"color is the perfect hiding place for significance, most powerful when left unstated."

during the first year of my master's studies, i took a class called "cinema media". its final assignment was to write an essay about a film of our choice, from our preferred cinematic angle, whether it was sound, montage, camera use, or anything else. i chose to write about the use of colour in tarsem singh's "the fall", one of my favourite films, and it ended up being, in my own opinion, one of the best academic works i've written.

sadly, "the fall" did not make the cut as one of the fifty films in this book, but it would be hard to swap one entry for another. bramesco truly covers the full range of cinema – from the early monochrome pieces to the modern cgi spectacle. and while the majority of the selection is good old hollywood, we get to appreciate approaches to editing and colour use from senegal, india, and japan, among others.

it's not just directors that take all the laurels here either, much love is given to editors, cinematographers, and costume designers, the way their work enhance the scenes and give life to the world within the screen.

this is certainly not a dry, academic book. bramesco can be cheeky and keeps an approachable tone as he discusses the technological developments of cameras and the use of colour. and even though i feel slight sadness about my favourite missing from the list, i'm sure i would've turned to "colors of film" as a reference for my academic work back then.

initially received a copy thanks to netgalley and white lion publishing.

Colors of Film; The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes by Charles Bramesco was so freaking beautiful to look at! A glorious addition to any coffee table! I was truly thankful to have gotten to look at this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

I really enjoy watching movies, but moreover I love exploring cinematography in films, so this one was a must-read for me. It's a really beautiful book that explores the role of colors in 50 different movies. The only drawback for me is that I wish there were more than just 50 films.

Very pretty book and a great coffee table book. I really liked the Wes Anderson pictures and looking at the colours.

"Colors of Film" by Charles Bramesco is an enthralling exploration of the world of cinema. With insightful analysis and a keen eye for detail, Bramesco delves into the visual and emotional impact of color in filmmaking. This book offers a fascinating journey through the artistry of color palettes, shedding light on how filmmakers utilize colors to convey meaning and evoke emotions. Bramesco's expertise in the subject shines through, making this a must-read for both film enthusiasts and those interested in the intricacies of visual storytelling. "Colors of Film" is a captivating guide that deepens our understanding of the powerful role colors play in the world of cinema.

"Colors of Film" by Charles Bramesco is a comprehensive exploration of how color is used in cinema. Bramesco's writing is both accessible and informative, making the book a valuable resource for film scholars and casual moviegoers alike. The book is structured around individual films and directors, with each chapter providing a deep analysis of the use of color in their respective works.

One of the strengths of "Colors of Film" is Bramesco's ability to contextualize the use of color within broader cinematic trends and techniques. Bramesco's analyses demonstrate how color can be used to enhance storytelling, create mood and atmosphere, and convey meaning. He also shows how the use of color is often tied to a film's themes and ideas, providing a deeper layer of meaning for the audience to unpack.

In addition to providing detailed analyses of individual films, Bramesco also provides a wealth of examples and references, making "Colors of Film" a valuable resource for anyone interested in the technical aspects of filmmaking. The book is also enriched by Bramesco's own personal anecdotes and reflections, which add a personal touch to the analysis.

The chapter on "Moonlight" stands out as one of the book's highlights. Bramesco's analysis of the use of color in the film is insightful and thought-provoking, and he connects the use of color to broader themes of race, sexuality, and masculinity. His analysis of the film's unique structure and use of warm, golden tones in the second act is particularly illuminating.

Overall, "Colors of Film" is an informative and engaging read that provides a fresh perspective on the role of color in cinema. Bramesco's writing is insightful and accessible, and his analyses of individual films are detailed and thought-provoking. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the art of visual storytelling, and is sure to enhance the reader's appreciation of the role of color in cinema.

I like film aesthetics - I have some favorites that are a visual spectacles - and I enjoyed the premise of this book. Thanks to Frances Lincoln for the ARC!

I really enjoyed reading about the use of color in cinema! This book included so many amazing movies and the information on that movie and that director was very good.

I had the most fun reading about films I have previously enjoyed and this added a bunch of new films for me to try and get my hands on.
This is for sure a book I want to have in my personal collection to revisit as I watch the movies I haven' t seen yet.

Wow, this is such a beautiful book. If you love movies and photography, this is a must read. It’s interesting to learn more about the recoloring process and also the infographic color palettes are very useful. I really liked it.
Thanks to Frances Lincoln for the ARC!

Delighted to highlighted this clever new release in “Oscar Ready,” a round-up of new and notable Hollywood-themed titles in the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

A fantastic read for any movie lover. The author truly cares about each film that was selected with beautiful essays before the colorful scene selections. The book takes the reader on a great journey of the century long life film making has been on from 1902's A Trip to the Moon to ending with a Small Axe of 2020. It's outstanding. I don't just need this for my library but for my own personal collection as well.

This is a beautiful art book that I believe our humanities students will be very pleased to have added to the collection. It is a mixture of pop culture and history that will be a pleasant addition to the collection.

This book shows the inspiring colour palates from 50 iconic films. A perfect gift for lovers of film aesthetics.

If I’m not reading, chances are I’m at the movies. There’s just something about the indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim (bonus points if you get the reference) that feels like magic. It’s no surprise then that my favorite sub-genre of non-fiction is books about film and entertainment. I snagged Colors of Film when it was Read Now on NetGalley, thinking it was the perfect title for me, and while I enjoyed some of it, I can’t say it was the best film book I’ve ever read. In short, I felt like this book doesn’t know what audience it’s trying to reach. It focuses primarily on technical innovations in film and how they paved the way for movies in color, as well as the color theory that goes into making a film, but really struggles when it comes to conveying the message. The technical explanations are not something an average reader would enjoy, but I also felt like there wasn’t enough depth to satisfy film nerds (like myself). If this book was a little longer, I think it would have worked better. Overall, it was a quick read, but ultimately unsatisfying.

[In the beginning, there was nothingness. And then there was light—the movie projector making photographs dance on an illuminated wall as if by magic.]

I could always find myself analyzing movies based on their plot, characterization, and their place in history and geography; but i realized pretty soon after starting this book that I never spared any thought and so knew next to nothing about color and photography.

An example: The Wizard of Oz (1939), Dorothy's desire to go away from her boring sepia life is mirrored in the colors of the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, the brilliant red in both her shoes and the poppy field; the only pleasure would be an escapist one to reflect the same historical period it was filmed in.

It was indeed especially enlightening to read the chapters on movies I've already watched - to add another outlook i hadn't considered before.
I found both movies that I already expected to be there (Schindler's List, The Wizard of Oz, Suspiria, Three Colours trilogy) and ones I didn't (Lawrence of Arabia, The Virgin Suicides, Enter the Void - and a briefly quoted Star Trek too!) but in either case I was pleasantly surprised.
I knew there would be ones I didn't know and I expect to watch them in the future with a new perspective in mind.

[We’re all made out of red, a notion Bergman carries to the cinematic by dividing scenes with a fade to red instead of black. Cut the film, and it bleeds.]

A part I was interested in and would have liked to explore more were the chapters on the colorization of blood applied to movies whose directors chose to take different approaches.
Unfortunately they were brief - generally only a few paragraphs were spared for each movie, in the entirety of the book.
This method could be seen as a good idea, too. It invites the reader to do more research and to see for themselves what the author is speaking of.
If that were the case, though, wouldn't there be some more sources to direct us where to look?

[Over the two decades that followed, he’d fill notebooks with bluisms, sketches, and half-thoughts circling the theme. After Jarman tested positive for HIV in 1986, his sight began degenerating rapidly, and he was stunned to find that everything was fading into the very color that had haunted him all those years. (on Blue (1993)]

Most important were the first pages of each section, giving us some detail on the history of the making of color: first came the post-facto colorization, then kodachrome and fujifilm, then finally the transition from analog to digital and the modern color tv.
One of those introductive chapters also spoke of color theory: is it objective matter or subjective to experiences?

Regardless of the themes and the lenght in which they were explored, a part I'm quite sure everybody could appreciate is the formatting - with stills and accompanying hexadecimal codes from the scenes of the films.
What I would really be interested in right now would be to find something similar on sound.

First of all, I'm going to outline how good the imagery and in-depth analysis is?! It was so good, I knew an advanced copy couldn't be where I stopped: I absolutely had to buy the book when it was finally published. 10/10 recommend for all film enthusiasts and film fans everywhere.

First of all, unfortunately, I'm too young and too film illiterate to understand this book. Even I was fascinated by how beautiful and informative this is. Can't wait to come back to this book and revel in its glory when I understand more about the art of filmmaking.

I recently took an online class focusing on colour palettes in movies. This made me look at movies in a totally different way. Having done this class it was then great to explore and dive into ‘Colors of Film.’ It’s a very detailed and thorough look at the topic with plenty of great images throughout. The only drawback of this book for me personally is that quite a few of the films I was not very familiar with. I think if I could have related to the films and been familiar with the plots already, it would have helped me understand the colour palette choices. On the other hand, I have been introduced to a range of movies I was not aware of and that I can seek out to watch with the author’s notes in mind.

I truly enjoy this book, and I will definitely purchase it in hard-copy to have it on my coffee table and read it again as much as I want. I didn’t read it all in one go, given that it is rich in both image and text, but I indulged in a few pages at a time, to enjoy it even more. Absolutely recommended

As a massive film buff, I was immediately drawn to Colors of Film. I loved the way the book offered the readers an in-depth look at the history and evolution of color in film. I loved the photos and color palettes that were included, as it definitely made the book much more compelling. I would recommend this read to all that love film.