The colour Technology of Under the Caribbean (Hans Hass, 1954) Through a Comparison of Original Film Sources and Archival Documents

Hans Hass' Under the Caribbean (1954, LI, AT, DE) was one of the world's first underwater colour films. As such, it provides a unique case study and raises interesting questions about the film's colour technology, combining 35 mm chromogenic negative and 16 mm Kodachrome processes with Technicolor imbibition printing in an interweaving of colour processes. Research into the vast amount of Hass' film material held at the Filmarchiv Austria has not yet revealed any of the original Kodachrome footage of this film nor its opticals. However, based on archival documents, it was possible to confirm and reconstruct the workflow Technicolor adopted for this film. Investigating the production history of Under the Caribbean not only provides film historical knowledge of this specific film, but also film technical insights into the production of other films of the early 50s, that also combine several colour processes. This research will be presented together with a discussion of the restoration possibilities offered by the source material, that is, the cut negative and several release prints.