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story identification - 1980s live-action movie where individually-coloured nations on clouds fight


I saw this movie in July or August 1986. It wasn't a commercial movie - I didn't see it in a normal movie theatre.



The story takes place somewhere there are 3 nations, each on its own cloud. The yellow nation, where the story's hero is from is modern and everything is yellow. There are overtones of a police state here. The hero is some kind of tinkerer/inventor and creates a large hoop that enables him to fly. (Picture Vitruvian Man where the circle is a yellow hoop, except he's wearing a yellow jumpsuit.)


The hero flies to the red nation, which is more overtly militaristic. Here the hero encounters a young woman dressed entirely in red. Guards (in red) chase him off, but she gives him a red rose. She is taken to her father, who seems to be the generalissimo in charge. The architecture of the red nation is brutalist; large blank slabs. I remember large square plinths, but I may be conflating memories of Golgorath.


Meanwhile, people have been watching our hero fly through a telescope in the blue nation. The blue nation is very Louis XIV, aristocrats and courtiers with lots of blue lace.


The hero returns to the yellow nation where he is immediately arrested and dragged before the ruler (queen?). He presents her with the rose and she glares at it until someone douses it with yellow paint, at which point she picks it up and smiles. Nastily.


The hero is put to work building more flying hoops. Some time later, troops of yellow painters (yellow coveralls, yellow power-rollers, yellow backpacks full of paint...) are sent flying to the red nation. At the same time a huge (blue) hot-air balloon takes flight from the blue nation, and they converge on the red nation.


The yellow and blue contingents start painting the red nation, which fights back with a huge machine that I recall looking like a gigantic (red) fireplug. Of course blue paint meets red paint, red paint meets yellow paint, yellow paint meets blue paint, and everyone marvels at the new colours.


I seem to remember a title like "Color Wars" but that's not helping me find it.



Answer




Overview



Rainbow War was featured in the Canadian Pacific Pavilion as part of Expo 86 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Pyramid Media.


Trailer:





A fan site has more information about the film, its cast, and its production history.


Plot


Three nations with strong ideological differences go to war when new technology brings them into contact with each other. Blue King, Red King, and Yellow Queen:


Blue King Red King Yellow Queen


Not everyone finds their differences repulsive. Yellow Boy and Red Princess:



Yellow Boy and Red Princess meet Yellow Boy and Red Princess flying


The three sides in the battle discover that their differences can combine in beneficial ways and that they have much to gain by working together, which leads to peace:


Rainbow War battle Orange Pink Rescue Blue King sets a rainbow fashion trend. Three Kingdoms


Various scenes



The hero is some kind of tinkerer/inventor and creates a large hoop that enables him to fly. (Picture Vitruvian Man where the circle is a yellow hoop, except he's wearing a yellow jumpsuit.)



Flying hoop blue- er, yellowprints. Yellow Boy flying



The hero returns to the yellow nation where he is immediately arrested and dragged before the ruler (queen?). He presents her with the rose and she glares at it until someone douses it with yellow paint, at which point she picks it up and smiles. Nastily.




The blades of the Yellow Queen's mask ordinarily lie flat against her hair, but they move to new positions when she feels strong emotion. In this scene, the outermost blades swivel forward, accentuating her menacing smirk.


Red rose painted yellow Yellow Queen smiling



The hero is put to work building more flying hoops. Some time later, troops of yellow painters (yellow coveralls, yellow power-rollers, yellow backpacks full of paint...) are sent flying to the red nation. At the same time a huge (blue) hot-air balloon takes flight from the blue nation, and they converge on the red nation.



Flying hoop factory Blue fleet Red telescope Yellow fleet



The yellow and blue contingents start painting the red nation, which fights back with a huge machine that I recall looking like a gigantic (red) fireplug.




Fireplug Fireplug and dog


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