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In the early 1920s John Stuart Blackton, a veteran of the cinema industry in America, came to Britain and made two Prizmacolor features. Originally from Sheffield, Blackton found popularity in British society, and eventually cast the daughter of the Duke of Rutland, Lady Diana Manners – called the most beautiful woman in England - to star in his historical romance 'The Glorious Adventure' (1922). The film is a ravishing epic with huge sets, enormous cast, and an equally large plotline featuring an escaped prisoner Bulfinch (Victor McLaglan) who traces his reluctant wife (Lady Diana Manners) during the outbreak of the Great Fire of London. Prizma was one of the few competitors to Technicolor in the 1920s. After evolving through different processes, the system finally used a two-colour print, one side dyed red-orange and the other blue-green. This technique allowed normal projection speed and prints could be shown in any theatre, but the colour varied from excellent to poor and critics often noted that Prizma served to emphasise that colour photography had not yet been perfected. Although not a big hit in the US, the film made an impact in Britain and opinion was favourable. The Times noted that ‘even though it cannot claim perfection in the way of colour photography, ('The Glorious Adventure') must inevitably rank as one of the most impressive films that this country has yet seen.’ In spite of its imperfections, the process was successful and following the introduction to features, Prizma was used in several subsequent productions. This restoration, produced by the NFTVA in the 1990s, faithfully reproduced the uneven but striking effects captured in the fire’s mix of horrific drama and spectacular beauty. |
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