Sistema Cristiani-Mascarini(1931–1953)

The Cristiani-Mascarini system was an additive four-color process, developed by engineers Luigi Cristiani and Giovanni Mascarini, which received patent protection in Italy and the US. The system underwent extensive experimentation from the 1930s through to the 1950s, with trials conducted in both Italy and New York. Following World War II, it was utilized for several short films, with the results receiving favorable reviews in the trade press. Nonetheless, the arrival of color monopack film stocks, such as Ferraniacolor and Eastman Color, in the early 1950s rendered the system outmoded, leading to its inevitable discontinuation.

In July 1931, the Journal of the SMPE published a report on a system known as “Graphy Color”, developed by Luigi Cristiani, while based between the comune of Voghera, in the province of Pavia, and Milan (Brown et al., 1931). Initially, Cristiani focused his research on developing an additive three-color system for motion pictures. Evidence of his collaboration with Giovanni Mascarini can be traced back as far as 1934, when the two engineers secured a patent for a four-color variant of the process and conducted initial filming tests (Lux, 1935; Cristiani, n.d.). In addition, a promotional pamphlet was published the following year (1935).

Between 1937 and 1938, Cristiani relocated to New York, determined to develop a new version of the system – the resulting improved system was ultimately brought to the market in 1941. Following the US launch, he returned to Italy (1941–42), ultimately residing in Florence, which remained his home up to the early 1950s. In Florence, he collaborated with technicians at Officine Galileo, a prominent Italian manufacturer of optical instruments, to enhance the intricate prism/lens system required for the filming and subsequent superimposition (in projection) of the four B/W color records. The primary practical benefit of this process was its use of a standard 35mm B/W negative and positive. However, the process necessitated the installation of a specialized optical device on the camera, incorporating a complex arrangement of lenses, prisms and filters – this attachment resulted in a considerable loss of light intensity. Cristiani aimed to exploit the technical expertise of Officine Galileo to better compete against rival color proprietary systems that were being developed during this period. These included both subtractive processes, such as Kodachrome, Anscocolor, Technicolor, Agfacolor, Ferraniacolor and Gevacolor, as well as additive processes like Dufaycolor (Pierotti, 2016: pp. 121–35).

In a typescript authored by Cristiani (no date, but most likely produced between April 1941 and July 1943), the inventor aimed to illustrate the advantages of his additive four-color process in comparison to a three-color subtractive method. Cristiani argued that the incorporation of a fourth color would enhance the precision of color representation; while additive technology would provide superior control over the final output, resulting in improved consistency and stability, due to the use of standard B/W laboratory workflows. From an aesthetic perspective, he asserted that his system possessed “atmospheric” and tonal characteristics that could not be replicated through other means, as colors were generated directly on the screen using filtered, colored light, rather than being printed as material pigments on film stock. Cristiani cited the rendering of “atmospheric perspective” in extended outdoor scenes, as well as the depiction of human skin tones in close-ups as prime examples. In doing so, Cristiani ideologically aligned his system with the tradition of Italian Renaissance painting. As he stated: “only a system that reproduces the shades of color well and allows takes with a precise color balance, can give results that could be considered artistically satisfactory” (Cristiani, n.d.: p. 82). Cristiani’s rationale for the benefits of his system can be summarized in four key points:

a) the utilization of a standard camera in conjunction with a specialized lens;
b) the capability for development and printing using standard B/W film stocks, which can be performed in any laboratory;
c) the employment of Italian technical staff;
d) a minimal production cost increase relative to B/W processes, estimated to be between 20% and 30%.

In 1943, he commenced the integration of stereoscopy into his four-color additive system, aiming to merge the two technologies. Following several years of technical experimentation, Cristiani established a production company named Italcinecolor in Rome in 1949, which focused on producing short films in color, with occasional forays into 3-D. He showcased his new innovations – now referred to as Additcolor and Stereocolor – at the International Television Exhibition in Milan (Esposizione Internazionale della Televisione, 1949) and the International Exhibition of Cinematographic Technique in Turin (Esposizione internazionale della tecnica cinematografica, 1950). (Uccello, 1950; Bertolini, 1950).

Several of Cristiani-Mascarini’s short films were showcased at the 1949 Venice Film Festival, specifically in the section dedicated to documentaries and short films. Among these, Rimembranze medicee, which featured a collection of paintings from the Medici era, received recognition as one of the finest short films. A press report referred to the technique as “antitechnicolor” due to its capacity to record muted colors (Pradella, 1949). Between 1948 and 1953, Cristiani produced approximately twenty color short films, some of which were in 3-D, primarily depicting monuments, paintings, urban landscapes and scenery, captured in Rome, Florence and the surrounding Tuscan area (Nannini, 1949). In addition, Italcinecolor's productions included a puppet animation, an experimental short and a documentary focused on fishermen.

The concurrent launch of the Italian Ferraniacolor monopack negative, which drew inspiration from the earlier Agfacolor subtractive technology, ultimately diminished Cristiani-Mascarini’s significance within the industry. In response, the inventor sought to modernize the system by developing a novel technique that would enable the printing of the four B/W color selections onto a 35mm duplicate color negative, resulting in a color monopack positive, likely Ferraniacolor. Some of his short films were indeed showcased in monopack prints (Uccello, 1951). In subsequent years, Cristiani shifted his focus towards stereoscopy, widescreen formats and television, pursuing additional patents in these emerging technological fields. Unfortunately, none of Cristiani-Mascarini’s short films appear to have survived.