Dufaycolour, Technicolor and Kodachrome

November 26, 2008 2:25 AM

The Thirties in Colour is a four-part series using rare colour film and photographs to give poignant and surprising insights into the 1930s. [Previously]

Wright Around the World: Together with his younger brother Bolling, the American industrialist Harry Wright was wealthy enough to indulge his twin passions for travel and filmmaking. Both siblings collected and shot films that captured the world at a pivotal time in history.

They captured astonishing images acquired and filmed in the islands of the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, as well as South Africa, Morocco, Palestine, and several countries in Europe, including Britain. These destinations were visited during the golden age of ocean travel, when the well-off could escape the Great Depression and travel the world on luxury cruise ships.

*Other episodes include A World Away, Adventures in the Americas and End of an Era.

posted by chuckdarwin (15 comments total)

The BBC links are available only in the UK.
posted by pracowity at 3:15 AM on November 26, 2008

Also, just in case this sort of detail matters to you or your overlords, there are hot topless Mexican chicks in at least one of the films (the "give" link).
posted by pracowity at 3:22 AM on November 26, 2008

The BBC links are available only in the UK.

Which is why the youtubery / torrenty goodness was added.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:25 AM on November 26, 2008

there are hot topless Mexican chicks in at least one of the films

There was a crucial bit in last night's episode about a white governor passing a law that all 'natives' had to go topless. He thought he was preserving their culture.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:27 AM on November 26, 2008

Yes. I'm just warning the poor folk who are monitored by the Draconian 2000 employee thought-control system.
posted by pracowity at 3:40 AM on November 26, 2008

Nipples are evil.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:42 AM on November 26, 2008

Not only that, but they're always pointing at me! Accusingly!
posted by pracowity at 4:04 AM on November 26, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Thanks for the post, chuckd, this is really cool.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:34 AM on November 26, 2008

Apparently there is no legal upper bound to the number characters that can be included as link text.

However, there is a minimum.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:38 AM on November 26, 2008

OK, as someone who did a BMus and an MA in music history (before changing fields), the name "Dufay" and "colour" gave me a medievalist-boner.

anyway, back to your boobies, boys (and girls)
posted by LMGM at 4:57 AM on November 26, 2008

Thanks for the post, chuckd, this is really cool.

Cheers, flapjax. I'm a sucker for old photos.
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:22 AM on November 26, 2008

Great post—thanks!
posted by languagehat at 7:25 AM on November 26, 2008

Great post. These films are really quite a bit more interesting than the 1939 World's Fair reels that I've always turned to for my required dose of pre-war colour photography. Thanks!
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 8:57 AM on November 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

they resembal people from the 50's more than the 30's
posted by billybobtoo at 11:15 AM on November 26, 2008

they resembal people from the 50's more than the 30's

Actually, no, they don't. Since the scenes are from the 30s, they look exactly like people from the 30s.

And get a spell checker!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:28 AM on November 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]