga-Ga Bird".<-- contemporary mentions and ad art indicate that at least one of the surviving numbers was also originally in Multicolor --> On DVD.
Smiling Irish Eyes United StatesTechnicolor insertsFirst National Pictures
Lost film. Soundtrack discs survive at UCLA.
United StatesTechnicolor feature9565 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Lost film. Complete soundtrack extant on discs.<-- not, strictly speaking, a "Vitaphone" soundtrack, as formerly described --> Trailer and fragments preserved at UCLA.
United StatesTechnicolor feature7202 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white.
Hold Everything United StatesTechnicolor feature7280 ft.Warner Bros.
Survives in black-and-white.
United StatesTechnicolor feature9413 ft.Paramount
Only complete copy restored by UCLA
Just for a Song United KingdomPathécolor sequencesGainsborough Pictures
Lost film
Alf's Button United KingdomPathécolor sequencesBritish Gaumont
Lost film
Paramount on Parade United StatesTechnicolor inserts 2517 ft.Paramount
Plotless all-star revue. Most survives, but one black-and-white and one color sequence are missing, the color finale with Maurice Chevalier survives only in black-and-white, and the sound for two of the color sequences is missing. Restored by UCLA Film and Television Archive
Under a Texas Moon United StatesTechnicolor feature7501 ft.Warner Bros.
First all-talking western shot entirely in color. Survives in a complete color copy.
Whoopee! United StatesTechnicolor feature8681 ft.United Artists
Survives in at least one complete color copy.
United KingdomRaycolor featureAlbion Films
Only feature film photographed in this process. Lost film.
Elstree Calling United KingdomPathéchrome InsertsBritish International Pictures
Extant at the British Film Institute. Co-directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Hell's Angels United StatesMulticolor insert866 ft.United Artists
Color sequence and film survive complete. Scene filmed in Multicolor, printed by Technicolor
Knowing Men United KingdomTalkicolor featureUnited Artists Corporation
Second British sound feature in color. Lost film.
King of Jazz United StatesTechnicolor feature9320 ft.Universal
Extant.
Chasing Rainbows United StatesTechnicolor insert1249 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Black-and-white parts survive, color sequences are completely lost.
They Learned About Women United StatesTechnicolor insertMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Survives in black and white only.
Good News United StatesMulticolor insertMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Color was used for the finale, which is now completely lost. The rest survives.
Madam Satan United StatesMulticolor SequencesMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Color was used for the airship party sequences, but survive only survive in black and white.
Showgirl in Hollywood United StatesTechnicolor insert832 ft.First National-Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white.
Bride of the Regiment United StatesTechnicolor feature7418 ft.First National-Warner Bros.
Picture lost. Soundtrack extant.
Puttin' On the Ritz United StatesTechnicolor Insert 953 ft.United Artists
Extant only in black-and-white.
Mammy United StatesTechnicolor Inserts1497 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant. The first Al Jolson film with color.
Call of the Flesh United StatesTechnicolor insert 721 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant only in black-and-white.
Bright Lights United StatesTechnicolor feature6416 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white.
Children of Pleasure United StatesTechnicolor insert~700 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Survives complete in black-and-white. Color sequences extant in sections.
General Crack United StatesTechnicolor insert 532 ft.Warner Bros.
Survives in a silent copy with no color sequences made for theaters without sound equipment.
The Melody Man United StatesTechnicolor insert826 ft.Columbia Pictures
Extant.
Follow Thru United StatesTechnicolor feature8383 ft.Paramount
Extant.
United StatesTechnicolor insertsMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production never completed. Several musical sequences extant.
New Movietone Follies of 1930 United StatesMulticolor insertsFox
Extant. Only copy at UCLA.
United StatesTechnicolor insert608 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
Mamba United StatesTechnicolor feature6998 ft.Tiffany Pictures
Extant complete. First all-color all-talking feature which was not a musical. On DVD.
Sweet Kitty Bellairs United StatesTechnicolor feature5846 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white. On DVD.
Son of the Gods United StatesTechnicolor insert442 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white.
Song of the Flame United StatesTechnicolor feature6501 ft.Warner Bros.
.
Song of the West United StatesTechnicolor feature7189 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant. On DVD from Warner Archive Collection.
Viennese Nights United StatesTechnicolor feature9191 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant, preserved at UCLA.
Golden Dawn United StatesTechnicolor feature7546 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant in black-and-white only. Color fragment found circa 2015.
Peacock Alley United StatesTechnicolor insert651 ft.Tiffany
Extant; color sequence is at the Library of Congress.
No, No, Nanette United StatesTechnicolor Sequences3895 ft.First National-Warner Bros.
BFI National Archive holds a 35 mm incomplete nitrate print 160 ft.
United StatesTechnicolor insert 358 ft.United Artists
Color sequence survives at the George Eastman House. On DVD.
Lord Byron of Broadway United StatesTechnicolor insert878 ft.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Extant.
Leathernecking United StatesTechnicolor insert 1474 ft.RKO
Survives in Warner Bros. vault.
Hit the Deck United StatesTechnicolor insert3772 ft.RKO
Lost film.
Dixiana United StatesTechnicolor insert2006 ft.RKO
Extant.
United StatesTechnicolor insert 833 ft.RKO
Extant.
Delicious United StatesMulticolor insertsFox
Extant only in black-and-white.
Woman Hungry United StatesTechnicolor feature6119 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant. On DVD.
Manhattan Parade United StatesTechnicolor feature6692 ft.Warner Bros.
16mm Safety color print (ca. 3200 ft) is held at UCLA.
50 Million Frenchmen United StatesTechnicolor feature6480 ft.Warner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white. On DVD.
Kiss Me Again United StatesTechnicolor featureWarner Bros.
Extant only in black-and-white. On DVD. 2 fragments in color are held at Seaver Center
United StatesMulticolor featureRomantic Productions
Shot as the first feature entirely in Multicolor, it had a very limited release. Five years later using the new process Cinecolor it was re-edited and re-recorded as "Phantom of Santa Fe". On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor feature5714 ft.RKO
Extant only in black-and-white, except for color first reel at Museum of Modern Art. On DVD.
Fanny Foley Herself United StatesTechnicolor feature6699 ft.RKO
Complete copy at BFI under title 'Top of the Bill'. Technicolor trailer extant at George Eastman House.
Flying High United StatesTechnicolor sequencesMGM
Extant in black and white.
Tex Takes a Holiday United StatesMulticolor featureArgosy Productions Corporation
Final feature-length film shot entirely in Multicolor. Extant. On DVD.
Carnival United KingdomSequences In British MulticolorBritish & Dominions Film Corporation
Unknown Status.
Doctor X United StatesTechnicolor feature7048 ftWarner Bros.
Extant. On DVD.
United StatesMagnacolor insertChardwick Productions
First reel was shot in color. Extant, status of color sequence is unknown.
United StatesHand-colored insertsSono Art-World Wide Pictures
Extant. Hand color by Gustav Brock.
Mystery of the Wax Museum United StatesTechnicolor feature7184 ftWarner Bros.
Extant. On DVD.
Sairandhri IndiaUFacolor featurePrabhat Film Company
First color film shot in India, but processed and printed in Germany. Extant. On DVD.
Radio Parade of 1935 United KingdomDufaycolor insertsBritish International Pictures
Two sequences were filmed in Dufaycolor. Extant.
Adventure Girl United StatesHand-colored fire sceneVan Beuren Studios
Extant. Hand color by Gustav Brock.
Sweden, Land of the Vikings United StatesCinecolor feature
First feature-length film in Cinecolor. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 insertMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Black-and-white with final reel in color. First use of three-strip Technicolor in a feature-length film. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 insert20th Century Pictures / United Artist
Black-and-white with final sequence in color.
Hollywood Party United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 insertMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Black-and-white with animated cartoon sequence in color.
Kid Millions United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 insertSamuel Goldwyn / United Artists
Black-and-white with "Ice Cream Factory" musical finale in color.
Seetha Kalyanam IndiaHand-coloured filmPrabhat Film Company
Tamil language film. First hand-colored film in South India. Lost film.
Karnaval cvetov Soviet UnionRussian two-color process featureMezhrabpomfilm
First Russian color film. Extant complete. On DVD.
Jeunes filles à marier FranceFranciacolor featureParis Color Films
First French feature in natural color. Extant. On DVD.
Legong: Dance of the Virgins United StatesTechnicolor Process 3 (two-color) feature5054 ftDuWorld Pictures (US) / Paramount (intl)
Produced by Constance Bennett and Henri de la Falaise. Feature-length documentary filmed entirely in two-color Technicolor, one of the last uses of the older process. Restored in 1999 by UCLA Film and Television Archive. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 insertFox
Black-and-white with one Technicolor sequence
Becky Sharp United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 featurePioneer Pictures / RKO
First feature-length film entirely in three-strip Technicolor. On DVD.
Kliou the Killer United StatesTechnicolor, Process 3 (two-color) feature4917 ftBennett Pictures / DuWorld Pictures (US)
Final two-color Technicolor feature. Extant only in black and white. On DVD.
United StatesTechnicolor, Process 4 featureWalter Wanger Productions / Paramount Pictures
First three-strip Technicolor feature filmed outdoors by natural light.
We're in the Legion Now! United StatesMagnacolor featureGeorge A. Hirliman Productions
Also known as The Rest Cure. Extant. On DVD.
The Phantom of Santa Fe United StatesCinecolor featureBurroughs-Tarzan Enterprises
Filmed in Multicolor five years earlier as "The Hawk", re-edited version released in Cinecolor as "Phantom of Santa Fe". Extant. On DVD.
FranceFranciacolor featureParis Color Films
Also known as "The Land That Dies". Restored in 1992. On DVD.
Pagliacci Italy/
United Kingdom
UFAcolor insertsTrafalgar Film Productions
Extant with color. On DVD.
Soviet UnionRussian two-color Process featureMezhrabpomfilm
First Russian feature-length narrative film in color. Extant.
Bajo el sol de Loret PeruUnknown color process feature
Also known as "Under Loreto's Sun". First Peruvian color feature film. Extant.
United StatesHirlicolor featureGeorge A. Hirliman Productions
Long presumed lost until found in private collection in the 1980s. Complete in UCLA Film and Television Archive. On DVD.
United StatesMagnacolor featureRepublic Pictures
First "Zorro" film shot in color. Extant complete. On DVD.
Captain Calamity United StatesHirlicolor featureGeorge A. Hirliman Productions
Extant complete. Released on DVD.
1937Kisan Kanya IndiaCinecolor featureImperial Pictures
First Hindi color film made entirely in India.
1937The Wedding (Wesele księżackie w Złakowie Borowym) PolandAgfacolorTadeusz Jankowski
First Polish color film (10 minutes, sound). Film (16 mm reel) survived in The National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw.[9]
1938The Land of My Mother PolandEastman KodakÈve Curie and Romuald Gantkowski
Second Polish color film (37 minutes, sound). Film (35 mm reel) survived in The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London. Later Ève Curie added sound commentary about the Second World War.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Abel, Richard (1998) The Ciné Goes to Town: French Cinema, 1896-1914. University of California Press, p.576
  2. McKernan, Luke (2009). ‘The modern Elixir of Life’: Kinemacolor, royalty and the Delhi Durbar, in Film History, Vol. 21, pp. 122–136, 2009.
  3. Book: McKernan, Luke . Charles Urban: Pioneering the Non-Fiction Film in Britain and America, 1897-1925 . University of Exeter Press . 2018 . 978-0859892964.
  4. News: Film show in Covent Garden . New York Times . 9 December 1912.
  5. News: 22 November 1914 . Scala Theatre . Weekly Dispatch.
  6. Book: McKernan, Luke . Charles Urban: Pioneering the Non-Fiction Film in Britain and America, 1897-1925 . University of Exeter Press . 2018 . 978-0859892964.
  7. Web site: List of 7200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films 1912-29 . . 2016.
  8. http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/allegati/2014_CalendarioGCM_w3.pdf
  9. https://ethnomuseum.pl/blog/o-roli-obserwatora-w-filmie-etnograficznym/
  10. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: SIK 1068 - Land of my mother (35mm copy) . YouTube.