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:

4 comments:

Retro Hound said...

I wasn't aware there was color that early. Who are the three actresses?

Bunched Undies said...

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/

Marcheline said...

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).

Bob of Holland said...

Wonderfully exquisite. At the end we recognized Mae Murray. From the Merry Widow, the Von Stroheim version. Thanks for sharing, Bunchie!

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