Pathécolor

Pathécolor was a color motion picture process developed by Pathé Frères and used in its French cinema output beginning in the mid-1930s. It was one of several color systems competing for adoption in the industry during the early sound era, offering Pathé’s own approach to adding color to feature films and newsreels.

Technically, Pathécolor relied on color separation and dye-transfer printing. A frame was separated into three color components, typically corresponding to the red, green, and blue channels. These three elements were then used to produce three printing matrices or positive prints, which were registered and combined on a final release print to produce a full-color image. The result was color that appeared in projection shades suitable for cinema at the time, with moderate saturation and workable daylight performance, though the process required careful production and lab work.

In use, Pathécolor appeared on a number of Pathé productions through the late 1930s into the 1950s, alongside other black-and-white and early color methods. It competed with Technicolor’s more mature systems and with later color stocks that offered simpler workflows. As Technicolor and other color technologies advanced and became more economical, Pathécolor gradually declined and was eventually phased out.

Today, Pathécolor is of interest to film historians as an example of early European color technology and Pathé’s efforts to provide color-capable productions. Surviving Pathécolor prints are held in archives and some studios, where they are studied for their historical and technical significance.