ensified. ‘German Colour Secret on Way to U.S. and Britain’, announced the trade paper the Motion Picture Herald in 1946. There was an increasing demand for colour motion picture film stock and great interest in the German Agfa colour film process. The stock had long been considered as simpler and less expensive than Technicolor and produced good results on screen. Nathan Golden, U.S. Scientific Consultant, represented the motion picture industry on a Field Intelligence Agency to Germany. He questioned colour scientists who had worked at the Farben and Agfa plants and were now held under ‘protective custody’ on progress made during the war. Men who later stood trial at Nuremberg accused of crimes against humanity – there was a high price to be paid for cheap colour film. Golden reported that Agfa film was processed and printed just like black-and-white film. Its colours were paler than those of Technicolor and resembled pastels. As a result of the information gleaned from the German colour scientists, it was estimated that all feature films would be produced in colour within five years.
Technicolor’s near monopoly on colour feature film production was dealt a further blow when the company and Eastman Kodak were charged with violation of anti-trust laws. The two companies were accused of conspiring to monopolise colour film manufacture and processing in the United States and foreign territories in an agreement that dated back to 1934. Technicolor produced 90% of colour motion picture prints internationally and Eastman manufactured the film stock and saw off competitors.  Armed with the Golden Report, the Ansco Company, announced they had developed a new fast colour film stock to compete with Technicolor. In Europe too more competition was on the way. Processes such as the Belgian Gevacolour and the Italian Ferrania Colour were variants of the Agfacolor process. Like Ansco Color, they were made possible by the industrial secrets the Allies obtained as part of the spoils of war. In response, Technicolor ramped up its activity, exploiting its domination of the market whilst it still could. Twentieth Century Fox soon sent crews around the world to make outdoor pictures, primarily adventure stories and westerns, in Technicolor. It was not long before Australia was in its sights with the company beginning development on The Bushranger (a working title for Kangaroo) in early 1949.
In Australia, the Commonwealth Film Laboratories and Cinesound both planned to move into processing colour features. Solarchrome, still used for documentaries, would be available for features. Whilst Technicolor used three negatives, Solarchrome only used two with orange and blue added at the processing stage, the Adelaide News explained to readers. This gave the effect of additional hues including yellows and greens. The result was “a subdued and quite pleasant colour effect”. A Smith’s Weekly reviewer wrote that “the Solarchrome colours were comparable to those in American films.”  Whilst Arthur Higgins continued to explore the possibilities of Solarchrome, Eric Porter used the system for the live-action The Joy of Living (1948) which advertised the tonic Milo. In the Solarchrome films I have viewed, warm tones – lemon, gold, orange, russet and maroon – are especially prominent. As if Australians of that era lived in an endless late summer.
The race was now on to make Australia’s first feature-length film in ‘natural colour’. Early 1950 Twentieth Century Fox announced that its upcoming feature film Bushranger would be in colour.  While the film was initially to be shot in northern New South Wales or Queensland, weather conditions soon became a concern due to heavy rainfalls and flooding on the east coast. Enter South Australia. The feature Bitter Springs (1950) had been shot in the Lower Flinders Ranges the previous year with considerable assistance from the South Australian Government. To out-bid Queensland and secure the production, South Australia offered ever more ‘carrots’ and concessions.
Meanwhile Charles Chauvel and his wife and filmmaking co