Needless to say, we’re still to screen a colourised version of any film at a Beau Chumps tent meeting. Additionally, when screening films at tent meetings when there is a colour version available, the question is always asked. With these far more learned detractors, it seems that I’m not alone. So, is it just me then? Well, the answer, clearly, is a firm “no”. While it would allow black-and-white films to perhaps be open to new audiences, the process was crude and many detractors including James Stewart, John Huston, George Lucas and Woody Allen claimed that even if it were refined, it would not take into account lighting compositions chosen for black-and-white photography which would not necessarily be as effective in colour. This however, perhaps inevitably lead to controversy. Firstly Topper, and Way Out West(both originally made in 1937), became the first black-and-white films to be redistributed in colour using the digital ‘Colorization’ process.
In case you didn’t know, in 1983, original Laurel and Hardy producer, Hal Roach studios, became one of the first studios to use computerised film colourisation and began creating digitally coloured versions of some of its films. Yes, I wanted to own them so I could dip in if I fancied it, but I only ever watched the original versions… until the granddaughters came along. Then the 21-disc DVD set came out in the UK and what purported to be ‘better’ colour versions were included, but still, ‘Colorization’ wasn’t for me.
I was buying them out of curiosity and, I suppose, loyalty. When the ‘colour’ Virgin videos were released, I like many, was in the queue on release day with many around me extolling the virtues of the ‘new’ films. Perhaps they were just ‘in the zone’ at the time, but I mean, reflections in the mirrors in Mickey Finn’s palace were still black and white! What was that about? But I also recall being a little underwhelmed, the expectations of a ‘colour’ film I had in my mind had not quite been met, but many around me were blown away, so I thought it must just have been me.
#LAUREL AND HARDY MOVIES YOUTUBE MOVIE#
There’s no better way to enjoy the boys’ antics as you know, and as usual I loved the movie and laughed harder than usual. Well, I do remember thoroughly enjoying being in a crowd of like-minded ‘Sons’ to watch Laurel and Hardy on the big screen. Just how good would this be? Would the images be sharp and well defined? How many colours would be used? Would ‘Colorization’ open up a new market of younger fans? The list of questions was endless and I do recall being somewhat nervous as the lights went down. The ‘Colorized’ FilmsĪnyway, that opportunity came just over a year later at the UK Laurel and Hardy Convention in Blackpool over the May Bank Holiday weekend in 1986 when well over a hundred of us sat down in the ‘cinema’ in Pontins eagerly anticipating the first dawn of this new world. Read on, there are many more of these splendid images below…. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before nominations are announced on January 22.A ‘coloured’ still from Way Out West. Then take a look at the most up-to-date combined odds before you make your own 2019 Oscar predictions.
PREDICT the Oscar nominations now change them until January 22īe sure to check out how our experts rank this year’s Oscar contenders. Our list includes “Sons of the Desert,” “Way Out West” and more. Tour our photo gallery above of Laurel and Hardy’s 10 greatest films. Reilly reaped a Golden Globe bid for his work, while Coogan was recognized at BAFTA, where the film also competes for Best British Film and Best Makeup/Hair. Reilly and Steve Coogan as the iconic pair. The two have been back in the headlines as of late thanks to the new film “Stan and Ollie” (2018), which casts John C.
SEE Steve Coogan Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’ Sadly, Hardy died in 1957 before any such recognition could be bestowed upon him. (It’s a sign of the times that this plotless hodgepodge managed to snag an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.) Just two year later, the two were headlining the full-length comedy “Pardon Us” (1931), which found Stan and Ollie behind bars for selling beer during Prohibition.Īlthough neither personally competed at the Academy Awards, Laurel did receive an Honorary Oscar in 1961 for his career in comedy. Their first official foray into features was a cameo appearance in “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” (1929), a musical variety meant to introduce MGM’s silent movie stars to sound.