Once the days of color movies were well established, a few directors returned to black and white – either for effect, or sometimes even cost. This list is a summary of the best work produced in black and white in modern times. By modern I mean movies that were made using black and white for effect even though color was the most common film format. Films that use splashes of color are allowed, but films which use a lot of full frame color are not (this excludes Pleasantville and American History X). Many thanks to Blogball for suggesting this topic in the forums. NOTE: This list includes only one film per director – for that reason you may find one or two you love missing.
Down By Law is an independent film which tells the story of the arrest, incarceration, and escape of three men from prison. Slow moving camera work captures the environment in which they find themselves (New Orleans and the Bayous) beautifully. The film focuses on the inter-relationships between the men, as opposed to the standard jail type films which tend to focus on the mechanics of the escape. A nice bonus for this movie is that it stars singer-songwriter Tom Waits.
This Belgian black mockumentary features a crew of filmmakers who are following a spree-killer for their documentary. The film was shot on a very low budget and was filmed by four student filmmakers. The documentary makers use a “fly on the wall” approach and follow the charming main character (Benoit) as he kills for pleasure and money. The original French language title of this film is C’est arrivé près de chez vous (It happened near to your house).
This is probably one of the Cohen Brother’s lesser known films, but it is certainly not one that should be neglected. The film tells the story of a man trying to escape from his humdrum life and it stars Billy Bob Thornton, Scarlett Johansson, and Frances McDormand. The film was actually shot on color film but was released (as intended) in black and white – to give more authenticity to its setting – the 1950s. When it was released, a couple of reels were accidentally released in color.
This film (directed by the director of Requiem for a Dream) is about a Mathematical Genius. Due to his genius with numbers, he is pursued by Wall Street companies who want him to work form for financial gains. Add to the mix some strange theories on numbers in the Torah and you have a fascinating, and bizarre movie. The movie was made on a low budget and was filmed on black and white reversal film (a film type that gives you a positive image on the original without having to go through the negative process).
This movie describes a day in the life of two clerks in New jersey. It covers their various mishaps and misdemeanors, which include drug dealers, a wake, a dead customer, and a lot of abuse of customers. The film was shot entirely in black and white and was financed entirely by the director (who sold his comic book collection and maxed out a bunch of credit cards to raise the funds). In total it cost $27,575 to make, and has since made over 3.1 million US dollars.
This indie film was produced on a budget of $114,000 US dollars and has made over 40 million worldwide. The film had a great influence of Vietnam-era USA because of its subtle critiques of society. The special effects were all done on the cheap – for example, all of the blood was Bosco chocolate syrup, and mortician’s wax was used to create the zombie effects. The black and white guerilla style filming has been described as giving the unflinching authority of a wartime newsreel.
La Haine is a brilliant film about three young men in Paris – an Arab, a Jew, and a Black. The three friends are struggling during times of racial unrest and the film centers around the consequences of a policeman shooting an arab during race riots. I have to confess that this is my all time favorite French film, so be sure to watch it. The black and white film adds to the feeling of authenticity in the riot scenes and might even be considered to be a commentary on the racial aspects of the film (ie, no color signifies the hope that we will live in a world free of color discrimination).
Ed Wood is a cult movie based on the life of the cross-dressing film director the same name. When Tim Burton announced that he wanted to film entirely in black and white, Columbia Pictures refused – saying that it would make the film impossible to sell in foreign markets and on video. Burton refused to change his mind and eventually ended up making the film for Disney where he had complete control. The film only made 5.8 million dollars, but it was highly acclaimed by critics.
Young Frankenstein is a comedy starring Gene Wilder. The film parodies Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – in fact, many of the props were the same as those used in the 1930 film of the same tale. To further enhance the atmosphere of the film, Brooks decided to film it entirely in black and white – an unusual choice for its time. The film also used 1930s style scene transitions such as fades to black, wipes and iris outs.
Manhattan is a comedy directed by and starring Woody Allen. The film won the BAFTA award for best film. Woody Allen decided to film in black and white because that was how he remembered Manhattan from his childhood – through picture postcards and books. Allen said: “In Manhattan I really think that we succeeded in showing the city. When you see it there on that big screen it’s really decadent.” When the movie was released to video, Allen demanded that it be released in the same aspect ratio as the big screen – highly unusual at the time.
The film Sin City was based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller. This film is one of the few fully digital, live-action motion pictures. This technique also means that the whole film was initially shot in full color, and was converted back to high-quality black-and-white. Colorization was added later to each scene and the whole thing was treated for heightened contrast to give more separation to the blacks and whites (as is often seen in the film noir tradition).
The Elephant Man is a biopic based loosely around the life of Joseph Merrick (a sufferer of Proteus Syndrome – not elephantiasis as is commonly thought). The film was a surprise hit and received eight academy award nominations. The black and white film style gives an authentically historical feeling to this film which is set in the Victorian era. The film was produced by Mel Brooks, who played down his involvement so as to not have people think it might be a comedy.
“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” is a film based on the cold war thriller book Red Alert by Peter George. The film satirizes the doctrine of mutual assured destruction. The film is made entirely in Black and White which some say helps to put an unadorned face on the issues being dealt with. This is, beyond a doubt, one of Kubrick’s greatest movies.
Schindler’s List is based on the life of Oskar Schindler – a German businessman who saved the life of over 1,000 Jews during the second world war. The decision to film in black and white was made to give a timeless feel to the film and it was based on German Expressionism and Italian neorealism. The black and white filming caused difficulties for the set designers who were used to working in color; they had to darken the sets and costumes in order to prevent the actors from blending in. The color red was added to one girl’s coat in order to symbolize the blood on the hands of the allied forces who did nothing to help the Jews at the time.
Raging Bull is based on the life story of temperamental boxer Jake LaMotta (played by Robert De Niro). Initially the film received mixed reactions, but it is now considered to be one of the greatest films ever made – along with Taxi Driver – also starring De Niro and directed by Scorsese. Scorsese and the cinematographer (Michael Chapman) decided to film entirely in black and white in order to add period authenticity – the film was set in the 1940s and both men remembered boxing from the period in black and white photographs. The final decision to go black and white was made to help differentiate the film from other boxing movies being released around the same time (such as Rocky).
Having submitted a recent list, I know you’ll be inundated with people saying “What about …?”
What about “Dean Man”?
I would suggest an Irish film called "The General" starring Brendan Glesson, It's a biopic of Martin Cahaill, The nefarious gangster treated in "Ordinary Decent Criminal" by Kevin Spacey (terrible film, what was he thinking?!)
Good list, I can’t think of anything missing. Have you ever done a list of influential short films?
I’ve only ever seen Schindler’s List, but it was a great movie. Even if it was like 4 hours long.
great list – interesting order.
thanks
Great list. I hadn’t realized just how many modern movies were made in black and white, and I’ve actually seen most of them. I absolutely loved the man who wasn’t there.
Nice Job!! I like the ones you added to the list. Especially the foreign films. Gives something for me to go look for on Netflix and get to watch.
I love Sin city, first time I saw it I was amazed. I really wanna see Ed Wood and Schindlers list.
Great list!
kafka (1991) w/jeremy irons.
Great list! I’m gonna have to check some of theseo ut..
“Psycho” seems to be an odd choice to be left off of this list. Hitch*****had already filmed in color before this film, but the black & white treatment makes everything from the infamous shower scene to the final reveal of Norman Bates’ mother all the more chilling.
Other than this lack, I love your list.
Great list, they’re all amazing movies without doubt.
There aren’t a lot of modern movies in black and white (i.e. since the 60′s), and several of those do have full color scenes. So, I’d say the only movie missing from this list that’s worth mentioning is Eraserhead, but I could be wrong.
Well darn, I spaced out on Psycho. Psycho and Eraserhead. I stick with those two.
this is a fantastic list.
there are so many good films on this list.
i would have to agree with kreachure, also, that eraserhead may deserve at least an honorable mention.
So happy to see Pi on this list! Loved that movie.
Great list! But I think you left out Good Night, and Good Luck.
Some great films here.
Man Bites Dog is absolutely brilliant!
while i’ve heard of a lot of these movies, “clerks” is the only one that I have actually seen, lol
Great list, though in the description of number one, its “Taxi Driver” not “Taxi” that De Niro and Scorsese collaborated again in.
I’ve only seen Clerks and Sin City on this list, great movies! I guess I’ll have to check some of these out.
I’m glad Psycho isn’t on the list. I hated that movie!
Great variety of films on this list! What other list would include both Schinder’s List and Clerks!?
I had no idea that The Elephant Man was a newer film. I had watched it as a kid, and thought that it was made in the 40′s or 50′s or something. Interesting.
I was also worried that you weren’t going to include Schindler’s list when I didn’t see it right away. Whenever I think of modern day, black and white film, that’s the one that always pops into my head immediatly.
Good job including Jarmusch in the list. Stranger Than Paradise is another great B&W one.
Ingenious topic for a list! Seriously though, this is a really cool list.
I forgot all about Dr Strangelove (One of my favorite films)
I was happy to see Raging Bull at the top.
Listverser Fun Fact: I actually worked as an extra in Raging Bull in the boxing crowd scenes for 3 weeks.
This obviously is the reason it won best picture at the Academy Awards.
Good list, I just saw Sin City, and it was amazing.
Only 5/15 watched. /sigh Gots me some watchins to do. I’ve been watching the AFI Top 100, so that’s why I’ve seen Dr. Strangelove (which was, to borrow the phrase, bloody brilliant).
I’m with Femo- I didn’t realize that The Elephant Man was done in the last 30 years. It has that graininess to it that made me think it was an old film.
I used to hate black and white shows and movies. I thought they were “adult and boring”. I really disliked Dennis the Menace, that was an older, black and white show.
OH! I thought of one! What about Pleasantville? Technically black and white at the beginning and in full color at the end, but still a black and white film.
Awesome list, knew Sin City and Clerks would be on here so great, can’t think of anything to add to it.
What about Dead Man? Another Jim Jarmusch, I know, but still a great movie. And all black and white.
Excellent list Jamie!! It turned out very well! I completely forgot about Dr. Strangelove!
Blogball (#23):Obviously… why would it have won for any other reason that your exclusive big screen debut!?
RumbleFish
Are you kidding me? How could you have missed “coffee and cigarettes?????” That movie could have easily bumped off a few of the movies on this list…least of all “clerks” unacceptable.
The Elephant Man with Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.
Elephant Man’s real name seems to have been “Joseph Carey Merrick” not John Merrick
Great list as usual!
“Clerks” at 11….really.
Agree with 30 – Jackson: Coffee and Cigarettes should’ve been added. The film is like a collection of well framed and exposed black and white photos.
Great concept, well written entries and introduction, I can’t even think of any movies Jamie missed. WTF! I’ll be back.
Interesting list. Haven’t seen the Jarmusch film but otherwise I’d say they all justify their inclusion one way or another.
My ‘What about…?’ has to be: what about Bogdanovich’s ‘The Last Picture Show’? Fantastic monochrome movie made in 1971, 2 Oscars & 6 nominations…
i love black and white movies whether theyre modern or old
Nice list. B&W can be so stunning for the right story.
WTG Blogball and the forums peeps for inspiring this one!
btw, I really need to finally see Dr. Strangelove
Thanks for the comments so far – I should point out that the two films most being called on for inclusion are by directors already on the list – I picked one per director only – and tried to pick their best of the class. For example, Woody Allen has done at least 3 full B&W films to my knowledge – but Manhattan is his most classy.
Oh – and Coffee and Cigarettes (which I don’t like much) scored 6.8 on IMDB while Down By Law scored 7.8) – it was definitely the more logical inclusion for Jarmusch.
ciunas: I haven’t seen The Last Picture Show – I just looked it up and it looks excellent – I will definitely look out for it.
I cried when I saw Schindler’s list.
It’s just so.. man.
What about “Rumble Fish”?
Thank you for putting Man Bites Dog and La Haine. They are both great films that aren’t publicized very often. Thankfully you can get them through the Criterion Collection.
Great list! I love Young Frankenstein and The Elephant Man!
One of the best movie lists I’ve seen on here.
La Haine, Sin City, Man Bites Dog, Clerks, Man who wasn’t there and Strangelove are amazing.
no american history x?
Hmmm… Let’s see……… Great List
Schindler’s List is amazing. glad it is included
I LOVE David Lynch, as much as i loved elephant man, i think Eraserhead should have been on here though. that one is one of the most intresting and disturbing of any movie ever made
For Your Consideration:
Good Night and Good Luck
Chan Is Missing
Lenny
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
Persepolis(animated)
Control( I haven’t seen it yet but it’s at the top of my Netflix queue)
Le Dernier Combat(no color, not even any dialogue)
Paper Moon. Love that movie.
I figured Clerks and Schindler’s List would be on this! I started watching them both and didnt realize it was in black and white until halfway through!
Ed Wood and Schindler’s List! Those are some of the best films I’ve ever saw! Great List!
Nothing to do with this list, but I think it would be great if you made a list of the best dance moves ever. Because I just saw this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSdhDyPhyiU
and I was amazed ;P
has anyone here heard of andrew bujalski’s mutual appreciation?
Dream for an Insomniac would be a nice Bonus one. Its only partially black and white but the effect is great
“Coffee and Cigarettes” and “Dead Man” were both by Jim Jarmusch, the director of #15 “Down By Law.” Likewise “Eraserhead” and #4 “The Elephant Man,” both David Lynch films. Our listmaker said he was only doing one movie per director. Golly, don’t you guys read the whole thing before posting?
One quick correction: By his own account, Martin Scorsese began filming “Raging Bull” in color, but when he was screening dailies for his hero Michael Powell, Powell pointed out the gaudiness of the red boxing gloves which took all focus from every scene. This, per Scorsese, was his main motivation for switching to B & W filming.
Good list. I would have included Some Like It Hot.
Schindler’s List is amazing!! I haven’t seen many of the other ones though. Looks like I have some movie watching to do!
What an awesome list! There were several movies there that I’ve never seen that I wrote down for my NetFlix list. Thank you!
I thought Schindler’s List was the greatest movie ever made. I would definitely have put it at #1. I sobbed all the way through it and for hours afterward. He really brought home the sheer evil of the Nazi Regime and the astounding courage of the many people who worked in the underground to try to save lives. This was truly Spielberg’s masterpiece.
Dead Man with Johnny Depp should be #1.
This has nothing to do with anything. At least 2 tornadoes came through this way. Trucks overturned. Rooves blown off. Big winds,lots of flooding. Just a little bit afraid, and a little too alone.