Classic Black and White Films???

M

Mrs. Ashley♥

New member
Hi
I am working on a film club that only shows black and white classics. Yeah I have a list of which ones I like but just wondered if you were programming your own season what would you include?
Of course if there is a quick colour segment then that can be included (Schindlers List comes to mind) But in the main they should be B&W and also a classic film of any genre.
Don't worry if your repeating what someone else has mentioned I am just trying to see if there are any films that I should consider which I may not know about yet and if a film gets a few noRAB I'll have a look at it.

Also if anyone knows of any decent short films in B&W please give a heaRAB up as I'm looking for these as well.
 
It's difficult not knowing what films are already under consideration but how about Key Largo, Some Like it Hot, The 400 Blows, East of Eden, A Matter of Life and Death...
 
Arsenic and Old Lace. - Still funny all these years on.
Harvey
To Kill A Mocking Bird
12 Angry Men
A Night at the Opera - The Marx Brothers at their best
The Elephant Man
Metropolis
All Quiet on the Western Front
Birth of a Nation - Silent film so may not be popular
Ed Wood
 
Many of the classic movies of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were made in black and white, and just to mention a few from each decade:

42nd Street 1931

Now Voyager 1942

From Here To Eternity 1953

Judgement at Nuremberg 1961

So many others of course, am sure many of you will have your own favorites.
 
All about eve

the women,

a womans face,

humoresque,

white heat,

double indemnity,

strangers on a train,

i could go on and on and on about them
 
Oops! I watched East of Eden a few months ago and thought it was black-and-white. A Matter of Life and Death, if you know it you'll know that it's a special case where the colour or lack of it is an essential part of the film.
 
Thank you, yeah I know it's difficult if the only criteria is B&W but your list has raised one I had forgotten about that I should definitely have on my list (can't believe that I forgot Some Like It Hot!)
I had 400 Blows and Key Largo on the shortlist but the fact you mention them confirms that they are worth a shot.
 
spanning a few different eras:

'the big sleep' - humphrey bogart and lauren bacall
bogey's take on chandler's original tough guy, trench coat wearing pi, philip marlowe. a real classic
 
hi

no, of course not! i just meant that my suggestions might have been a little niche in terms of what the op was asking.

i notice that you are a bogey fan as well and have mentioned 'key largo' and 'in a lonely place'. agree with your analysis of 'in a lonely place' and it takes a special actor to make the audience sympathetic to and essentially unsympathetic character.

i only really discovered him last year but i think the guy just oozes charisma and has fantastic screen presence. i have relished going through his back catalogue and hope to see some of his movies come out on blu ray at some point (african queen is due out soon and will be the first i think).
 
You have every right to say it if it's your honest opinion. I'll admit I found them rather stodgy when first getting serious about films, but their sheer artistry and craftsmanship got to me eventually. Although I still don't quite buy into the conceit of A Matter of Life and Death. Funny that.

Interesting to see other notable names mentioned whose careers spanned from B/W to colour (Lean, Hitchcock). You could add pre-Spartacus Kubrick to the list. Killer's Kiss and The Killing are both fascinating in how they touch on themes and visual motifs that would blossom later, and Paths of Glory is an absolute classsic in anyone's book.
 
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