The presentation discusses possibilities and limitations in the employment of XRF towards identification of both major German two-colour processes, Siriusverfahren and Ufacolor. In film archives, an odd lack of vintage prints identified as either of these early colour processes from the 1920s and 30s is evident. This ‚absence’ of an important part of German colour film heritage can be attributed to insecurities in visual attribution, but mainly to generally low survival rates of advertising films, missing title sequences, incomplete filmographies and cataloguing, low survival rate of contextual sources, lack of scholarly and archival attention. Occasionally, strikingly brilliant films or fragments evidencing a two-colour process surface in archival collections. These prints with emulsion on both sides, and applied colour toning – on one side blue-green the other red-orange – can be result of the Agfa-Bipack process, termed Ufacolor, or the Sirius process invented and marketed by Ludwig Horst and his sons. The presentation explores how laboratory analytics can help towards ID of the colour process employed in producing the film, also in defining the aim of digital restoration. It shall discuss which (combination of) elements can serve as markers for each two-colour process, offsetting these against less helpful elements, which frequently occur from other causes in film stock manufacture, processing and ageing.
To be screened: MELODIE DER WELLEN (D 1931) s/w mit 2-Farben Sequenz rot-blau: Sirius Verfahren (?), Ni Pos, 70m, 3min DIE FLAMME (D 1933) 2-Farben rot-blau + gelb: Ufacolor Verfahren, Ni Pos, 42m, 2min IN SPANIEN (D 193?) 2-Farben rot-blau + gelb: Ufacolor Verfahren (?), Ni Pos, 15m, 1min
