From a film preservationist’s perspective, colour has been an object of interest from two interrelated perspectives: first, the study of its history, technology, and (to a lesser extent) aesthetics; second, the scientific enquiry on how cinematic color can be made more stable on its original carrier (conservation) and reproduced onto other objects, formats, or media (preservation, duplication). The progress in both domains of inquiry in the past thirty years has been considerable, thanks to the collaborative effort of curators, archivists and scholars.
It is now time to look back at these achievements with a candid assessment of their (sometimes unintended) consequences, and consider the next steps to be taken in order to further enhance the understanding of cinema’s chromatic identities and foster their long-term survival and collective availability. This presentation has, therefore, the twofold aim of discussing colour film preservation as an expression of cultural historiography, and of suggesting possible directions and strategies for its development in the post-photochemical era.
