1932–1939Reputable sourceWell documented

The Golden Age of Technicolor

On the timeline · around 1932–1939 ·

What happened

Technicolor's three-strip process, introduced in 1932, recorded a scene through colored filters onto three separate negatives to produce vivid, saturated color. Expensive and demanding, it was reserved for prestige pictures — culminating in 1939 with The Wizard of Oz, whose switch from sepia Kansas to Technicolor Oz dazzled audiences, and Gone with the Wind.

Why it matters

Technicolor brought a new visual splendor to the movies during Hollywood's Golden Age, and films like The Wizard of Oz became beloved landmarks of a studio system then at the height of its power.

Sources

Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The Technicolor World of Oz · Reputable source

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