Many silent films were tinted to suggest different times of day (yellow
for exterior daytime, blue for exterior night time) or different
locations (a color might be associated with a particular room or even
country). I think some films used these tints for characters, as I seem
to remember seeing a print of Broken Blossoms  in which some shots with
"Asian" characters were dyed yellow.
 
DO
 
Deron Overpeck, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Radio, Television and Film Program
Department of Communication and Journalism
Auburn University
Director, Jay Sanders Film Festival


>>> Norman Holland <[log in to unmask]> 3/23/2010 9:08 AM >>>
Hi,

Recently, I've taken to watching silents streamed from Netflix.  Often,
the
film willl change from a sepia color to blue or even red.  Are these
color
changes intentional?  If so, what do they signify?  If not, are they
an
artifact of preservation or what?

                      --With warm regards,

                                   Norm
Norm Holland

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