Costly as it was for the film industry, the transition from silent film to talkies slowed the spread of early color systems. Footage of the “natural” color spectrum was rarely seen in theaters along with sound-on-film in the 1930s–if it was, then almost exclusively in short commercials. Only a few firms showed a pioneering spirit in the use of both production technologies, pushing major brands and products on the big screen in colorful glory and playing them up with catchy sound. Melodie der Wellen advertised Telefunken radio valves with a short sequence in Sirius Color in 1931. That spot’s variable density sound-on-film made clever use of vocals and spoken dialogue. Two years later, Die Flamme was entirely devised in Ufacolor, promoting the latest modern kitchen appliances with instrumental music. In 1936, Perlen enticed audiences to delight in “Henkel Trocken” sparkling wine: hypnotic chants, sound effects, and a voice-over as a Gasparcolor variable density track in lilac pink gradients.
Workshop report by Anke Mebold (DFF –Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt
Kino Arsenal | free of charge with filmrestored [at] deutsche-kinemathek.de (subject: Akkreditierung, body: Ich%20m%C3%B6chte%20mich%20kostenlos%20f%C3%BCr%20das%20Filmerbe-Festival%20anmelden.%0A%0AName%3A) (Festival-Registration)