• Leaving the Color in L’enfance nue

    By Lee Kline

    One of the most challenging aspects of our work is to get accurate color for films when there are no filmmakers to consult with. This is especially true of films from the fifties and sixties, for which cinematographers, directors, editors, and color timers often simply aren’t around to assist any longer. I’ve been lucky enough to have cinematographers to consult with, like Giuseppe Rotunno on The Leopard, and Raoul Coutard on Contempt. But for all the films where people are still alive to speak for their work, there are so many where they are not, and we have to do our homework.

    L'ENFANCE NUE color comparison

    Having seen the comparison between the Masters of Cinema version of L’enfance nue (left) and ours (right) over at Gary Tooze’s site, a number of customers have written to ask why they look so different. I can see why people might have such a reaction. When I saw the frame grabs side by side, I had to say “Whoa!” But we actually had a great reference for this color correction. The film was originally processed at LTC in France, and not only is LTC still around, it has a top-notch video division, called Scanlab. I was working on a few films there last year with a great colorist named Gilles Granier. Not only is Gilles a film fanatic but he loves L’enfance nue. We started looking at the 35 mm elements and saw a definite tint toward yellow in the interpositive. Definitely a look. It would have been easy to dial out and make it neutral, but we decided to investigate further. Gilles dug into LTC’s film vaults and records and found a 35 mm answer print made for the original release that was kept deep in cold storage (an answer print is a print that has been approved by the filmmakers and is often a reference for color when timing subsequent prints. Sort of the final timed print, which is saved and rarely used again). There were even notes about the color in the container, which Gilles says he found deeply helpful. We screened the print and saw that the yellowish gold color was there. Sure, a color print from that age could have been faded, but this print wasn’t. It was in great condition, and all the primary colors came through loud and clear. Gilles diligently went back and forth from the theater to the color grading to make sure he got things as close as he could.

    L'Enfance Nue color comparison 2

    It’s easy to remove a color like yellow from the overall look of a film, as color correction tools can dial just about any color out successfully. It’s also easy to say to yourself that something looks better without that tint, and add blue and make everything cool. Look at The Last Metro. Imagine that film without the specific, very warm look that Nestor Almendros created. Or Do the Right Thing. I remember Ernest Dickerson saying to us, on the original transfer, “Redder, redder, redder.” The instinct was not to go that red because it seemed too far, but that’s how he shot it and that was the intention, and it’s easy to back off the red to be safe. Melville films are the most difficult to render in video, and it’s easy to forget that Melville and Decaë wanted muted colors. It’s so tempting to push the color further than it should be on these films. Even with a reference print on Le cercle rouge, we may have gone a little too far with saturation. Days of Heaven always had a vibrant magenta look, until Malick finally sat in on our video transfer and clearly stated that the film finally looked as natural on video as it should. Out went the magenta and warmth; in came more cool and realistic color.

    There are so many examples to give, and I could go on and on, but I do stand by the color on our DVD edition of L’enfance nue. Looking at the two versions side by side, it’s easy to say “whoa,” but put on the movie, watch it without comparing it, and you’ll be drawn in and it will make sense.

    On Five

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10 comments

  • By Matt
    August 13, 2010
    11:38 AM

    Thanks very much for this, Lee.
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  • By David Bordwell
    August 13, 2010
    11:48 AM

    This is really interesting. Since L'ENFANT NUE is from 1968, when most theatres were still using arc-lamp projectors, is it possible that the yellowish-amber look was an effort to compensate for the color bias of arcs? Many Technicolor originals have a similar amber cast, but when projected with an arc lamp they lose it. I believe that arcs were gradually discontinued in the 1970s, replaced by Xenon lamps; these emit a purer white light. The best test might be to run the answer print through an arc-lamp projector...if any can still be found! But of course it's just as possible that it was a deliberate choice by Pialat.
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  • By Jeff
    August 13, 2010
    11:54 AM

    Thanks for taking the time to respond. My initial reaction was shock and disappointment, but you've clearly done your homework and had good reasons for the decisions you made. I still can't figure out how an Eastmancolor film got that yellow tint in the first place, but I'll give it a shot.
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  • By Alexander
    August 13, 2010
    08:02 PM

    Thank you Lee for writing this. Criterion has made some controversial coloring decisions in the past, and it's great to hear the rational and see how much work you put into finding the correct look. Also thanks for being honest about Cercle Rouge. I hope we see more of these behind the scenes articles.
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  • By Trevor
    August 13, 2010
    11:36 PM

    Thanks to the wonders of eBay i managed to grab an advanced copy of the film. Like on the MoC edition, the beginning is totally different. But if the current post on color correction is correct...then you had a 35mm answer print. Look at this essay (from 2004) by Jean-Pierre Gorin: http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/online/pialatenue.htm What happened to the original first sequence? Why modify the director's original intent? (especially when doing so robs from the scene's energy/ rhythmic complexity?)
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  • By Trevor
    August 14, 2010
    12:23 AM

    * Apologies for my confusing syntax / grammar; i blame my blind, seething rage! ..or lack of sleep.
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  • By Max Jacoby
    August 15, 2010
    02:12 PM

    When it comes to Le Cercle Rouge, I much prefer the grade that Criterion did, compared to the Studio Canal edition. http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare2/cerclerouge/cerclerouge3.html Check the 1st and 2nd comparison frames. The Studio Canal clips the white of Bourvil's shirt. The Criterion feels much nicer I think. I like the colors, especially the grass. Also the grade helps the studio sets, making them feel more real (3rd frame). Does Criterion have any plans to release Le Cercle Rouge on Bluy Ray? Studio Canal is releasing it later this year, but I don't think I'll get it, I don't like their grade at all.
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  • By Paul
    August 15, 2010
    10:21 PM

    Thanks for the clarification. One thing I noticed aside from the colour differences in DVD Beaver's comparison was the difference in ration between the two versions. The MoC versions appears more stretched horizontally than the Criterion. How can this be? I'm sure it would be interesting to have this explored and explained further...
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  • By steele
    January 20, 2011
    03:40 AM

    L'Enfance Nue is one of the best CC DVDs I own because of the great extra material! But also, when I first saw it I was in love with the color, in the beginning with the workers on strike and Francois pinches the watch, it reminded me of that special scene in Godfather Part 2 during the Feast of San Gennaro and young De Niro illuminates on screen. Color can be like music to a film. I'm proud of the CC's efforts and L'Enfance Nue was money well spent.
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  • By victor enyutin
    June 28, 2011
    09:29 PM

    “L’Enfance Nue” by Maurice Pialat describes the situation of children abandoned by their parents to comment about a much more widespread phenomenon of child neglect in today’s society. Abandonment of children is the psychological essence of child neglect. By depicting the destiny of a foster child, Francois – his way to criminality as a violent way of self-assertion, and by analyzing the details of his behavior, Pialat points out the inadequacy of the very organization of the care for abandoned, abused and neglected children in modern society. Foster parents often don’t understand that the abandoned children are not just abandoned but traumatized by this and that they search for reasons why this happened to them. With all the best intentions parents-volunteers don’t know that it is not enough to love a child – traumatized child is mistrustful of adults’ love and is prone to unconsciously resist their influence and authority. Foster parents have to be helped to learn more about child psychology in order to react to the child’s ambivalent feelings less sentimentally. The film is involving and scrupulous research into the psychology of child’s emotional trauma. Some performers from the first glance may look as not professional actors but again and again they surprise the viewers with amazing emotional elaborations of their characters’ reactions. The film is a “fiction” which is more “verite” than many documentaries. Please, visit: www.actingoutpolitics.com to read article about “L’Enfance Nue” - “Stationary Society vs. Children’s Existential Adventurism (Proper Child-Rearing Starts with Humanistic Education of Parents That Can Happen Only if Whole Society Will Invest In It)” – with analysis of shots from the film, and also essays about the films by Godard, Resnais, Bergman, Kurosawa, Bunuel, Bresson, Antonioni, Pasolini, Alain Tanner, Cavani, Bertolucci, Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Rossellini, Moshe Mizrahi and Ronald Neame. By Victor Enyutin
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