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).
That being said, Young Frankenstein floored me. Comedy is not my favorite genre. Sin City was amazing. I am very into “graphic novels” (comic books)and loved this series. They presented it true to the book beautifully. I own American History X and there are no words to explain the lessons leared:the lessons taught. I saw Schindler’s List in the theater. I remember EVERY scene. I can never forget. It hurt so much to watch it once, I’ll never watch it again. Paper Moon is an absolute treat. I can watch that again and again. Tatum O’Neil stole the show. When she was getting change from the clerk is great!
Nice list. Hahaha happy to see clerks on here
Bad enough to have Sin City there. But, you have it in front of Manhattan AND Young Frankenstein. Clerks is so over-rated. Kevin Smith was in the right place at the right time. Another time, he would have been laughed at. It’s like The Ramones made it because of the time period. A great band(see Beatles)would be successful in any time period. Will Ferrill is successful now, when, based on his talent, 20 years ago he’d struggle to get extra work. I’m beginning to believe that a lot of people here watch American Idol. Sad.
I second the inclusion of “The Last Picture Show” (I probably would have put it at number 2, behind “Raging Bull”). By rules of the list, this would knock out “Paper Moon” as both were directed by Peter Bogdoanvitch (who chose black and white for LPS because he could shoot deep focus more sharply than color). Including “Dr Strangelove” is a little dicey, because at the time of it’s release, black and white films were still realtively common, but if we are going to include from the early sixites, I would defintiely include Arthur Penn’s “Mickey One” (it would be in my top 5) and Billy Wilder’s “One, Two, Three”(one of the funniest films ever made!).
You’re right ouiareborg, everybody here is an imbecile. You are so sophisticated, you put us all to shame. BTW Sin City should not be ranked ahead of Young Frankenstein or Manhattan but visually it is one of the greatest films ever made. They managed to duplicate the Frank Miller’s style perfectly. For that reason alone it ranks up near the top of the movies made from comic books. In fact, with Batman Returns and 300, Miller is the source for some spectacular cinema. Movies are afterall, primarily a visual meduim, so this isn’t that surprising. Alfred Hitch*****would create the story boards of his movies first, that’s how important artists like Frank Miller are.
ouiareborg: and im sure charlie chaplin would be knockin’ em’ dead these days.
comedy changes with generations pal
and who gives a ***** about American Idol. Are you angry because your favorite didnt win.
Control. (2007, Anton Corbijn)
Good list and great effort putting this thing together. Everybody’s got an opinion why it sucks to see some things left out. Here’s mine…….
Under the Cherry Moon? Prince’s Fellini-esque farce with Jerome Benton and Kristin Scott Thomas. It’s an acquired taste!
Rumblefish? Francis Ford Coppola’s homage to 1940′s cinema that starred Mickey Rourke, Matt Dillon, Tom Waits and his up-and-coming nephew Nicolas. Another SE Hinton story done on the heels of “The Outsiders”.
Paper Moon? Everybody’s favorite relapsing addict, Tatum O’Neal in her first role at 9 years old. She won an Oscar for best supporting actress for this, her very fist role.
I’m sort of amazed at the inclusion of Clerks. Sin City has some fabulous effects shots, and it totally deserves to be there, but I would have placed it behind both La Haine and Manhattan. Also, I would have chosen Stranger Than Paradise instead of Down By Law. Overall, great list.
Great list!! I clicked on it hoping to see “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” and was thrilled to see it! I loved that movie, and am glad that I’m not the only one who’s seen it.
Stroke of genius adding Clerks. I have Jay and Silent Bob tattooed on me. No joke.
Nothing to do with anything, but I’ve seen 14 of the 15 movies here – everything except La Haine. That’s got to be the highest percentage I’ve ever matched up to anyone’s list of anything.
where is RUMBLEFISH?????
Damn. Down by Law rates 7.8 in IMDB. Dead Man only rates 7.7.
Why only only film per director? It’s like making a list of the greatest operas and choosing only one opera per composer. I’ve got Figaro so I can’t have Giovanni.
Wow, one of the best lists on the Verse! But, yeah, I agree with post 73. Where the hell is Dead Man?!
John Pontoon – do yourself a favour and watch La Haine (~the hate) a see a young Vincent Cassel.
I was watching man bites dog in the varsity common room one time, and a first year came in and watched about 10 minutes. He freaked, didn’t get the mock part of mockumentary at all.
Good Night and Good Luck?
Not even a mention? Kuddo? “Just almost made it” nod?
Yeah, I second the “Psycho” comments. It was deliberately filmed in black and white to give it a grainy, “B-movie” look.
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good list. I’ve seen “Raging Bull”, “Schindler’s List”, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “Sin City”, and “Pi”. I’ve been wanting to watch a lot of the other ones, especially “Young Frankenstein” and “Man Bites Dog”. Surprinsed you even mentioned the latter–not a lot of people I know have even heard about it.
You guys forgot “Paper Moon”! That was a great little flick. A dysfunctional real-life father and daughter–made an Oscar winning movie about a dysfunctional father and daughter in the 1930′s, and hilarity was the result both on screen and real life. Priceless.
Not to nitpick, but why is black and white capitalized in #3?
How is Schindler’s list number #2? No disrespect to Raging bull… But come on.
what about Good Night and Good Luck?
Rooves blown off? Christ this is why God keeps punishing Arkansas…inbreeding is bad!
cloony is a communist
12 Angry Men…..
sin city was the shizz nit…
I think Dee Are Strangelove is my favorite movie of all time right now… and I have only seen it once.
had no idea Clerks was B/W!!!
i’m gonna watch Sin City tonite (for the umpteenth time)
“young frankenstein” was the greatest.
“eye-gor!”
“fro-drick!”
“he must have an enormus vanschtooker…. woof.”
haha EPIC!!!
great list, man
What about 13 Tzameti?
I don’t know if Dr. Strangelove really belongs on there since it’s not really modern. There are plenty of better movies that came out in the early 60′s that came out in b&w. Even if you do think it’s better than everything else being released at that time, it’s still not a modern movie. Night of the Living Dead is pushing it, but at least at that time most movies were being released in color and it was filmed in b&w to save money.
Thought I would bring up The Battle of Algiers that was filmed in 1966. Not only is it a good film, but I think it was screened by members of the U.S. defense department prior to the invasion of Iraq. Obviously they didn’t take a thing away from it except for the blatant imperialism it depicts.
How about the Carl Reiner/Steve Martin classic “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”? The send-up and homage to film noir of the thirties and forties filmed in black and white as to make use of the footage from those classics allowing Martin to interact with Bogart, Laughton, Bette Davis, Vincent Price, Alan Ladd, etc. And consider the seamless editing from a time well before CGI effects. It’s just the movie to ‘adjust your willy’…especially if you’re willy hasn’t been adjusted like that in a long time.
Good Night and Good Luck?
I am disappointed by the lack of Rumblefish…good list…but…no Rumblefish!
And ERASERHEAD!!!! Muuuuuuch better than Rumblefish.
TrilithonOfKutulu: I excluded Eraserhead because I already had a David Lynch film and felt it was better. But – so you don’t feel that we are ignoring it entirely, I should point out that it is included on some other lists
I think Following of Chris Nolan is also a very good movie in B/W
13 Tzameti & Control
Maybe I´ll get crucified but in my opinion Shindler´s list is totally overestimated (the holocaust theme never fails), although this may be his best film, but c´mon Spielberg is no good american people!
psychosurfer:
I will *totally* back you up on your opinion about “Schindler’s List” AND Spielberg. “Schindler’s List” is VERY overrated (I found it rather pretentious actually, though of course terribly horrifying) and it betrays what Spielberg has always been about–namely, that he has always had a knack for exploiting (and I do mean EXPLOITING) the visceral as a means of making a cinematic impact on the audience. Now yes, people like this–it can be fun, moving, stomach-churning, terrifying–but in the end it is ONLY visceral. That’s all Spielberg has. So he has a peculiar talent, and a great knack for sticking it to his audience when he wants to… but it ends there. This works well for a “Jaws” or an Indiana Jones movie–which are your basic popcorn flicks, pure entertainment—but falls way short of the mark when Spielberg is trying to be “deep” or make a point of some kind—such as with “Close Encounters” or “Schindler’s List.” To my thinking the only time he managed to get close to a more complete vision was with “Saving Private Ryan,” but even there it still came up short. (Compare, for instance, that film with Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of Our Fathers” or “Letters from Iwo Jima.”)
Spielberg is HUGELY overrated in this country. And the sad thing is, it’s actually the fact that Spielberg, Lucas, DePalma, Scorcese and their ilk are the guys who have *ruined* Hollywood… and kids these days now don’t know any better.
Randall: Whoa, whoa, whoa…I’ll agree about Spielberg, and *especially* George Lucas. But Brian DePalma? Martin Scorcese??! How have *they* ruined Hollywood?
Slick:
Ugh. Would require a lengthy lesson in film theory and history. I’m short on time just at the moment.
Suffice to say that all these guys (and some others) all came out at about the same time, and many of them even knew each other and worked together. And they all have the same inherent problem–they are all about the visceral—and that’s it. I realize Scorcese is considered an American master now, but I just don’t agree. He has the same basic issue that Spielberg has. Had I more time I could offer examples.
Basically, though, the preeminence of these guys, flaw in hand, has led to the dumbing down of Hollywood, and the overwhelming economic focus on the blockbuster, to the ruination of the industry in an artistic sense. And that’s true of Scorcese as much as Spielberg.
When I have more time I’ll expand on this.
Same generation of filmmakers that ended an era with the late seventies to beginning eighties Hollywood. True, these guys are not like the early years ( as the next generation..and the 2-3-4ect. afterwards that are the part of the current now). The visceral gut burst it’s high point with the slasher films of the same time period and this grouping of Spielberg, Scorcese, Lucas, DePalma is part of the school of half in/half out; The birth of the megabuster.
And the megabuster reached it’s altered stated apex in the mid 90′s—and then computers was wriggling out of the larva stage and no longer a gimmick and it took some time…Digital…while film schools were flip-flapping out their burgers(aka film students…) all the while.
This Generation of Filmakers that I am guessing, Randall has a beef with,
lousy lists!
Wow, Randall. Surely you’re a exagerating a bit? How have they ruined hollywood?
No American History X? Skip the French indie films, give me some Ed Norton curb stomping
Did “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” ever enter into contention to make the list?
gguy yes – it did.
Charlie: American History X is not black and white – it contains some black and white but is mostly color – that excludes it based on the first paragraph of the list.
Love the list, but I would have moved Young Frankenstein up higher. These things are always subjective though aren’t they?
I love these lists man.
warning/diogenes:
Please remind me to return to this subject. I simply haven’t the time now. But it’s one of my favorites. And yes–those guys DID help to ruin Hollywood.
Great list!
I was really hoping to see “Man of the Century.” It’s about a twenties-era man living in modern day. Seeing the difference in the eras was intriguing and quirky.
A Hard Day’s Night
Dig the list! I really love how you went away from the conventional choices and put on lesser known (at least I think they’re lesser known) stuff. I almost don’t want to say what about…but what about Control? Or Roadkill? Those are the only two I can think of right now.
you put raging bull ahead of Schindlers list!
I watched Paper Moon this weekend. It was great. Tatum O’Neal really deserved that Oscar. Whenever I see Ryan O’Neal, I think of Irreconcilable Differences. I love that movie!
great list but forgetting one great film from the seventies…………. “The Last Picture Show” a masterpiece!
Control by Anton Corbijn, I think it’s more recent than your entire list.
Though not as recent as the ones on your list, my favorite B&W movies include:
THE BRIDGE, a film about a small group of 16-year-old German boys pulled out of high school into the army and assigned to hold a bridge in their village against the invading allies. Their adult sergeant goes off to eat or drink and dies, leaving them without leadership. Despite this, they hold off an entire American division for a full day, each dying in the process. It’s a wonderful anti-war movie from the early 1960s and the effects are extremely realistic.
THE VALLEY OF PEACE (also early 1960s), a Czechoslovakian film about children caught up in World War II who lose their parents and try to find the valley in which their great-uncle has a farm. Through many vicissitudes, they arrive safely in the valley. Yes, another anti-war movie.
THE LONGEST DAY (1962), perhaps the best World War II movie ever made, with the longest all-star cast list in history.