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Screen 2009 50(2):191-215; doi:10.1093/screen/hjp010
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Screen. All rights reserved

‘Colour consciousness’: Natalie Kalmus and Technicolor in Britain

Sarah Street


  Abstract

This essay discusses the arrival of Technicolor in Britain and the impact it had on prevailing practices as well as on aesthetic regimes. An analysis of Wings of the Morning (1937), The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Black Narcissus (1947), films which demonstrate notable, varied and on occasion remarkable uses of Technicolor, will serve as case studies to demonstrate how concentrating on colour invites a combination of analytical and theoretical perspectives that reveal the complex challenges posed by colour to film scholarship. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of Natalie Kalmus's ‘Colour Consciousness’ ideas and the execution of her role as head of Technicolor's Color Advisory Service. Her work in exporting the process to the UK is addressed as one of the key influences on the often confused reception of colour in this period. Drawing on archival sources, trade papers and textual analysis, this article contributes to the renewed interest in colour which has been evident for the past few years


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