Bridge, Joan - A Colourful Film Career

JOAN BRIDGE - A COLOURFUL FILM CAREER

With the British Film Industry still basking in the glow of Oscar glory with the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Jane Goddard tracks down a remarkable Derbyshire woman who knows all about taking the ultimate prize in the world of cinema - and now uses it as doorstop!

A lobby card from the acclaimed 1947 film 'Black Narcissus' - Derbyshire-born Joan Bridge worked on the film as a Technicolour consultant to very distinctive effect

Stop most people in the street and they would probably be able to name at least one Oscar winner, whether a recent recipient like Kate Winslet or an old favourite like the late Charlton Heston.

But how many people would be able to give you the name of a Derbyshire person who has won this most coveted of prizes? One of this very rare breed is Joan Bridge, born and bred in Ripley and now living in retirement in north London. Joan, who celebrated her 100th birthday on March 13, was not an actress or director but was employed in a none the less vital behind the scenes role, working on countless films in Britain and Hollywood as a colour consultant and then as a costume designer. Responsible for the “look” of the film at a time when colour film technology was still in its infancy, Joan rubbed shoulders with some of the silver screens’ most enduring legends on some its most famous productions. After studying art at Birmingham University, Joan’s father, a Derby solicitor, urged her to take a teacher-training qualification, claiming she would never be able to make a living out of art. But Joan’s degree thesis on colour had got into the hands of Hollywood company Technicolor and her big break came when they invited her to the USA. It was the early 1930s and was the start of a career which lasted some 30 years before she switched into the area of costume design. It was for this work that she finally received the ultimate accolade, winning both an Oscar and a British Academy BAFTA for Best Costume on the 1966 blockbuster A Man For All Seasons. Now struggling with failing health, Joan is modest about her achievements. Her Oscar is used as a doorstop and she doesn’t even credit the award as the highlight of her career. “I had a very good career and worked with some incredible people. But I couldn’t say what my favourite film was or favourite actor because I worked with so many.” As the use of colour in films started to be developed in the 1920s and early 30s, it presented film-makers with a variety of technical problems. Some colours did not light well, while others appeared too bright. There were also often clashes of colours. The end result was often a very garish blend. To try to overcome these problems, most film projects were allocated a colour consultant who worked with the director, cameramen, lighting controllers and costume designers. Joan’s degree work in art and, in particular colour, gave her a head start and she quickly made a name for herself, becoming one of the first women to secure such an important role on the technical side of film production. Joan’s first film credit in this role was in 1938 on the British-made short film Making Fashion. Running for only seven minutes, it featured a Norman Hartnell catwalk show. Her career took off and up to 1962 Joan was credited as colour consultant on 69 films. Included among these were the cult movie classics Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948), both noted for their very distinctive use of colour. Other well-known titles which followed included Genevieve (1953) and Doctor at Sea (1955), along with the acclaimed epic Ben Hur (1959). She moved into costume design in the 1960s and 70s, working on fewer movies but to equally great acclaim. Among her most famous film credits were Half a Sixpence (1967), Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (1969), Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Day of the Jackal (1973). Her crowning glory came at the 39th Academy Awards in 1967 when her Oscar for Best Costume Design – Colour was among six scooped by A Man for All Seasons, including best picture, director for Fred Zinnemann and actor for Paul Scofield. Joan shared her success with colleague Elizabeth Haffenden.

They shared such a close working relationship and friendship that when Miss Haffenden died she left Joan her Oscar in her will meaning that Joan is actually in posession of two Oscar statuettes. Joan’s last recorded credit was as costume designer for the TV film Curse of King Tut's Tomb (1980).

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