In the Fifties there was a variety of filmstocks available, from the 3 strip technicolor process to the all-in-one Eastman in the US and Europe, and then Agfa stocks and even French. All of them depended on the skill of the 'negative timer' who decided on the colour exposures for any sequence - after the final negative was cut and assembled. The timer's job was to 'improve' and balance colour from scene to scene (which may have been shot under different light/colour conditions) to maintain a flow of dramatic colour through the movie.
In that period too, the filmstocks were quite slow and needed reasonable sunlight or then plenty of studio lights to expose. I think what you are remembering is this sunny brightness.
BTW American stocks tended to be a bit warmer, while Agfa, for instance, overemphasised blues and greens. If you're shooting a cowboy movie in the desert there also tends to be a lot of dust which gives it a golden/brown filter effect and more depth cues. And the the yanks were fond of shooting at the 'magic hour' when the sun is low.
There was an experiment with the 'Young Winston' (1972) cinematography (by Gerry Turpin) in which coloured lights were switched on inside the matte box (that covers the end of the lens). These lights didn't impinge on the exposed frame directly, but added a slight colour cast by reflecting off glass within the box. The effect was visible through the reflex viewing system. It was an attempt to put the right colours on the original negative rather than leave it to the timers later. You can't be me, I'm taken
that's the funny part, how sunny my memories are of britain back then (through the eye of the cinema).
the reality i remember as one long st. swithin's day.
'we're all going on a summer holiday
...we've seen it in the movies, now let's see if it's true...'
genevieve...
hahahahaha! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
