Romano Archives

November 24, 2008 10:45 PM

ROMANO-Archives has a YouTube channel with over 270 color film clips, called Unknown WWII In Color. "World War ll has usually been seen in black and white, but our recent research has unearthed an abundance of superb color film that shows what it really looked like to those who were there. The Author presents mainly WW2 recently declassified and other previously unavailable material, exclusively filmed in color." They also have over 900 videos of Automobile History USA l lots of pages of images with history, like Jammin' with Betty Boop. [In English and Italian]

Nicely organized here: "This Collection is also composed by videos showing many of the less known types of guns and vehicles used in WW2: suppressed weapons, "secret" weapons and numerous other weapons, including a wide range of different war planes. Gun-camera footage, bombings and air-war are greatly represented, as well as naval and submarine warfare. In this outstanding and unique Collection every single theatre of war is covered and footage captured to the enemy by the Allies is also listed, amateur films included. "Unknown World War 2 in Color" is a stunning and vivid new account of the epic conflict. In the Collection are also available 3 added color video sections about the last pre-war years, the immediate post-war and curiosities plus propaganda footage from various home fronts." Examples: 1945 To the Shores of Iwo Jima part 4 of 4 l Early 1980ies - Last Trip Inside the Führerbunker.

posted by nickyskye (18 comments total)

The War Was In Color
posted by Caduceus at 11:05 PM on November 24, 2008

World War l has also usually been seen in black and white.
posted by anazgnos at 11:14 PM on November 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

It's my hope that if a) there were indeed UFOs visiting us back then and b) they took good footage of the events and c) they break cover in my lifetime then they'll make their recordings available.

IIRC somebody keeping a personal diary of the action landing on Guadalcanal reported seeing a mass overflight of silver discs the day after the landings. Being an immensely enthusiastic student of that history I'd love to see that footage.

This is also related to Asimov's The Dead Past" and the "chronoscope" device in that.
posted by troy at 11:19 PM on November 24, 2008

Wow, this is incredible. Thanks, nickyskye!
posted by Grimp0teuthis at 11:26 PM on November 24, 2008

Awesome. This is why I troll through the usually uninteresting mefi links......
posted by peewinkle at 1:33 AM on November 25, 2008

Several years ago (and in the middle of the night) our local PBS station showed a documentary featuring Japanese color reels taken during WWII. It was very moving to watch; I remember trying to rediscover it at the time to no avail. Here it is (sadly not online save for a few bittorrent trackers): Japan's War in Color.
posted by Auden at 2:04 AM on November 25, 2008

That's great, but it doesn't take too long to get to videos like "German girl gang-raped". Fantastic that it's in colour. Yay youtube. Or something.
posted by pompomtom at 2:48 AM on November 25, 2008

(nastiness aside, great post though...)
posted by pompomtom at 3:18 AM on November 25, 2008

This is a treasure trove! I've watched about 5 short clips so far, and I'm sure I'll watch the majority of the archives before the year is over. Thanks, nickyskye.
posted by Devils Slide at 4:11 AM on November 25, 2008

That's great, but it doesn't take too long to get to videos like "German girl gang-raped". Fantastic that it's in colour. Yay youtube. Or something.

Oh man, seriously? I found the clip of the lost German girl wandering down the road with a swollen black eye sad enough. I don't think I'd be able to stomach the one you're referring to.

Btw, it's strange but I end up on the first page of clips (from the second link) when I use the back button after viewing a video from any page.
posted by Devils Slide at 4:24 AM on November 25, 2008

I see Betty Boop dancing without a shirt. I see torpedos being inserted into tubes. This morning has started out a lot sexier than I had anticipated.

...superb color film that shows what it really looked like to those who were there...

Oh nicky, you're so insensitive to the colorblind! FLAGGED!

(thanks for this; I love old color film footage.)
posted by not_on_display at 4:45 AM on November 25, 2008

What a terrific find. Thanks, nickyskye!
posted by languagehat at 5:59 AM on November 25, 2008

sightly Off Topic: Does anyone know if parts the World At War series where colorized for it's big DVD release? Specifically the Stalingrad episode? It has lead to a fight as bitter as Soviet winter.
posted by The Whelk at 6:37 AM on November 25, 2008

Incredible and just the kind of thing that would have been close to impossible without the web. Thanks nickyskye!
posted by tommasz at 6:59 AM on November 25, 2008

Looking through those archives there are also all kinds of odd and interesting gems that are not so much war related, like a video of art vending in Greenwich Village, 1939 Elektro the Smoking Robot at the New York World's Fair or Eva Braun's visit to Italy.
posted by nickyskye at 10:36 AM on November 25, 2008

PS, not_on_display, sounds like you've been missing one beautiful librarian.
posted by nickyskye at 12:13 PM on November 25, 2008

Amazing. Wonderful post, nickyskye!
posted by sveskemus at 4:43 PM on November 25, 2008

Oh man, seriously? I found the clip of the lost German girl wandering down the road with a swollen black eye sad enough. I don't think I'd be able to stomach the one you're referring to.

Duh. Mr. Literal here shouldn't drink and comment in the small hours.
posted by Devils Slide at 4:15 PM on November 28, 2008