COLOUR FILMS

Southland Times, Issue 23987, 30 November 1939, Page 14

COLOUR FILMS

War Conditions May Affect Output

Colour films are more popular than they were last year, but a decrease in their number may result from war conditions. Technicolor, which nas been doing all of its process-printing for the entire European market m London during the past two years, may shift the work to the Hollywood plant. The Hollywood plant would have to be enlarged to handle any quantity of European production, as these prints require a very high standard of eiiiciency in handling by laboratory workers, and speeding is an element that cannot be accomplished in this work. Technicolor hopes to continue work in London, but if manpower shortage occurs, it will have to rely on Hollywood. . , The Hollywood plant is running close to capacity this year, turning out cartoons and feature prints for the domestic market. It is likely that, in taking over the foreign supply Technicolor will revise its schedule for feature work that has been set for production during the. next few months. It is also likely, until Technicolor can get operating at full capacity in handling domestic and foreign prints, that studios, which had planned colour pictures for the near future, may decide to make these features in black and white. Pictures now completed, some of which already are released in the American market and requiring Technicolor prints abroad are “The Wizard of Oz,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Hollywood Cavalcade” and “Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.” Those now in production that use the Technicolor process are “Dr Cyclops” (Paramount), “Drums Along the Mohawk” (Twentieth Centjiry-Fox), “Gulliver’s Travels” (Par-Fleischer), “North-west Passage” (M.-G.), “Typhoon,” and “Untamed” (both Paramount). Pictures now in preparation set to be done in Technicolor are “Royal Canadian Mounted” (Paramount), “It’s a Date” (U.), “Swanee River” and “Bluebird” (both 20th), and “Pinochio” (Disney-RKO).