Do you like black and white movies?

[Lark]

Do you like black and white movies? If so why and which ones? If no why and why not?

I like The Marx Brothers, The Stooges and, most of all, the Universal Monsters Movies.

I've watched a lot of black and white TV movies, including inter war movies, I dont like them all that much, with the exception of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies, I liked them a lot and they used to show them in two parts in the mornings along with batman '66 and cartoons during the summer when I was growing up.

 

[The Cat]

No I prefer shades of grey movies, such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon; Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace; Sin City, A Dame to Kill For; Shindler's List. I enjoy the complexity of them. The uncertainty and ambiguity are fascinating not threatening to me.

 

[Population: 1]

I’ve got nothing against them.

Night of the Living Dead was probably a thousand times creepier because it was in black and white.

 

[Coriolis]

Depends on the movie. If it is a good story, well-told, with believable and engrossing characters, I'm not going to stay away just because it isn't in color. One of my favorites is Ninotchka. In fact, I used the title character as an avatar several years ago.

 

[Abcdenfp]

Barefoot contessa, I'm pretty sure that's in black and white. Casablanca (obviously but still good) adventures of Robin Hood

 

[Lark]

I’ve got nothing against them.

Night of the Living Dead was probably a thousand times creepier because it was in black and white.

I always thought, when they were doing remakes and reboots and sequels that it would have been interesting if any of them returned to the black and white of the original instead of what they did produce.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

I love The Twilight Zone, does that count?

 

[highlander]

Do you like black and white movies? If so why and which ones? If no why and why not? I like The Marx Brothers, The Stooges and, most of all, the Universal Monsters Movies. I've watched a lot of black and white TV movies, including inter war movies, I dont like them all that much, with the exception of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies, I liked them a lot and they used to show them in two parts in the mornings along with batman '66 and cartoons during the summer when I was growing up.

Mr Blanding's Dream House. Best movie ever. Same with Bringing Up Baby.

 

[Population: 1]

I always thought, when they were doing remakes and reboots and sequels that it would have been interesting if any of them returned to the black and white of the original instead of what they did produce.

I honestly didn’t mind Tom Savini’s 1990 NOLTD remake but it’s a heated debate between fans. It would have been interesting if it had been done in B&W but Savini is a makeup artist so I think he wanted the zombies to be as grotesque as possible so he used color film. The original was shot on 35mm and almost has a documentary feel to it which perhaps lends itself to the horror imo.

 

[The Cat]

I honestly didn’t mind Tom Savini’s 1990 NOLTD remake but it’s a heated debate between fans. It would have been interesting if it had been done in B&W but Savini is a makeup artist so I think he wanted the zombies to be as grotesque as possible so he used color film. The original was shot on 35mm and almost has a documentary feel to it which perhaps lends itself to the horror imo.

and they were far more grotesque than scary. But how hot was Patirica Tallman in that film? The ending kind of ruined some of the horror of the original though. It removed a lot of the complication of "the monsters are us."

 

[Population: 1]

and they were far more grotesque than scary. But how hot was Patirica Tallman in that film? The ending kind of ruined some of the horror of the original though. It removed a lot of the complication of "the monsters are us."

She was very beautiful and her version of Barbara was far more watchable and capable than the original. Sure a lot of people would be having a complete meltdown in that situation but it doesn’t make for a compelling character. Patricia Tallman landed a role on Babylon 5 not too long after that.

The original Night ending was definitely more powerful especially when considering the social climate in which it occurred. The way in which Duane Jones (Ben) was so casually gunned down (by a bunch of country boys) at the end. It’s always made me wonder if they knew or at least suspected that he wasn’t a zombie (they had just shot a couple of them exiting the house) when they fired. Anyway, the original ending was definitely more memorable overall and all there in the sharp contrast of black and white.

I think black and white film (or photography or art) filters things through a more raw lens in a way. Color can be distracting and break an image down into multiple fragments. Black and white seems to present a single solid image if that makes sense.

 

[Tengri]

I tend to go out of my way to watch them depending on their acclaim, influence, or genre. Otherwise, the slower pacing, dialogue-driven plots, and limited effects tend to break the immersion for me personally. I was exposed to a lot of silver screen classics through my grandparents - lots of John Wayne, WW2 dramatizations, and dance films on one side and snooze-worthy European ones on the other. My grandma had tapes of black and white cartoons like Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, early Disney, and others I can't remember clearly, which in retrospect I appreciate. My siblings and I watched a lot of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000, so that's somewhat tainted my perception of older (at least cheesier) movies. Embracing that, I've watched a lot of old samurai and martial arts movies on my own. My grandma recalled that when she went to see The Wizard of Oz and the 1931 Frankenstein as a young girl, grown men and women were covering their eyes and leaving the theater in fear of the then surreal visual effects. I always thought this was funny and quaint, but on reflection it's interesting how desensitized audiences are now to hyper-real violence, tension, psychological thrillers and horror, and fantastical images. So I try to enjoy them for what they were as entertainment for a different culture and put aside most of my modern expectations of snappy storytelling.

 

[cacaia]

I like the no-talkies best. Charles Chaplin. I show it to my kids and we discuss about what is still appropriate and what was accepted then and not accepted now.

 

[Deprecator]

Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Dracula's daughter (1936).... more and more I find myself preferring classics as opposed to modern films, which to me seem overly commercialized.

 

[Polaris]

I like black and white films when and only when there's a good artistic reason for them to be black and white.


EDIT: To be more accurate, I do like some black and white films. It's just that their black-and-white-ness detracts from their quality unless it is there for an aesthetic reason rather than because of technological limitations.

 

[Lark]

I like black and white films when and only when there's a good artistic reason for them to be black and white.


EDIT: To be more accurate, I do like some black and white films. It's just that their black-and-white-ness detracts from their quality unless it is there for an aesthetic reason rather than because of technological limitations.

I was thinking about films from that era, are you talking about films like Sin City instead?

 

[Polaris]

I was thinking about films from that era, are you talking about films like Sin City instead?

I haven't seen Sin City or many movies in general, so I'm not sure. The main one I had in mind was Wizard of Oz. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about with that one.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Treasure of Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Big Sleep, and The Third Man spring to mind.

 

[Shadow Play]

I don't pay too much attention to colour in films. So long as the story is interesting and the creative direction is clear, that's the main thing.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Oh, how could I forget Metropolis, which doesn't even have sound? Also, The Island of Lost Souls... gotta love that pre-code stuff.