Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A Haunting Glimpse of the Past
Below you will find an extraordinary piece of film. Believed to be the first test of color stock, this sequence features three popular actresses of the silent era. Filmed in a way that looks fresh and contemporary, this snippet is like stepping back into a bygone era. The test was filmed in Fort Lee, NJ (then a mecca of moviemaking) in 1922. Trust me, it's worth the watch:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I wasn't aware there was color that early. Who are the three actresses?
RH: John Bailey has an extensive post about it with all the info. Interesting stuff
http://www.theasc.com/blog/2012/12/03/two-early-color-tests/
People just don't have faces like that anymore, do they? Or voices either - listen to Al Bowlly and then try to name one person today that has a voice like that. They just don't.
I think it's charming the way the girls instinctively pose the way they would for still pictures, and are being reminded to move from off camera (you can tell by the way their eyes cut to the side before they move).
Wonderfully exquisite. At the end we recognized Mae Murray. From the Merry Widow, the Von Stroheim version. Thanks for sharing, Bunchie!
Post a Comment