Multicolor is a subtractive two-color motion picture process. Multicolor, introduced to the

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

industry in 1929, was based on the earlier Prizma Color process, and was the forerunner of

Cinecolor Cinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two-color motion picture process that was based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and the 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel and ...

. For a Multicolor film, a scene is shot with a normal camera capable of bipacking film. Two black-and-white

35mm film 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

negatives are threaded bipack in the camera. One records the color red (via a dyed

panchromatic Panchromatic emulsion is a type of black-and-white photographic emulsion that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light. Description A panchromatic emulsion renders a realistic reproduction of a scene as it appears to the human eye, altho ...

film), and the other, blue (

orthochromatic In chemistry, orthochromasia is the property of a dye or stain to not change color on binding to a target, as opposed to metachromatic stains, which change color. The word is derived from the Greek '' orthos'' (correct, upright), and chromatic (c ...

). In printing, duplitized stock is exposed and processed with one record on each side. In a tank of toning solution, the film is floated upon the top of the solution with the appropriate chemical. The cyan record is toned a complementary red with a

copper ferrocyanide Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish- ...

solution, and the red being toned blue/cyan with

ferric ferrocyanide In chemistry, iron(III) refers to the chemical element, element iron in its +3 oxidation number, oxidation state. In salt (chemistry), ionic compounds (salts), such an atom may occur as a separate cation (positive ion) denoted by Fe3+. The adjec ...

solution. Multicolor enjoyed brief success in early sound pictures. The following features included sequences in Multicolor: '' This Thing Called Love'' (1929), '' His First Command'' (1929), ''

Red Hot Rhythm ''Red Hot Rhythm'' (1929) is an American pre-Code early sound musical film directed by Leo McCarey, and starring Alan Hale Sr., Kathryn Crawford, Walter O'Keefe, and Josephine Dunn. As originally released by Pathé Exchange, the film featured ...

'' (1929), '' Sunny Side Up'' (1929), ''

Married In Hollywood ''Married in Hollywood'' (1929) is an American musical film. The only footage known to survive is the final reel, filmed in Multicolor, held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The film is based on two Oscar Straus operettas. Plot A show ...

'' (1929), '' Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'' (1929), '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929), '' New Movietone Follies of 1930'' (1930), '' Good News'' (1930), '' Madam Satan'' (1930) and '' Delicious'' (1931). All of these features were produced by Fox Film Corporation except ''The Great Gabbo'' ( Sono Art-World Wide Pictures), ''Red Hot Rhythm'' (

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

), ''Good News'' ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and ''Madam Satan'' ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). A sequence in '' Hell's Angels'' (1930) was filmed in Multicolor, but printed by Technicolor, as Multicolor could not yet supply as large a demand of printings in such a short amount of time. Multicolor was also utilized in several cartoons of the era. A 15-second, behind-the-scenes clip in Multicolor of the Marx Brothers filmed on the set of ''

Animal Crackers An animal cracker is a particular type of cracker, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or a circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but ...

'' (1930) exists as part of a Cinecolor short subject entitled ''Wonderland of California''. The first feature filmed entirely in Multicolor was '' The Hawk'' (1931), which was re-released five years later in Cinecolor as ''

Phantom of Santa Fe Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy u ...

''. In 1932, the next (and final) all Multicolor feature, ''

Tex Takes A Holiday ''Tex Takes a Holiday'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alan James and starring Wallace MacDonald, Virginia Brown Faire and Ben Corbett.Pitts p. 346 It was shot in Natural color, an early process for producing color films. ...

'' (1932), was released. Howard Hughes was an early investor of Multicolor's

Rowland V. Lee Rowland Vance Lee (September 6, 1891 – December 21, 1975) was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer. Biography Early life Born in Findlay, Ohio, Lee was the son of a suffragette who founded a newspaper. He studied at Columbi ...

and William Worthington. The Multicolor plant closed in 1932 and their equipment was bought by

in 1933.

References

{{reflist Audiovisual introductions in 1929 Film and video technology Motion picture film formats

See also

References