The African Queen (1951). United Artists/Photofest ©United Artists.

The African Queen (1951) is an interesting anomaly in film history.  An American director, with American stars, in a British film.  Director John Huston was under suspicion from the House Un-American Activities committee in the early 1950s, and as a result he moved to Ireland.  He set up a British film company and made several features before he returned to the US in the early 1960s.

This caused The African Queen to be in precarious position for many years.  The original negatives, in the old Technicolor three-strip format, were in storage in England.  It is quite expensive to reprint three-strip negatives on modern film, and that expense is compounded by the location of the materials.  There are only a few labs in the world that can reprint three-strip negatives today, and they are all located in the U.S.  The British owners usually would license the film to a particular distributor only for a limited time, which made it even less likely that new prints could be made.  Studio executives are hesitant to spend $100,000 reprinting a film that they are only leasing.

The last film prints of The African Queen were made in the United States for a reissue in 1967.  These prints were literally beaten to death through multiple screenings in drive-ins and grindhouses.  Projectionists routinely broke the film and spliced it back together carelessly, sometimes losing many frames in the process.  By the 1990s, there were only a few projectable prints left.  By 2000, the rights shifted to another studio, and those old prints were abandoned.

At this point, I have to step out of character.  Normally, I can report as an impartial observer, but as a film historian and collector, I personally became part of this story.  Since I have a reputation for being able to find difficult-to-obtain prints, I would frequently receive calls from repertory theaters asking for a copy of  The African Queen.  I didn’t have one–no one did–but I kept looking.

In 2003, a collector called me, telling me that he’d acquired the last three prints of the film from the previous distributor.  They were in the legendary Technicolor dye transfer process, but they were so tattered that no one wanted them.  Knowing that the original materials were out of reach, I thought it might be worthwhile to try to combine the three prints into one.

Fortunately for me, Technicolor was a forward-thinking laboratory, and they marked every print with uniform edge codes.  Every foot was marked with a code like 1A006, which in this case means Reel 1A, 6 feet from the start. With sixteen frames in a foot, it becomes only an exercise in counting to restore the print.

I carefully screened each reel and made notes about which was the best one.  Using the best for the reference, I cranked through it by hand until I felt the first splice.  I located the footage markers, counting how many frames were missing.  I then went to one of the other prints, found the corresponding frames, cut them out, and spliced them into the “good” reel.  Each one of these took 20 minutes or so to do, and had to be very carefully checked so that only the correct frames were restored.

The African Queen is on five and a half reels.  There were 150 splices in the first reel alone!  It took two weeks for me to get through the whole feature.

Normally, I would have preferred to use whole scenes and reels that were better in one print than in another.  I didn’t have that luxury.  There were several occasions in which two of the three prints were missing the footage I needed, so there was no room for being picky.

The resulting restored print runs very nicely, even though it sounds like a machine gun going through the projector, which, fortunately, is a sound that only the projectionist hears.  The new distributor was more than happy to issue theaters a license to show the restored print, because they didn’t have one of their own.  This print of The African Queen has been screened in Europe and all over the United States.

In the intervening years, the negatives have been reprinted and The African Queen is now available in new prints.  However, this print is still in demand by museums and repertory theaters, because it is the only print in general circulation that is in the original Technicolor dye transfer process.

Dye transfer Technicolor gives a beautiful, rich range of color that modern processes only approximate.  This print shows that off beautifully, with lovely photography by the legendary Jack Cardiff.  It also shows one of the limitations of the old process: color balance between prints was often a problem.  Some were a little more blue, others a little more yellow.  There are a few points at which alert viewers will notice a sudden color shift as the restored print changes its source.

The African Queen is undeniably a classic, with extensive footage of real African locations, some shot for the first time in color.  The screening on January 27th will be one of the rare times it can be seen as it was originally photographed.  Bring a friend, a drink and a couple of good, strong mosquito nets!

The first color photograph, a tartan ribbon, using Maxwell’s method.

Maxwell’s idea was to use standard black and white film and to take three images: the first with a red filter, the second with a green filter, and the third with a blue filter.  It was a clever idea that merged the idea of art’s color wheel with the scientific ideas of light frequency.  Almost all color imaging uses Maxwell’s principles to this day.

When motion pictures were invented in the 1890s, there was once again a desire for color images.  By 1900, the Pathé company in France had designed an elaborate system to hand-color film frames with the use of stencils.  Others developed ways of tinting film to make certain scenes have a different artistic feel.

Still photographers had no trouble using Maxwell’s method of making color images, but it was more difficult for motion picture cameramen.  While the still photographer could simply load a new plate, put up a new color filter, and reshoot, the motion picture cameraman had to take at least 16 images per second!

By 1910, The Kinemacolor company perfected a way to synchronize a camera to take red and green alternating frames. It was the first system to record any form of actual color in motion pictures.  They were unable to make the third color, blue, work in their camera.  Kinemacolor’s owners discovered that the film could not move fast enough to record three images.  The film shredded in the camera whenever they tried it.

Kinemacolor was very flickery and required a special projector, two factors that caused it to be abandoned fairly quickly.  Given that it was a red and green process, it did not fully reproduce the color spectrum and gave even its best images a strange look, with greenish, washed-out skies.  Gaumont’s Chronochrome process solved the problem of film shredding by making the frames smaller, becoming the first viable three-color process, although it died out before 1920.  Its odd film size combined with the need for a special projector doomed it.

A 3-strip Technicolor camera from the 1930s.

Technicolor started up in 1917 and was able to record simultaneous red and green images.  They struggled with projection and printing issues throughout the 1920s, until they developed their dye transfer process in 1928.  Technicolor faced the same trouble that Kinemacolor had–they would destroy the film by recording three images on the same strip.  Red and green would work, but blue was out.  Technicolor immediately realized that their films must work in standard projectors without the use of special equipment, a factor that made their process more durable that others had been.

Several other rival color companies started up during the 1920s and 1930s, including Prizmacolor, Cinecolor, and Multicolor.  Again, these processes were only able to produce red and green images, without the full spectrum of color.  It was not until the introduction of Technicolor’s three-color camera in 1934 that the first viable full-color system came to the movies.  It was a smashing success and it rocketed Technicolor into profitability.

Technicolor’s solution turned out to be bulky and cumbersome, however clever it was.  Instead of using a single piece of film, the three-color camera used bulky optics to split the image so that it could be recorded simultaneously on three strips of film.  This meant that Technicolor had to be shot with a special camera that weighed several hundred pounds.  It also required much more light than black and white cameras: the lights often made the temperature on film sets rise over 100 degrees, and swimming star Esther Williams still has to wear protective eyewear because of her exposure to the lights.

Technicolor looked wonderful, with its rich hues and vibrant color, but Hollywood hated it because it was expensive and required special equipment.  When Kodak developed Kodachrome in 1935-6 there were high hopes that it would become the new standard.  Unfortunately, Kodachrome, which also produced beautiful, vibrant color, was difficult to process.  Hollywood needed something that was easy to process and could make good quality copies for distribution, both of which were difficult for Kodachrome.

It was not until 1948 that Kodak released its first Eastman color films, which were all that Hollywood had ever wanted–easily developed, easily copied, color prints.  As always, the ease of use and cost benefits came with problems.  Early Eastman color prints tend to be unstable.  Many films shot using the process have faded drastically, some irretrievably.  Still, it was so much easier and more flexible that most studios quickly favored Eastman color.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," 1953.

By 1955, Technicolor discontinued its bulky, heavy three-strip camera.  They still were a dominant force in the color industry, because the studios discovered that their method of printing, their patented dye transfer process, produced superior color prints.  Eastman color prints, while nice, did not have the color range that Technicolor’s prints produced.  Technicolor maintained their dye transfer line until 1974 in the US, until 1977 in the UK, and until 1980 in Italy.  At that time, Technicolor became an Eastman color laboratory.  Eastman was cheaper and easier to process, and by the late 1970s, the color prints had improved significantly.

Film collectors and archivists still value the old dye transfer prints highly.  While Eastman color prints fade an unflattering pink color after 15 years or so, the dye transfer prints retain their full color range for many years.  Even some nitrate dye transfer prints from the 1940s still look as stunning today as they did when they came out.

Each color process had its own advantages and disadvantages.  Many of them have a distinctive look.  The History of Color in Film class on February 10 will showcase as many color processes as possible, mostly in original prints.  It will start with an actual, not Photoshopped, demonstration of Maxwell’s color experiment, and continue with examples of Technicolor (both two-color and three-strip), Cinecolor, Kodachrome, and Eastman color.  The class is designed to be as hands-on and non-technical as possible.  Come have fun and see how color changed the movies!

What about the earliest-known drawings? They exist in a cave in France, and are believed to be more than 30,000 years old. The newest film by documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog (of Grizzly Man fame) is a journey into the Chauvet Cave, and a reflection on the profound urge to represent reality—with pigment on a surface.

image courtesy IFC films.

Egged on by Herzog’s rapturous narration, the film’s camera washes over the cave paintings with lavish attention. Beasts of all sizes are depicted. Charcoal brush strokes capture the grace and strength of a horse in motion. Footprints hint at rites of passage and perilous journeys. The film is immersive; the drawings are ghostly, and yet so there. (Read reviews of the film here).

Cave of Forgotten Dreams premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. I saw it at the 2011 South by Southwest film festival and fell in love.

You can see it here at the Indianapolis Museum of Art any of four times between Christmas and New Years. Use it as an excuse to get out of the house and get a fat dose of profundity.

Design is generally a pretty subjective endeavor, so when starting a new project I like to do a little research into the subject in order to guide the generation of formal elements. Fortunately Technicolor offers a wealth of visual elements to play with, but the methods and appearance of color film varies a lot depending on the time. The earliest versions of color motion pictures involved three separate rolls of film—black, cyan, and magenta—that were layered together in order to produce the color projection. It’s a very distinctive look, and is wholly different from the colors you see in The Godfather: Part II, the last American film made using Technicolor’s dye transfer process. The early three-strip technique provided inspiration for the initial Winter Nights designs, involving a large and somewhat abstract W made from shaded cubes to reference a frigid, icy winter.

While working on this abstract and wintry version, we also pursued a more literal direction using film as the starting point. Keeping the W, this solution retains the grainy texture that characterizes many of those older movies. While each had its merits, ultimately we decided to go with the film-centric version for this year’s series, and a final version was created that made very clear the series’ relationship with film, as well as including the Technicolor theme in the graphic.

Using film stills in a campaign for Technicolor movies is a no-brainer, but this was not as straightforward as one might think. In the 1940s, Technicolor threw out a large volume of color negatives after the studios didn’t reclaim them, and unless they’ve been re-mastered those movies are now only available in black and white. Fortunately, we were able to find some great color images from Charade and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The beauty of these movies speak for themselves when you see them, and in order to try imparting some of that drama and motion in print pieces, I relied on careful crops.

One particularly seductive image of Marilyn Monroe offers plenty of details to highlight—Marilyn’s face, her eyes lightly closed, could be mistaken for being asleep when viewed alone. The diamond bracelet and thick gray fur are a glimpse of luxury, sensuality, and elegant excess. The full image, my favorite among Marilyn’s publicity shots for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, shows the actress dressed in red, wrapped in fur, and draped in diamonds. Her open mouth, even more red than her dress, completes a frozen moment of ecstasy, and was the perfect image to use for our Winter Nights banner.

Jarred Alterman, Director of "Convento."

A few years ago, I was traveling in Portugal with friends, driving along the southern coast in search of good, cheap eats and local wine.   On the road, you meet people.  We heard rumors of a secret monastery in the Alentejo region, converted into an artist retreat and nature preserve.  Feeling adventurous, we decided to check it out.  I had this strange feeling there was something there waiting for me, beckoning me, but at the time I had no idea it would be the focus of my first feature film.

We made the drive from a coastal touristy backdrop to the barren countryside.  The green hills slowly became orange and tan and you could begin to hear the hissing sun.   The Alentejo is brutal in the summer, and we felt this intensity as we arrived at The Convento Sao Francisco, in the village of Mértola.

My first impression was an impressive gate daring me to swing open and explore.  It was so quiet, except for the hum of winged insects and the faint crescendos of clicking storks in the distance. There was no one to greet us and I felt like an outsider immediately, of mythological proportion.

After what felt like an eternity, I slowly lifted the latch on the gate, feeling the warm rusted surface on my fingers. As we slowly made our way up a long winding path, the background shifted before our eyes. Tall trees, exotic flowers and hidden stone sculptures suddenly replaced the once dry earth.  As we made our way deeper into the grounds, an oasis in the middle of this desert-like region surrounded us.  The sun’s rays, now dappled through the tall trees, illuminated a falcon circling above us.

We heard the calls of peacocks, ducks and the sounds of a rider on horseback.  We began to hear water running over stones traveling in the distance, and we could all feel the air around us cool down.   Only for a brief moment I saw the silhouette of a woman tending to bed sheets on a line, and she was gone.

As we approached the final path leading towards a door, a sudden rush of happy shouting dogs came running towards us.  They circled around us, checked us out, and made no complaints of our visit.

We were somewhere beyond time and you could feel it.  The monastery was over four hundred years old, but Romans, Arabs and Phoenicians once walked upon the grounds thousands of years ago.  I felt a connection to this frequency immediately as if something from the past was trying to communicate with me, so I listened…

I followed reverberated voices down a long corridor that lead me to a chapel, and it is here where I was introduced to the world of kinetic artist, Christiaan Zwanikken.  Once a place of worship, this chapel now functions as an open art studio where skeletal parts and deceased wildlife are wakened from the dead with servomotors and computers.

What drew me in to Christiaan’s work immediately was the shocking juxtaposition of his dancing, talking and robotic skeletal beasts against the serene backdrop of this quiet monastery.  It was completely unexpected; a robotic snake-eagle of hybrid skeletal remains and steel claws perched high on a wall, reanimated, drew you in closer.  A pair of stork skulls clicks and clacks at each other provided an avant-garde soundtrack.  An array of steam pumps, engines and acrobatic gears perform a mechanical dance, transforming this chapel into a science fiction installation – I was breathless.

Leaving the studio, I followed a different path through a field of lavender that lead me into the heart of the garden.  Thriving vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, were being tended by Geraldine Zwanikken, who danced her way through the brush.   She was smiling of course, as if she expected me.  I was soon introduced to her other son, Louis, on horseback, who greeted us weary travelers with an open heart.

I spent two weeks at this home, as a guest, and over the course of many meals, starry nights and exciting conversations fueled by local red wine, I became very close friends with this family.  Of course at the time I was not prepared to make a film, but I soon returned to capture what I experienced.

My film Convento attempts to transport the viewer to this magical place and experience what I felt on this journey.  I wanted to create a film immersion, using texture and movement as the main ingredients.  There is very little narration and interviews to fill in the blanks. I didn’t want to say too much; it’s the silence in between that I wanted you to meditate on.  So when you watch the film, you should explore within the frame with the same curiosity as I did on foot.

Come see Convento this Friday, September 9, at 8:15pm in the Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion.  For more information, click here.

Commonalities in themes, motifs, and subjects regularly cross genres of artistic expression, including art and film.  From this thought, we compared a few of IMA works with the films being shown at this year’s festival. Feel free to enjoy the films and pursue the galleries (and 100 Acres) to see which medium conveys a preferred representation of the theme, imagery, or subject addressed.

We have provided a brief description of our thought processes and the connections between the two. Which do you prefer: On the Screen or In the Gallery? Vote below and enjoy the week of films!

GREEN WAVE vs. THE QUINTET OF THE SILENT (Bill Viola, 2001)

D: The Quintet of the Silent shows a diverse array of emotions through a slow motion video that stretches a single minute into fifteen by Bill Viola, an artist who was the pioneer of video art. A singular emotion is found in this charged and dynamic animated movie poster for Green Wave, an Iranian film that shows how technology can change and shape a society. The emotive qualities of both film stills relay different effects but draw us to empathize with these characters.

APOCOLYPSE vs. EDEN II (Tea Mäkipää, 2010)

D: This film is set in a post-apocalyptic world, and Mäkipää’s sculpture is a vessel for harboring those who have survived an environmental disaster or the results of extreme climate change. The dichotomy between these two works shows survivors stories amidst apocalyptic destruction. For the full effect, visit the vessel and guard house in 100 Acres.

THE PERFECT HOST vs.  STILL LIFE WITH A CHINESE PORCELAIN JAR (Willem Kalf, 1669)

B: The Perfect Host is a psychological thriller centered around the somewhat accidental meeting of two strangers and the chaos that follows. The home and domestic life (or some twisted version thereof) seems to be the focal point of the film’s drama. Thus I selected Still Life with a Chinese Porcelain Jar as it is a seemingly tranquil domestic scene that, upon closer look, is actually quite dark and eerie in its austerity.

SCREAMING MAN vs. BATTLE BETWEEN CARNIVAL AND LENT (Jan Miense Molenaer, 1633-1634)

B: The highly anticipated and celebrated A Screaming Man seems to be quite biblical, both thematically (Isaac and Abraham are mentioned in the film’s description) and in its depiction of conflict and choices. Set in Chad, it would have been the obvious choice to go for a work of African art. However, I find the Battle Between Carnival and Lent to be thematically appropriate as it is intentionally chaotic in its representation of Biblical conflict and confrontation.

I began working at the IMA as an intern for Summer Nights and now, eleven years later, I get to work on my favorite IMA program again.  We’re already a little over a month into this Summer Nights season, but no worries- we still have 2 months of amazing films for you to see:

July

Learn words that would make a sailor blush at the foul-mouthed Clerks (July 15), keep your ear to the ground for our first ever Secret Screening with the Indy Film Fest (July 22), and get your ‘80s fix with bad highlights, moustaches, and Tom Cruise in Top Gun (July 29).

August

Bring your pitch-pipe and practice the Hand Jive for our Grease Sing-a-long (August 5), prepare to swoon for the stars, costumes, and scenery in To Catch a Thief (August 12), break out the Aquanet and stretch pants for Labyrinth (August 19) and saving the best for last, watch the Man of Steel in action with Superman (August 26).

Don’t forget – this year everyone can get tickets in advance – buy your ticket online or at the IMA Welcome Center.

Do you already have your ticket and just need to know the basics?

The absolute essentials include sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses, and a blanket.

Think Stretch Armstrong.   Not only will you need that flexibility when tiptoeing across a field of blankets to get to 100 Acres, but you’ll need to be ready to pop into The Toby on the night we have a thunderstorm (check in at 5:30pm to find out if the film is inside or outside- WTHR’s meteorologist Nicole Misencik will help us make the rain call).

Channel your inner Emily Post.  The amphitheater can hold 650 people… if the first 300 are willing to share their space.  We’re not saying that you only get your 2’ radius of personal space, but once your picnic spread is put away for the night, pull up that extra blanket too.  It’ll come in handy at the end of the movie when you realize you forgot a sweatshirt.

Choose your own adventure.  Doors to the amphitheater open at 6:00 pm for members (6:30 pm for the public) and the film starts once it is dark, so bring a board game or walking shoes.  Toss the Frisbee in 100 Acres, explore the IMA galleries (air conditioning, anyone?) or skip the picnic and grab your dinner at Nourish Café.  You won’t be waiting for the movie to start with this much to do.

Check it at the door.  We’re not the TSA, but we do need to check your bag.  Because of Indiana Alcohol Beverage Laws, you aren’t allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to the films.  So be ready to pop open your cooler when you arrive at the amphitheater, and grab a local brew from the concession stand.   You’ll also want to refrain from bringing pets, candles over 12” (consider a candelabra going overboard in picnic planning), and your grill (ditto).

We have spent some time on-site, working in the U.S. Pavilion and the Giardini as it prepares for an influx of visitors, filming the Commissioner, the IMA’s Lisa Freiman, as she gave an orientation to a group of interns who will tend to the Pavilion during the 6 month run of the show, and shooting the last of the artwork being installed and rehearsed (we can’t show you yet!) with Jennifer and Guillermo (that is, Allora & Calzadilla) looking on. We are working in tandem with photographers Tascha Horowitz, of the IMA, and Andrew Bordwin and Nick D’Emilio, of Andrew Bordwin Studio Inc., to document everything as it happens. We will be releasing more images and video online in the next few weeks, and you can look for the Gloria catalogue to come out later this summer.

Lisa Freiman discussing the exhibition with the summer interns.

Allora & Calzadilla watching the rehearsals.

We have also been gathering b-roll around Venice. We see the bright red Biennale advertising in every campo (they also provide the only benches in the square- smart!) We stopped in Piazza San Marco, took a quick tour of the Teatro la Fenice and hopped over the Ponte Accademia to visit Santa Maria della Salute. While the city is famously difficult to navigate, we have been able to find a lot of the famous attractions to shoot without much trouble and have been enjoying our share of Italian food and gelato.

We will continue to film as the Biennale opens this week, including VIP tours and vernissage celebrations, and you can look for almost everything we shoot to go up on the Biennale microsite. Also don’t forget to follow us on twitter @USPavilion11 for all the latest news from the Pavilion. As the Italians say- ciao!

• June 3: Mommie Dearest (1981)
• June 10: Blue Hawaii (1961)
• June 17: The Sandlot (1993)
• June 24: The Wiz (1978)
• July 1: Zoolander (2001)
• July 8: Poltergeist (1982)
• July 15: IIFF Clerks (1994)
• July 22: Indianapolis International Film Festival’s Secret Screening
• July 29: Top Gun (1986)
• August 5: Grease (1978)
• August 12: To Catch a Thief (1955)
• August 19: Labyrinth (1986)
• August 26: Clues below!

Below are your clues for the last film. I think you all know the drill by now but the first person to correctly guess will win two tickets to any Summer Nights film. Leave a comment below and the answer will be given tomorrow morning.

FILM Thirteen (playing August 26): Based on clues from the works of art below, guess the name of this film. (Hint: click on the image for additional clues such as artist, title of piece, etc.)

Don’t forget tickets will go on sale tomorrow for IMA members. Public sales begin May 2.

See you all June 3 when we kick off the season!

Congratulations to yesterday’s winner for correctly guessing To Catch a Thief. The 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film will play August 12 at the IMA as part of the annual Summer Nights Film Series.

Below are your clues for the next film. The answer will be given tomorrow and the first person to correctly guess (by commenting below) will win two Summer Nights tickets. With only one artwork given, this one is going to be tough! I say that hesitantly as you have surprised me in earlier rounds (smarty-pants).

FILM Twelve (playing August 19): Based on clues from the works of art below, guess the name of this film. (Hint: click on the image for additional clues such as artist, title of piece, etc.)

The answer will be given tomorrow so keep those guesses coming!

Become a fan of the IMA on Facebook and stay tuned for an early scoop on the precise time that tomorrow’s clues will go live.