Black and white photos can now be coloured through modern technology. Programs as simple as Adobe Photoshop can be used to add colour to photos that originally had none. This isn’t limited to photography, as film, though it typically doesn’t look as good, can be colourized. Colourization can be seen as both good and bad.
In the hands of a knowledgeable person, the colourization of photos can help viewers better understand people, places and events of the past. If someone hopes to realistically colourize a black and white photo, they must have some historical knowledge so they can know the colours or certain objects. Still, it is highly unlikely that one, even armed with historical knowledge, can create a totally accurate colourized photo. One historian by the name of Sanna Dullaway said, “No colorized photo can replace the original black-and-white picture, but each will give you a new perspective on how your grandparents and great-grandparents used to see the world.” Colourization may be criticized in photography and historical communities, but it is practically despised by filmmakers. A particular example that comes to mind is the story of Citizen Kane, a movie that, according to many critics, is the greatest movie ever made. Its creator, Orson Welles, one regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, was against the colourization of his films. In the year of his death, which was 1985, he said, in reference to Citizen Kane, “I want you to make sure you stop Ted Turner from coloring my movie with his crayons.” Luckily, Welles’s contract gave him total creative control over the movie. Therefore, legally, it cannot be colourized without his permission, which he cannot grant, being dead and all. Many filmmakers see colourization as nothing less than vandalism. In the end, many agree colourization is a tool that must be used with caution.
Mathews, Jack. “How Kane Triumphed Over Turner in B&W : Orson Welles RKO Contract Was Too Good for Its Time, and Too Tough for the Colorizers to Break.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 1989, articles.latimes.com/1989-02-26/entertainment/ca-1135_1_citizen-kane. Teachout, Terry. “Is It Real or Is It Color?” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 5 Dec. 2014, www.wsj.com/amp/articles/is-it-real-or-is-it-color-1417744290. Masters, Kim. “TURNER WON'T COLORIZE 'KANE'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 Feb. 1989, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/02/15/turner-wont-colorize-kane/4815fb8c-fd37-4334-af88-7354778cad29/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.aa2e47ddfb8b.
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AuthorI'm interested in film and animation. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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