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In 1990 Dr Richard Goldberg was invited to give evidence in a legal case brought against Technicolor by former workers, who claimed they had been exposed to hazardous materials in the laboratory in the 1950s.1 Goldberg had worked as an engineer at Technicolor at that time, improving the company’s dye-transfer printing process, and his intimate knowledge of how Technicolor dyed their films was crucial to the investigation. The plaintiff’s lawyer quizzed him on dye formulae, chemical components and colourant suppliers, in order to discern if Technicolor’s workers had been placed at risk. After interrogating Goldberg exhaustively on every aspect of Technicolor’s process, the lawyer finally asked the engineer if he knew what had happened to the firm’s dye-transfer system. Goldberg compliantly explained: ‘it’s in use in China […] It’s a Chinese copy’. Despite the accusatory atmosphere of the interview thus far, Goldberg’s answer apparently lightened the mood, causing the stern veneer of the plaintiff’s lawyer to crack into laughter. Goldberg continued to assert the veracity of his statement, despite the lawyer’s amusement and disbelief, repeating: ‘It is. I got you to laugh there. It is.’2 As the lawyer’s laughter suggests, the notion of Technicolor’s ‘Chinese copy’ implies something comical. Trading upon the perception that Chinese industry manufactures cheap imitations of authentic American goods, Goldberg implies that Technicolor has suffered the same fate as many other American products, whether pirated videos or counterfeit designer goods. Although Technicolor was once a technology associated with the height of Hollywood’s global power, Goldberg suggests it has been relegated to the status of a Chinese knock-off. Yet this implies a feat of illicit imitation, a wilful act of technological plagiarism, which as Goldberg explains, was not the case. Seeking a way to mass produce colour prints of propaganda films during the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), the Chinese government purchased expertise and equipment from Technicolor in the early 1970s to establish the firm’s dye-transfer process at the Beijing Film Laboratory. Technicolor representatives subsequently trained Beijing staff and installed machinery manufactured by Technicolor engineers in the UK. The process in Beijing was therefore technologically identical to the other Technicolor laboratories in Hollywood, London and Rome, yet it never operated under the brand name Technicolor, nor did films printed there carry the famous slogan ‘Color by Technicolor’. In some regards then, Goldberg’s description of the Beijing plant as a ‘Chinese copy’ is accurate. It was a Chinese replica of Technicolor’s system operating outside the corporate constraints of Technicolor’s official trademark. The films printed at the Beijing laboratory were therefore unencumbered by the connotations of the US brand, which would have proved problematic during the fraught political climate of China’s Cultural Revolution, a period notorious for its extreme condemnation of all foreign influence, especially from the capitalist West. Yet the humour implicit in Technicolor’s ‘Chinese copy’ does not stem only from its association with piracy. Understandably the lawyer found it bizarre that China, when seeking a technology for printing Maoist propaganda films to denounce the perils of capitalism, would decide to use a system that was indelibly associated with the gaudiest confections of Classical Hollywood. Technicolor’s palette of brilliantly saturated hues was synonymous with the glossy artificiality, idealized glamour and commercial dazzle that characterized Hollywood cinema – an aesthetic that could not seem further from the demands of a socialist The of Technicolor’s brand and Maoist would have been especially in the as colour were in an the The the colour of and were as of a which Technicolor’s palette with the capitalist of and was the case in Technicolor was to the hues of on the that were by the socialist of the The lawyer’s laughter to this of capitalist to a humour on the of the of and the hues of In China, brilliantly saturated colour was to the aesthetic of socialist propaganda a of and during the Cultural Revolution, colour was a for propaganda films and is Technicolor was to Despite the lawyer’s laughter then, Technicolor’s aesthetic was not at the aesthetic of socialist cinema during the Cultural China’s of Technicolor’s printing system therefore in of the of colour cinema during the and in the of Chinese technology during the Cultural it the of how of colour cinema produce to the of the and and it demands that how Chinese were to at this of Chinese cinema have that to colour cinema in China by seeking Chinese and As what colour […] to what Chinese cinema In this then, what Technicolor’s ‘Chinese copy’ and the global that characterized colour during the how this technological to China’s to of technology during the Cultural Revolution – a period characterized in Chinese as of how Technicolor’s ‘Chinese copy’ to that colour in political and – that the of colour could as it – that the political of colour was in and the act of its capitalist and socialist by this technological from to Technicolor to its printing process in the and the Chinese government to In to and technological that China to Technicolor’s that this in Technicolor the of Chinese cinema during the Cultural Revolution, the of the of by Technicolor’s Hollywood to the system from China dye-transfer printing in China’s in Technicolor’s dye-transfer process, it is crucial to how the technology worked and its aesthetic and to a period as Technicolor’s dye-transfer printing was the of the company’s this Technicolor a with a and that into colour with colour on a of were on which was printed to a a printing that in on the of the was with a dye of a The dyed were against a of with to the The and were in by a The of dye from to was what the dye-transfer process its the or the dye its name of or of the machinery and for it could only at a Technicolor were of the that purchased from Technicolor, the of a Technicolor and and the of the – the that films with Technicolor’s by Technicolor its in this way to every aspect of the process and for As and from when Technicolor the dye-transfer process on the company’s laboratory were the of for the of the – colour and – were at the all and operated at a As in a from Technicolor, on the of to for prints as to the early Although the is as the company’s of equipment and the in Technicolor’s of the the was an to the dye-transfer process Although dye-transfer technology was nor by Technicolor – this of printing had been a of colour for – Technicolor the system for printing to an of and was in of an of the only of the system that were the of the the of the and the printing of the and The of the process, the of the chemical or the of dye from to – a process to printing during could and As Technicolor laboratory the process was that the was by laboratory staff to the process was that it to to of the process was colour was printed and could to give of colour could The process was it was to the colour of a to for colour in the upon which it would Technicolor therefore that the process the laboratory workers at the printing The and of with were crucial for Technicolor when the its of in to the by Hollywood’s in the of a colour to could in laboratory trained to colour from the in the the prints could not with Technicolor in of and colour the a to Technicolor’s system the for a Technicolor from Technicolor’s on and the same a of other the from the from the with colour that from Technicolor’s for colour It was to produce dye-transfer prints from by into the laboratory colour to the into its colour from the London plant the the of the as a period for dye-transfer As the of Technicolor, of the was in way by the of the and in with the use of colour by […] from to the global of dye-transfer to the for the The Technicolor and that and an a of and to the of the process in the After the of in the to a laboratory system which to produce in it was the for that printing printing upon an of which that the the the the the US it to prints to cinema and from the of Technicolor to its in Hollywood in the and laboratories continued the process during this when Technicolor was its the laboratory was machinery for to In the in which Technicolor dye-transfer printing in China its The Chinese in Technicolor’s system was a and technological the of the industry in China at that In the early 1970s was not to of the or Beijing and were a to in a and as by or the The of the of the of and to in the The operated as in the that were to the on and they were to China, further the of the The of were all in to the of the which the and of colour in their the to in colour is the colour cinema and in colour was a crucial a of in China, and the as many were not in of the of the was in to the Maoist of the aesthetic during the Cultural Revolution, which that on in in and the In of the of and a aesthetic in the propaganda and of the Cultural Revolution, was into the of in the to their colour was therefore a aspect of the of the and was to and the of the The were to on the of the that had been they were in a and of the of and a former was the in of and the that could in the of the Chinese The to mass produce colour prints of films on a was therefore crucial to the by the socialist China’s printing was the to this technological not it was in China for mass of the was for of the of which were printed a of dye-transfer system. In to its colour and Chinese engineers this technology it could the of the hues crucial to the of the As and it was of of The of that engineers as a to and this printing system dye-transfer system therefore a of for the mass of Maoist The to dye-transfer printing to cinema was not of in the climate of technological and West. China upon materials and from and for colour which the of the of China in a upon socialist as the and for to colour a Chinese colour system was crucial to what China’s machinery or colour were to China’s as a socialist as the and of as as the to China a socialist in with of the Chinese of the Film in he claimed that were to produce it would As a was to the same as other under during the when and as an with the to the socialist colour a that or As could China’s as a the of to with some the Chinese dyed to the It is that an colour was to China, printing colour films in was crucial the of for the was a of and China did an colour on from to brand name with the suffered by many that only the of the films for this the Although this colour was and the of the was not to other colour printing a colour printing technology would therefore the of socialist China to the in this colour films and In the government had a to dye-transfer at the Chinese for Film and to the with the this was upon from not the had its dye-transfer printing by in the laboratory installed a dye-transfer on and this equipment to of the from not as a to As Technicolor’s system and was on the American is that Technicolor’s process in foreign and would have been to The only the and American was the use of a in of the system by The in was therefore not a to an American process, an of it – a Chinese of Technicolor’s As the the the political did not laboratories The expertise once in China was as a The Chinese industry therefore a colour printing system from the of there were and aesthetic to for an dye-transfer as the of the system was and to the laboratory a of on the the of technological and was in the or for the dye-transfer in Beijing under the of workers and to the of the Beijing Film the to a colour printing Yet to upon the In a of engineers from Beijing Technicolor’s London and their for to the printing equipment was by Technicolor a to a identical to the in as as machinery for at a of to the Beijing Film from the by would and in Although and was purchased from and subsequently from the Film manufactured its As China had had a dye and industry they had at all in the The Beijing Film for Technicolor’s London plant in Hollywood or is not It is that the laboratory a way to the of with a US that the Chinese to with they were to with the is as by the 1970s were by to China in and as the Chinese government was US this Yet China did have an with In a of Chinese by the of the Film the plant to It is the Beijing Film to this the of with Hollywood. China was to this as Technicolor’s system an to China’s technological it was for of prints with colour the of the process was to the political of the were on the of from which many identical were the and of colour into a and of an of and Yet despite the of the process, Technicolor’s system was never for printing the the of Technicolor’s equipment in it to the machinery and and by the the was in the of in China had The Cultural Revolution had with in was and from to the of in Chinese printing it is crucial to how the its of Technicolor’s equipment during the Cultural Revolution, a period by extreme to all from the capitalist West. a Hollywood to Maoist as Yet the Cultural Revolution was a period of and – a period of political by what as a of China was in Technicolor, then, not as a technology as an aesthetic and a of as films were in their The of a crucial case for how the were by Technicolor and how this could and by the in the Chinese of The of the political of the After by the a of in the who and and his on the of during the Chinese the had been for the in it was into a as of the by was in a in in with The an to in the the as it would on a of with and and a colour that upon and saturated in of for as is as the colour of the As its as a colour implies that in the as of the at a In of to the in the to their for the The the as a and a is in the a of The into some in in and with on the at they the with a the the a with the that is by in from the The the of the and the of the The of a a in a that and in a the of this when the by the in an extreme – the only in the – a of as they in the to the of a that would from a the the the in the and the with the of an or a – a of The in the as as this it is to how the of Hollywood the political of the in this of and in which the of into of mass an aesthetic was for the the were to produce and by mass for imitation, the by in a for the Maoist to for the socialist of to an the of in of a mass as as the which of It is then, that Hollywood and Technicolor in were in during the Cultural to foreign films was in China at this time, with to as the the Hollywood cinema a against which China its therefore of Hollywood films for the and of The of to how to that and American Technicolor films as or of the of foreign films for of the with the The the of The of the Technicolor The and to how to colour with The to the from the to the into to of at The of it is not to the of Technicolor The of in against a and with a as the of from with the and in a of against a the of in order to their and The of and in the of The of the same palette in the of a further by the and in The of a socialist propaganda and a to colour in the it is that for Technicolor cinema would into the of colour during and if of the for that the a in the a was the of As a on from as a of the of Technicolor’s who worked as the colour on of Technicolor and with upon colour and the of with of on that of Technicolor had and as for the notorious for with the colour Chinese to a that upon the on the of this colour into the which were on to this Yet was not to the technological of Chinese was that Chinese were in colour and could not to their the of to what have a of it and hues at their saturated when slogan during this period this of and a political if you not use and it an aesthetic if you not use of The from the of this by and the the of a who of and The that is an of the an for fate when is to to The of The in socialist China is the of the which a as the of the with of the to and and the of its The a for the of the of and the Technicolor’s brand the of as the and the in a that against the of the a that is with the As when does not and a of with by the of the and by the use of in and in the once to on the a that continued to the the is by the of the and the of seem to and with this the the In The of is with when at the is by in and in and Yet it is of only in this who as from the of the and as of is for a who is in a to the of the in a is in of the and of with a of the in a of the of and the the use of for Technicolor the to Technicolor’s process was not only the to the of a Technicolor palette into the of this the of how the could the of Technicolor as a and aesthetic at this of from the when the to use a technology indelibly with capitalist would have been Technicolor’s with capitalist was during the when the and were for political As colour a for especially the and the as to the only to Technicolor’s was the as a to Technicolor as and was to propaganda cinema with the of to the of with Technicolor, its was as in its aesthetic Technicolor’s the when socialist the and their in the and in the this Technicolor and was as an capitalist and socialist has this in how Technicolor’s aesthetic was indelibly associated with American in to socialist an aesthetic at the as in the of The of palette with and political in to Technicolor’s further the of the and and as a colour and As were and a for socialist to technological into aesthetic by hues as a socialist to the of capitalist The of a is by the that not only were in capitalist the that socialist and the American the for its colour The that Technicolor, as a US technology synonymous with was with socialist cinema is therefore a of during the in to the of the and the is further by what has other not the of the the in of this technology and and have that the use of saturated colour in Maoist cinema was to socialist films that Chinese from of socialist and a of and colour was an for as it this was by colour is and in could a and of that and as colour the Hollywood it the of the in socialist cinema colour an of a socialist the veracity and of a as a political The colour of the could therefore as from US or a way that for the of colour and the extreme of in the and to and political that films that the […] to a a that in In the of the from the political to use US to the their the of as was to the of China’s political to the of what if this extreme of by Technicolor’s brand of was not in with the of the a of their political if the use of foreign to and films did not their the of colour is and is by a in of colour that the of could as they something in China for what if colour in a that and the act of and political a was not in the and a for China’s was a technology with its use in the of the had to it as a socialist As process for once they the to the which the the of in a technology had as a propaganda and it to the of socialist and the against the and technology of in order to The association and socialist political was therefore not on the of its upon socialist the and political their China’s to Technicolor a Technicolor have been it was the technological to the demands of in China at the time, and it was As in his of in this period were by the of Technicolor they to Hollywood’s the of Technicolor films as in China the that Chinese to the of Technicolor cinema its use Technicolor’s technology to the could therefore an for the Chinese government to the of American cinema political to a of Hollywood in by Technicolor in of In order for China to Technicolor’s colour it had to the technology and it against the and the of to a upon The of an American aesthetic would films to the a that the use of of Chinese in films The of – as propaganda for China the could The of Technicolor a colour films were China could with of its In this the of the the of colour during the Cultural Revolution, a and aesthetic It that The of would an it was to it the of Technicolor cinema to a the of and capitalism, in
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