In 2007 I was attached to a project, part of which involved shooting a revival of the popular musical South Pacific as it was performed at the Hollywood Bowl. I had no idea what to expect when we scouted the show on its first night, but I was blown away at the scale and precision of what was at hand. The live orchestral accompaniment alone made for a memorable summer’s evening, and the feelings it evoked have stayed with me since. Until a few weeks ago, I had never seen the movie adaptation. When I noticed it listed on the Amazon Prime marquee, I couldn’t resist tuning in.
Director Joshua Logan touches all the requisite bases, while ASC legend Leon Shamroy matches him in the photography department. His work is generally high-key and lively (as I’ve been told the old-timers liked to say), with barely a shadow to be found. There is one notable aspect though: Many of the musical numbers are delivered in a full-on color wash. I’m not referring to a mild tint or a tone. I’m talking about a teeth-to-tail shift from normal Technicolor to a single, overall hue, completely removed from reality.
It’s a heavy-handed technique that must have struck its 1958 audiences as an enormous departure from what they were used to. I suppose it was meant to enhance the tropical island-vibe, but I’m not so sure it achieves that end. There’s no question that it was bold choice; hell, it would be a bold choice today. But Logan and Shamroy deserve respect for going all the way with it. Except for some of the hand-tinted films from the silent era, I couldn’t think of a similar example…until, that is, I stumbled upon a piece of drek called, Teenage Millionaire.
Produced in 1961, it was directed by Lawrence Doheny and shot by ASC members Gordon Avil and Arthur Ornitz. The air-thin plot in full: dork rock-‘n-roller is a star. What makes it worth mentioning is its makers applied the same color philosophy as South Pacific to the music segments (of which there are many). It’s not a leap to think they were inspired by the earlier movie, though it is a leap to say they did it intelligently. Where it was used in South Pacific for thematic and atmospheric purposes, here it’s an attempt make lame story seem cool. Strung together on their own, the garishly colored bits might’ve made a mildly amusing music video. Nice try, fellas, but you were never fated to be that hip.
I’m glad I saw the Bowl presentation of the play without prior knowledge of the material. It might’ve influenced the way I approached the shooting of my own project. But it never really mattered. For reasons beyond my control, it was shut down before I had the chance.
So goes it in Hollywood, at least on rare occasions…
Below are some examples of the color wash in South Pacific…
Joshua Logan had directed the very successful Broadway show. On stage he had used large scrims lit with colored light in front of some of his scenes. He wanted to achieve a similar feeling for the movie. Shamroy used the colored filters to simulate that colored scrim effect. Responding to almost universal criticism of this look, Shamroy maintained that the studio timed the color more saturated than intended.
Lowell – Wow…! I didn’t know that about Shamroy’s experience on the film. I have heard that he was a tough character though, so I’m sure he made some noise about it.
Despite the criticism, “Shammy” did receive an Oscar nomination for color cinematography. He lost to Joe Ruttenberg ASC for GIGI.