Tweet Technicolor in THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE

Something that I've wondered from time to time, but haven't thought to ask until now--

Why does the final sequence of The Cat and the Fiddle have the "look" that it does? I'm quite sure that it's 3-strip, given its prominent use of sky-blue tones, but some elements of the image (particularly flesh tones and the overall colour density) have a lot more in common with 2-colour. Did the surviving elements for this scene fade badly over the years, or was there uncertainly about how to modulate live action 3-strip at this point?

If the problem was with the Technicolor process itself, it must have been corrected quickly: the second appearance of 3-strip, the finale of The House of Rothschild, is subdued but still has a lot more in common with how 3-strip generally looks. "La Cucaracha" looks somewhat similar. Other uses of 3-strip during 1934 generally have the bright appearance associated with the process ("My Grandfather's Clock" is a bit faded, but still doesn't look quite like The Cat and the Fiddle).


-HA

The closing sequence of CAT AND THE FIDDLE was duped from a surviving studio print.
Other early Technicolor films, such as the cited MY GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK, had their preservation originating with the 3-strip negatives. These elements, being black & white, do not fade, so can be reproduced with excellent color.

Adding upon that, prints from that period tend to be extremely subdued compared to their Eastman-recomposite counterparts. This was a conscious effort on the part of Technicolor at the time.

[quote="Harold Aherne"
If the problem was with the Technicolor process itself, it must have been corrected quickly: the second appearance of 3-strip, the finale of The House of Rothschild, is subdued but still has a lot more in common with how 3-strip generally looks.
-HA[/quote]

I remember seeing "House of Rothschild" at the late, lamented, Regency Theatre, here in NYC...they always showed beautiful 35mm prints. As I recall, the color sequence was far from subdued, in fact I remember being amazed at how vivid the colors were. I have since seen the film in lesser 16mm prints in which the color was much less vibrant. My guess is that the 35mm studio print was far more accurate to the original intent.

The Fox Movie Channel used to show the Technicolor finale of THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD about ten years ago and it was in better shape than the rest of the film. The colors were neither muted nor vibrant but looked just right to me. In recent years FMC has shown the finale only in b/w. A few months ago the film aired on TCM and I was hoping the color would be back but, alas, it was b/w.

What I am discussing are original, dye-transfer nitrate prints, not new Eastmancolor composites from the 3-strip negatives (that are more vibrant), which are also used for the video transfer.

Unless you are seeing an original nitrate print of one of these titles, there is no way to gauge what the film originally looked like, natural-looking or not.

Jack - I can't imagine that Fox would have sent a nitrate print to the Regency, so it probably was an Eastmancolor print, but wow that color was gorgeous. I'll never forget those stunning reds, blues and yellows !!