The Dawn of Technicolor: 1915–1935

If you are lover of the technical aspects of film history, I think you will find this book one of the most treasured items in your library. It is a 450-page detailed history of the Technicolor process from its inception in 1917 (and the pre-history of its inventors), through the last of its two-color films in the early 1930s. There is a brief chapter on the changeover to the superior three-color system, plus an exhaustive filmography of all films shot and printed in the various two-color processes, including a summation of what film elements still exist on those films. It is lavishly illustrated with frame blow-ups from countless films. It carefully rides the line between being too technical for an average reader and not being technical enough for in-the-know readers. This must certainly be the finest book on this topic.

A book that is destined to be the all-time reference on early Technicolor. The films produced are not the main 'focus' - it is the chronicle of the ups and downs of the struggle to introduce, keep and refine color in the movies. It is very well researched and laid out. A bit big and heavy to hold while reading - but reading it is all worthwhile. This is a book that should stand the test of time and be valuable to anyone who ever will want to really learn about what is important in film. Buy one before it goes out of print!

This book describes the many steps in Technicolor's development through its early history as a continuously evolving two color process, ending as the refined three-color Technicolor process is used to film "Becky Sharp". One hopes a second volume is forthcomng! It includes hundreds of color images (ranging from full page to double-size reproductions of actual film clips), many of which have never been published before, and a filmography of details on every Technicolor movie of the era, many titles exceedingly obscure, many lost forever. It's remarkable how beautiful the limited color range (no yellow, no pure blue, no pure green or red) could be in skillful hands. Biographical details on many of the original Technicolor team are a real plus; there were many men (and a few women) involved in addition to the famous names like Kalmus. Completely new to me were the details here of the business side of Technicolor; the relentless promotion needed to keep the expensive and quite imperfect two-color process alive in the face of competing technology, studio indifference and some outright hostility to the idea of color movies. What's missing here is the kind of granular technical detail to be found in Roderick T. Ryan's "The History of Motion Picture Color Technology," published in 1977. Ryan goes into specifics of camera mechanics, filter bandwidths, film spectral sensitivity and color dye sets that's missing here. Alas, Ryan's own book on Technicolor was never completed. Bill Taylor ASC

I just received this in the mail today, so I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I wanted to leave a review in case anyone else was thinking this was a photo book. The book is mostly text, with some small pictures sprinkled throughout. There are a handful (just flipping through I'd guess maybe 15-20?) of full page photos, but most are about 1/4 or 1/5 page. Since the description boasts that the book is "lavishly illustrated" with more than 400 pictures and it's about 13" x 10" I was expecting this to be more of a coffee table book, not a textbook. I'm sure the book will be really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading it. I'm also very happy with the filmography of two-color technicolor films in the back of the book. It just isn't what I had in mind when I bought it.

Cool book but missing about 15 pages. Too much money for a book that has that much missing.

“The Dawn of Technicolor: 1915-1935” by James Layton and David Pierce is an exceptional deep dive into the pioneering era of Technicolor in cinema. This meticulously researched book provides a comprehensive history of the early days of color film technology, charting its development from rudimentary experiments to its pivotal role in Hollywood’s golden age.

If you love books on film technology and history, this book's for you. It is jam packed with tons of minutiae about the evolution of color cinematography over the past hundred years. It's hard to imagine how daunting color photography was decades ago, given the ease with which we shoot in the digital world. This historical volume will give you a new appreciation for color cinema the next time you watch a vintage film shot in the original Technicolor process.

I'm am fascinated by the history of film and early twentieth century history. This book is fascinating, the photos and descriptions are exquisite, and I will keep it forever.

Absolutely superb, detailed history of the development of Technicolor, with excellent illustrations of both original documents e.g. blueprints), artifacts held by Eastman House and frame grabs from original 2 and 3 color Technicolor films. It's also a remarkable demonstration of how the intractable problem of color motion pictures was solved by a group of dedicated engineers in a well planned, step wise fashion, backed by financiers who were willing to take the longer view.

Schönes Buch. Tolle Bilder. Spannend zu lesen. Besonderes Schmankerl: der Anhang, in dem alle TC Filme in der Reihenfolge ihrer Entstehung gelistet sind. Top!

Superbly presented and informative work on the early history of Technicolor dye-transfer process. With luck the same team may follow it up with the mid-1930s to the 1950's and 1960's relases including CienmaScope, Technirama, SuperTechnirama and TechniScop, and in doing so complete the history of Technicolor.

Used but in excellent condition and good service Excellent book for film / cinema enthusiasts

Fantastic in-depth book about the creation of Technicolor. Great for university projects on the subject and well laid out. Pictures are a real bonus. Large book though.