Color Film Day

What Is Color Film Day?

Every March 21st is "Color Film Day" in Japan. On March 21, 1951, "Carmen Comes Home" (Karumen Kokyo ni Kaeru), Japan's first domestically made full-color feature film, was released. Produced by Shochiku's Ofuna studio in cooperation with Fuji Photo Film (now Fujifilm) using Japanese color film, it caused a sensation as "Japan's first all-natural-color film."

How Japan's First Color Film Was Made

After the war, inspired by color films imported from the United States, momentum was growing in Japan to make full-fledged color films.

• Director Keisuke Kinoshita and Hideko Takamine: The film was directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, later also known for "Twenty-Four Eyes." It is a comedy about "Lily Carmen," a stripper in Tokyo who returns to her hometown at the foot of Mt. Asama, and it shines thanks to the bright performance of its star, Hideko Takamine.
• Location shooting at Mt. Asama: Almost the entire film was shot on location at the foot of Mt. Asama. Being able to show the colors of the highland scenery was part of the appeal of a color picture.

Shot Twice, in Color and in Black and White

Color filming at the time was a major challenge, both technically and financially.

• A promise in case of failure: Shochiku and Fujifilm are said to have privately agreed that if the film did not turn out satisfactorily in color, the color filming would be treated as if it had never happened and the film would be released in black and white.
• Every scene shot twice: As a result, the film was first shot in color, and then the same scenes were shot again in black and white, doubling the work.
• An earlier color work: There was an earlier Japanese color film, "Senninbari" (1937), but its film stock was not made in Japan.

Fun Facts About Color Films

• Color films abroad: "Becky Sharp" (1935) is well known as a feature film made in three-strip Technicolor, and Disney's "Snow White" (1937) as a feature-length animated film.
• "All natural color": When color films first began to spread, they were advertised in Japan with the phrase "sou-tennenshoku" (all natural color).
• Academy Award categories: Academy Awards such as Best Cinematography were once split into "black-and-white" and "color" categories, but they were combined into one in the late 1960s.
• Black and white by choice: Even after color became standard, some films are still shot in black and white for artistic reasons.

Tips for Enjoying Color Film Day

• Watch an early color film such as "Carmen Comes Home"
• Compare a black-and-white and a color film by the same director and notice the effect of color
• Choose a film known for its use of color and pay attention to how the colors change from scene to scene
• Look through old family photos and ask about the time when pictures changed from black and white to color

The Day Color Came to Japanese Screens

"Carmen Comes Home" was made so carefully that it was even reshot in black and white in case of failure, and it holds a special place in Japanese film history. March 21st is a day to think back on the beginnings of the color images we now take for granted.