Format Issues - Comments by Mike Taylor

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Format Issues: Comments by Mike Taylor

Colorization

"Colorised movies are 'fakes,' and to many serious movie fans that's the problem; we are too familiar with the black and white originals. Also, many black and white films were lit for black and white photography, with the emphasis on shadow, contrasting images of light and dark. To 'colorise' these images is pointless, and detracts from the effect the director of the film was trying to create.
"Some directors chose black and white film specifically and continue to do so -- will we have to endure a colorised version of Schindler's List in a few years? I sincerely hope not!
"The quality of the colorisation process does tend to vary; some are excellent, others less so. But another problem with colorisation is that it can lead to a slight 'softness' of focus so that the print is not as sharp as on a top black and white print. To me, viewing a crisp black and white print is one of the most satisfying film experiences.
"Sometimes bad mistakes occur with inapproriate coloring, ruining the effect. I saw the colorised version of the 1938 classic The Citadel, with Robert Donat, and was just getting to the point of thinking that perhaps it wasn't that bad, when the action switched to London. And in the street scenes the buses were coloured purple! I thought the red London buses were known the world over, but perhaps not so.
"So on balance let's leave the black and white classics alone -- I for one will continue to turn off the colour every time these films are transmitted on tv (fortunately this is still quite unusual in the UK)."

Mike Taylor
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