What The First Color Film Really Is (It’s Not Wizard Of Oz)
The classic film The Wizard of Oz revolutionized cinema with its use of color, but it by no means pioneered it. The 1939 musical changed the history of filmmaking the moment Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) opens the door to the amazing world of Technicolor after a tornado launches her house into the magical land of Oz. With her iconic pet dog Toto, they embark on a journey to find the Great Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) and plead him to send them back to Kansas, but the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) starts pursuing them, seeking revenge for the accidental death of her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. Joined by a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City and defeats the Witch before returning to Kansas.
The movie instantly became a film and pop culture icon and was acclaimed for its excellent storytelling, heartfelt performances, innovative special effects, and musical score. But the element that helped the movie transcend to greatness was Technicolor, the most famous color process in Hollywood. With its highly saturated hues and completely natural representation of real-life color, the process marked the precedent for the mainstream use of color in every film that came afterward.
Related: How Charlie Chaplin Used VFX WAY Before CGI
Yet, as is the case with most innovations such as sound, special effects, and CGI, the film that popularized color is not the one that invented it. It is always tricky to pinpoint the exact moment a technological advancement is born, and sometimes it is also as tricky to identify one sole creator. Which motion picture truly is the «first-ever color movie» can depend on the
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