Technicolor was a luxury in early Hollywood, and it wasn't until 1940 that a color film finally won the top prize. 'Gone with the Wind' (1939) was the first color film to win Best Picture. The film utilized the expensive and complex 'three-strip' Technicolor process, which required massive cameras and intense lighting. Its vibrant cinematography, particularly the 'Burning of Atlanta' sequence, proved that color could be more than a gimmick—it could be an essential tool for epic storytelling. Before this, Best Picture winners like 'Wings' and 'It Happened One Night' were strictly black-and-white. The success of 'Gone with the Wind' signaled the beginning of the slow transition that eventually made black-and-white films a rarity in major studio productions.