The Toll of the Sea (1922) 1/5

[SatchmoSings]

This film does have some flaws, the chief on being the total lack of tracking shots due to the hugeness of the technicolor camera; this makes this film less cinemagraphic and more static and stagey.

Other than that, it's actually a very well done film.

[SatchmoSings]

I thought the last 20 minutes of this film were lost?

[sakikatana]

Quite amazing. Not only one of the first color films, but we also get a look at Anna May Wong, the first ever Chinese American movie star. Pretty awesome, I have to say.

[bmiltonb]

This film is a window into the past. It reminds me of looking into one of those sugar Easter Eggs with the little colored diorama inside. Quaint, poignant, and all the more so for the performance of a 17-year-old Anna May Wong. What an accomplished silent film star, and at such a young age! I only wish she could know how her work and reputation have survived her. Thank goodness this movie was rescued from oblivion.

[TheRoseYao]

Just what I expected of such a great actress, I already love this movie!

[serjitup2]

no i think those films made in the frst ten years of the 1900s were the first, not this 22 years later. A visit to the seaside came ou in 1908 using kinemacolor,and for you retards who think it couldnt be done or was handpainted they filmed in it kinemacolor, i will post a long list of films shot in kinemacolor.

[KawhackitaRag]

TERRIFIC! Don't you wish that all movies from this point onward had been in color? I do. Well, at least most of them. I think black-and-white should have been reserved for special effects and certain moods only, but, oh well. I suppose the process was very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive and that is why it took several revisions to catch on. I still don't understand why most movies up until the 1960s or so are in black-and-white, and most from that point on in color.

[NatasRin]

As bad these videos qualities are, oddly, I love them.

And Lotus Flower reminds me of Princess Leia.

[Dajbman22]

Does anybody know if this is currently considered in the public domain? I am working on a treatment to re-edit this classic to Weezer's album Pinkerton (also loosely based on Madame Butterfly). I was hoping that despite its historical significance, its age would put it into the public domain, and hence, fair use.

[JohnFordDanceTroupe]

It is in the public domain.

[EricColvin]

So is this in fact colour cinematography (as with Wizard of Oz) or is this simply black and white footage which was then tinted before release? It looks like the latter - but it's hard to tell.

[yvettegr]

Shot with a single camera using a splitter to expose two frames of a B&W film, one through a red filter, the other through a green filter. Then the film was processed and the "green" frames were toned red and printed as one strip, the "red" frames toned green printed as one strip. The two strips were cemented together matching frames. The results was what yousee here. The final print was labor intensive, expensive, didn't catch on.

[Tavarshia]

There are 3 processes of Technicolor

Technicolor I,Technicolor II, and Technicolor III.

Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914.

[ClinicalAttacked]

There are four actually:

Technicolor I 1916-1922

Technicolor II 1922-1927

Technicolor III 1927-1932

Technicolor IV 1932-1944

from 1944 to this present day the technique is virtually the same.

[Tavarshia]

I stand corrected!! There are 4

^_^

[Exiled180]

Thank you for uploading this wonderful piece of cinema history! We watched this in my history of film class and I was hoping to see it again. ;)

[teamstudios]

lolololol it's so cool to watch these super old films :)

[3investigators]

Wonderful to see this most historic first ever Technicolor feature here. Anna Mae Wong is enchanting.

[EFFANDJEFF]

Wrong. First Technicolor feature was The Gulf Between 1917

[3investigators]

What I should have said was "The Toll of the Sea" was the first ever commercially successful Technicolor feature that was released as color FILM rather than needing a special projector to create the effect of color which was the case with "The Gulf Between (and which was not a commercially viable release).

[adriandell]

are there conversation in this film??? As in, is this a silent film?

[ClinicalAttacked]

It is a silent film... the first talking film was "The Jazz Singer" from 1927 (although the first experimental sound films were made in 1922).

Though it is regarded as the first color film to be made in a successful technique known as Technicolor.

[KawhackitaRag]

@ClinicalAttacked they made experiemental sound films earlier than that, although very few survive (the ones I know about are Edison shorts with the sound simultaneously recorded on cylinder, I think)

[azulo65]

Lovely actress Anna May Wong. Quite beautiful actually.

[zynarang]

This is great!! Thank you for uploading this - it's rare to find!

[cinema901]

this movie is first color movie of the world.?

this story look like madam baterfly?

i like anna may wong .

she is first chineese american star.

[LepusPugnae]

Where can I buy these kind of movies? Are there any DVD sets out there?

[4MaryAnna]

Their's a dvd set coming out on December 9th,it's called:Murnau,Borzage and Fox boxset,it's expensive,but I think it's well worth it.The set includes a movie you might want to check out here on yt,called "Sunrise a song of two humans.That movie is one of the best silent films ever made.

Mary-

[NekoHime1994]

Sunrise a song of 2 humans is a very good movie, It is actuall the first silent film to be relased on Dvd and Blue ray If im not mistaken! :)

[TroyOi]

@NekoHime1994 Don't know why you mention Sunrise, but it happens that I just saw it a few days ago and, wow, did it blow me away!  A definite must-see for any silent film lover, as well as anyone with an appreciation of good film-making.

[cant7think7clearly]

That's odd. They pulled Brian Ferry out of the sea.

[joshii5]

Looks more like Sylvester McCoy to me.

[fraulinesienna2007]

The best silent film... EVER.

[eroPsych]

I thought this movie was beautiful..but sad. The effects and the smooth running background music made it seem like you were peering into a music box. It was rather enchanting. Like moving art.

[JTBrandt23]

Hooray for watching this clap for a class.

[silkydemons48]

hola he visto esta pelicula por el canal retro aunque esta no esta en español , debo decir que me alegra que lo hayas puestoveo que te gusta las peliculas antiguas a mi tambien n_n

Hello I saw this movie on Channel retro although this is not in Spanish, I must say that I am glad that you have puestoveo you like old movies I also n_n

[hallospacegirl1013]

The BOY? Who is he kidding? LoL.

[lolajimeng]

This is the Chinese version of Madam Butterfly

[richardbrompton]

BEAUTY!

[buzhidaozhibudao]

In our "clever Chinese language", this film is really 傻逼. 美国人好会意淫哦!

[1928javier]

Anna May Wong in a wonderful film, she is a gorgeous actress from the silent era, and deserves to be known by contemporary audiences.

[ChillyGolemX]

Does anyone know how this film was recieved and what 1922 audiences thought of color?

Also, was the film's gross high?

[captainmagic]

Wow, thank you! I have been waiting since February, when someone added that 5 minute clip, to see the actual film. I heard she's wonderful in this one. Looks like I'll finally get to see why! :]

[diapes714]

this is the first color movie ever right?

[silentfilmdemocracy]

It's the first feature film produced using Technicolor, but there were other colouring processes used before then. Thomas Edison and Georges Méliès were hand tinting their films as far back as the late 19th century.

[paltaka2002]

１９２２年当時、すでにカラーで撮影された劇映画が

あったということが驚きです。

UCLAのフィルム・ライブラリーには、この「恋の睡蓮」の

さらに保存状態の良いフィルムが保管されていると聞いています。­

[valaurwen]

@diapes714

Jehovah's Witnesses (Bible Students) had the first color film drama I believe.

[colvinis]

Thank you.  I own a print of this film from the "Treasures From American Film Archives" collection.

-Ian C., 12-year old filmmaker

[blutey]

Thanks for posting. Wanted to see this film for a while!

[silentfilmdemocracy]

You're very welcome.