Let's Hear It For Black And White Films

[ddock54]

The Haunting was made for black and white photograhy,the modern colour version fails miserably because its colour and everthing else about its naff.Black and white films are a very misunderstood art these days ,even some of the so called wonder directors do not have a grasp on the medium.The black and white film years are gods light before everything became blurred...

[batman]

Very few modern directors dare to use back and white. Spielberg, Soderbergh and George Clooney seem to be the only 'top' directors willing to 'risk' it. Clooney, in particular, has said he'd like to use it more but the moguls are reluctant. His TV production of Fail Safe and the Oscar winning Good Night and Good Luck demonstrate superbly how it can be done these days.

Question: what was the last 'mainstream' Britmovie shot in black and white? I can't think of one since Elephant Man.

Bats.

[christoph404]

Originally Posted by batman Very few modern directors dare to use back and white. Spielberg, Soderbergh and George Clooney seem to be the only 'top' directors willing to 'risk' it. Clooney, in particular, has said he'd like to use it more but the moguls are reluctant. His TV production of Fail Safe and the Oscar winning Good Night and Good Luck demonstrate superbly how it can be done these days. Question: what was the last 'mainstream' Britmovie shot in black and white? I can't think of one since Elephant Man. Bats.

I don't think there has been one, I can't think of any, the Elephant Man was made in 1980 and director of photography was the late great Freddie Francis who also squeezed in a career as a horror film director for Hammer and Amicus as well as photographing such black and white classics as "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", "Room at the Top" and "The Innocents" amongst others. He died in March of this year aged 89, I don't recall seeing any mention of that on Britmovie but maybe I just missed it.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by christoph404 I don't think there has been one, I can't think of any, the Elephant Man was made in 1980 and director of photography was the late great Freddie Francis who also squeezed in a career as a horror film director for Hammer and Amicus as well as photographing such black and white classics as "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", "Room at the Top" and "The Innocents" amongst others. He died in March of this year aged 89, I don't recall seeing any mention of that on Britmovie but maybe I just missed it.

There was a thread about Freddie when he died

Steve

[NappieB]

Originally Posted by batman Very few modern directors dare to use back and white. Spielberg, Soderbergh and George Clooney seem to be the only 'top' directors willing to 'risk' it. Clooney, in particular, has said he'd like to use it more but the moguls are reluctant. His TV production of Fail Safe and the Oscar winning Good Night and Good Luck demonstrate superbly how it can be done these days. Question: what was the last 'mainstream' Britmovie shot in black and white? I can't think of one since Elephant Man. Bats.

Batman - A very astute and accurate observation!!! I agree entirely. I don't know the answer to your question. I saw "Nor the Moon By Night" (1958, Patrick McGoohan) a few weeks ago. It had been colourized and despite the fact that all the action takes place ina leafy -brown-and-green game park in South Africa, it looked better in black and white!!

[christoph404]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook There was a thread about Freddie when he died Steve

cheers Steve,

[vedakis777]

I discovered one more Gasparcolor film:

Adventures of the Three Goats (1934)

I discovered one Polychromide Color Film:
SELECTIONS ILLUSTRATING THE BRITISH POLYCHROMIDE COLOUR PROCESS (1926)

Here are some films in Photocolor:
Alpine Love Call (1929)
In Dutch (1929)
Romany Lass (1929)
South Sea Interlude (1929)
Convention Girl (1935)

[vedakis777]

Lust for gold, The [King Midas] (1912 - GB) - BW - Dir.: Bouwmeester, Theo (Frenkel, Theo Sr.) - Prod.: Kinemacolor; Charles; Urban
Oedipus rex (1912 - GB) - BW - Dir.: Bouwmeester, Theo (Frenkel, Theo Sr.) - Prod.: Kinemacolor; Charles; Urban - Act.: Bouwmeester, Theo (Frenkel, Theo Sr.); de Baere, Suzanne - Adaptation of Sophokles, Oedipus rex (ca. 430?)
Herod [John the Baptist] (1912 - GB) - BW - Dir.: Bouwmeester, Theo (Frenkel, Theo Sr.) - Prod.: Kinemacolor; Charles; Urban
Vandal outlaws, The (1912 - GB) - BW - Dir.: Bouwmeester, Theo (Frenkel, Theo Sr.) - Prod.: Kinemacolor; Charles; Urban - Act.: Bouwmeester, Julie

Source: http://www.arts.kuleuven.be/alo/klassieke/docs/film.doc

The very first color film was made public was A Visit to the Seaside (1908).

Source: Kinemacolor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[vedakis777]

There are seven known films in Brewster Color:
See How They Won (1935)
The Debut of Thomas the Cat (1920)
The Sorcerer's Dentist (1938)
Excerpt from Exhibition Reel of Two-Color Film (1929)
Mendollsohn's Spring Song (1931)
Barnum Was Wrong (1930)
Let's Look at London (1935)

[vedakis777]

There are seven films in Photocolor are known to exist:

Ye Heart Shop (1930)
The Alpine Love Call (1930)
Princess Lady Bug (1930)
In Dutch (1930)
Hollywood Be Thy Name (1932)
Romany Lass (1929)
Convention Girl (1935)

There are three films in Spectracolor are known to exist:

The Midshipman (1936)
Faust (1936)
Railroad Rhythm (1936)

(rest of the Spectracolor films by name is missing.)

There are two more Kelley Color films:

A Ripe Melodrama (1925)
The Cat's Shimmy (1925)

[vedakis777]

There are two more films in Prizma Color:

Batik (1919)
Gettysburg (1919)

[Windthrop]

Originally Posted by ddock54 The Haunting was made for black and white photograhy,the modern colour version fails miserably because its colour and everthing else about its naff.Black and white films are a very misunderstood art these days ,even some of the so called wonder directors do not have a grasp on the medium.The black and white film years are gods light before everything became blurred...

Certainly B/W colourized films are an abomination - saw Scrooge (Alastair Sim) terrible - why did they bother ? fine in B/W.

[batman]

Originally Posted by Windthrop Certainly B/W colourized films are an abomination - saw Scrooge (Alastair Sim) terrible - why did they bother ? fine in B/W.

I watched Scrooge this afternoon and I was disappointed it was the colourised version. However, it was The Boy Wonder's first viewing of the film and he loved it!

Bats.

[christoph404]

Did anyone mention that possibly the most recent use of black and white was probably in the opening sequence of "Casino Royale"? Just read an interesting aricle in "American Cinematographer" where the D.O.P of Casino Royale reveals how he used high contrast black and white film stock as opposed to the more usual practice in modern filming of shooting in colour and reducing to b&w at the print stage.

[PrAnG!]

I grew up on some of those great B/W films in the days of the Monday Matinee & the Sunday Double Bills. Movies like Alistair Sim in 'Green For Danger', Norman Wisdom comedy films, 'The Angry Silence' starring Richard Attenborough, etc.
As for US movies I like two Henry Fonda movies alot; 12 Angry Men & The Wrong Man.