PhilB Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 I watched the film about the Xmas Truce on Saturday and couldn`t get into it. Apart from anything else, I thought this was partly due to it being in colour. I`m conditioned to seeing WW1 in sepia or black & white. Probably you are too. Does this mean that WW1 films are better if they`re not in colour or would that only detract from the general public`s enjoyment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Trim Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 I don't know about the general public, but I can say that most school kids of my experience lose interest rapidly if a video/ DVD is in black and white. On the other hand they have a tendency to believe it is the truth whereas colour is 'obviously' modern Hollywood therefore not true. Len Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 24 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 24 December , 2007 Sounds like we might need two versions - one colour and one B&W- to cater for both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 I can say that most school kids of my experience lose interest rapidly if a video/ DVD is in black and white. The 13-yr old son of friends of mine is showing interest in military history, but likewise baulks at b/w film, so I am giving him 'WW1 in Colour' for Christmas in the hope that once he's got over the initial hurdle, the attraction of the content of other b/w films will overcome the resistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 It really depends on how well the film is done - there are some that will be equally dire in black and white, full colour, 3D or full holographic projection. A good director (with the assistance of the writers and cast) should be able to produce a good WW1 film. After all there are plenty of good WW2 ones in colour (as well as many bad bad ones) despite the fact that almost all the photographs and newsreels were in black and white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hansen Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 The idea behind 'WWI in colour' is good but their choice of colour for Richthofen's triplane was not the best. It had been coloured red despite the streaky finish being clearly visible. It would also have been the perfect opportunity for the producers to show that not every aircraft MvR flew was bright red from prop to tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 In this instance, I'm regarding colour as no more than a sugar-coating to overcome initial reluctance. Through red, green and brown to the black & white fields beyond ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 a sugar-coating to overcome initial reluctance. In dire fake cocney accent "My gosh its Mary Poppins" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooter Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 On my old colour telly there is a feature for toning right down the colour in the picture. I suggest you use that in future when watching modern films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 24 December , 2007 Share Posted 24 December , 2007 What was the Film in Question ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 24 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 24 December , 2007 "Merry Christmas" 2005 BBC 2, last Saturday afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Grant Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 Hmmm.... its funny to me because being used to seeing WWI movies/clips in black and white means to me, that it happened in black and white; obviously not true. So to the contrary, I enjoy any effort in color of the First World War and in my opinion more movies need to be made this way, for this conflict. "WWI In Color" to me, is excellent, and brings it much closer to home. In reality, the war wasn't that long ago but seeing everything in B/W makes it feels really old. I enjoyed "Joyeux Noel" mainly due to lack of modern first world war movies. Another newer movie with decent trench life footage is " A Very Long Engagement" , although the movie is primarily out of the trenches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 I prefer to assess the item on its content rather than the colour scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findabetterole Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 Phil B... Some very interesting comments in relation to your initial post for this thread. Personaly, I feel very much as yourself, for, when one researches any particular part of official archive film from the period, or watches a documentary about a particular action.. land, sea, air, no matter, one has been conditioned to expect to see these images in the traditional medium of the time.... Black and White. One also, due to the commercial 'Silient Movies' of the time... Chaplin, Harbuckle; etc;, immediatelly associate and expect the 'News Reel' film to be in the standard medium of the day.. Black and White. Due to advanced modern techknowledgy, we are now able to view reworked B/W archive film in glorious 'Colour', but instantly disassociate it as being just another moderrn Hollywood makeover of a classic! Once we individually come to accept this modern inovation of being able to view the past through our own eyes, then I think we will change our perception on things, and find new details that possibly one never really noticed previously. Seph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 Its sheer conditioning (bell rings turns round and salivates) after all I might have a number of crticisms of the "Master and Commander etc" pastiche but the fact that it's in colour is not one of them because I have no conditioned expectations as there were no contemporary photographs. Because 99.99% of the photographic material from WW1 is in monochrome then we automatically expect to see it in monochrome. A black and white film of Vietnam or Afghanistan would look equally odd to us. Not long ago there was some old newsreels shot in colour of WW2 on the box and my wife found them 'unreal' but has no problems with a movie about the same period shot in colour. Thats because we've all seen lots of Holywoodish material in colour about that period but almost all the newsreels are in B&W. I'm sure if there were more modern (and, lets be frank, populist) films on WW1 we would soon adjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clio Posted 27 December , 2007 Share Posted 27 December , 2007 Now I was the opposite Personally I could not watch that Kenneth Branagh voice over series because I doubted the accuracy of the colouring process (justified) and I did not see how it would enhance my appreciation of the footage. Having said that much of the WW1 footage is phoney in the first place - and I don't just mean the Malins stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 27 December , 2007 Share Posted 27 December , 2007 The colorised stuff may not convince us, but it broke the ice for my friend's son and when I left them yesterday he was watching the b&w Great War series with his grandfather, so that's good enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john w. Posted 28 December , 2007 Share Posted 28 December , 2007 The Edwardians were shot in colour I seem to remember, so the process was available. However taking the equipment to the front line was a problem. I found it fascinating to see photos from the Crimea, soldiers and their wives captured forever, bit like Mitchell and Kenyon who filmed people and made a business out of it. They saw themselves in black and white... but then they wanted to gain immortality. I can understand that colour vs black and white can be an issue. However in some ways it opens up a different set of textures. We could explore clarity of the image in relation to HD. You have to work with what is readily available at the time. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 28 December , 2007 Share Posted 28 December , 2007 much of the WW1 footage is phoney in the first place - and I don't just mean the Malins stuff. I realise that Malins and Other Filmakers Faked or Staged SOME their Footage in their Films as you suggest,so what other Footage is "Phoney" and do you have any Proof to back this Up ?..I realise that Obviously that All Film Makers on All Sides would Stage some of Their scenes,but i fail to see that the Images of Death and Destruction being could be construed as being "Phoney". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john w. Posted 28 December , 2007 Share Posted 28 December , 2007 I recently watched a documentary that looked at Malins work in order to show if some of it was real as opposed to phoney, one of the things they had to do was find the locations ( i believe this was another thread and I was so intrigued I followed it up). There was a sequence where a man was seen to fall, and they concluded that this indeed was the first person to die on film in a war. They next tried to identify the soldier carrying the wounded man that features on the front of Martin Middlebrooks book on the Somme, but als nothing concrete came forward. Some leads but nothing definite. A good programme to watch as there are people around who want to research into the validity of the footage. May I recommend the video Forgotten Heroes produced in the 1930s which might show more 'real footage' John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 29 December , 2007 Share Posted 29 December , 2007 As Does The Film "Forgotten Men",which also claims to show Authentic Footage.The Film Itself is Introduced By Hammerton,and Includes Interviews with V.C.Winners,and also contains the only Known Film Appearance of Sir Ian Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 29 December , 2007 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2007 It is surprising that the powers that were didn`t appreciate how much posterity would value cinefilm of battle. If grandstands were set up for the brass to watch, why not the cameras? Unless, of course, the commanders had a good reason not to want a battle filmed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 29 December , 2007 Share Posted 29 December , 2007 Good Point Phil,i notice that there is a Distinct lack of Moving Picture Footage from the 1917 Passchendaele Battle,maybe Filmakers were Forbidden to Film as the resulting Images would have been bad for Civilian Morale in the U.K.,or maybe the added Factor of Poor Weather made Filming Impossible ?,i should imagine that the Cameras used would have been easily affected by Wet and Cold conditions.I have not read Malins Book "How I Filmed The War",maybe its Time i did.The Film "The Battle Of The Somme" has often come in for Criticism from some Forum Members,but all the Critics seem to have forgotten Malins second Film,"The Battle Of The Ancre" which i personally think is an Excellent effort,i dont think any of the Footage in this Film could have been Staged,as Malins seems to be right amongst it all,and for some reason the actual viewing quality of the Film is far superior to the "Somme" Film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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