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Apr 3, 2017 · But more importantly, black and white changes a movie thematically, providing atmosphere, tone, and visually providing stark contrasts and a dreamlike view of the world. It can at once make a film ...
- Culture Editor
Nov 9, 2021 · As opposed to the mid-century movies shot on black-and-white film, most of today’s versions, such as Roma, are shot in color and then changed to black and white during post-production....
- Black-And-White as Default
- Black-And-White as Nostalgia
- Black-And-White as Camouflage
- Black-And-White as An Elite Aesthetic
- The Future in Black-And-White
Color always existed in the cinema. But it wasn’t until Technicolor in the early 1930s that all the colors seen before the camera could be captured. Because the processwas so difficult and expensive, color became the realm of fantasy, while the real world of the screen existed in shades of gray. The Academy saw this divide, refusing to consider col...
Monochrome became seen as the absence of color, where previously color had been seen as an addition. The next time a black-and-white film was nominated for a cinematography Oscar, it was a nostalgia piece, 1971’s “The Last Picture Show.” Likewise, “Lenny” (1974), “Raging Bull” (1980), and “Zelig” (1983) (the only monochrome films nominated for 25 y...
The rise of independent cinema in the mid-1980s made for more shades of gray at film festivals across the globe. From Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” to Jim Jarmusch’s “Stranger Than Paradise,” these films had little to do with nostalgia. Rather, it was just what they could afford. Even if film stock was the same price, it was (and is) a lot more...
By the 1990s, the previous association of color with fantasy and black-and-white with realism had completely reversed. Its rarity brought out monochrome’s inherent aesthetic. It renders faces beautiful, violence palatable (see “Kill Bill Vol. 1”), and atrocities more digestible. Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” (1993) was the first black-and-w...
The glut of films this year begs us to look beyond the beauty of monochrome and contemplate how the technique is being used. The five films currently in awards contention (though there are many more) are using it in different ways to express their directors’ desired aesthetic. While that aesthetic tends to the historical for most, Bruno Delbonnel’s...
Nov 18, 2021 · Passing, Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, opens with a sense of trepidation. The film’s protagonist, Irene, played by Tessa Thompson, enters a New York City hotel in the 1920s, hiding herself under her hat presumably because she doesn’t belong. The viewer recognizes Thompson, a Black actress, but because Passing was shot in black and ...
Jan 18, 2021 · But as time went on, filmmakers still chose to use black and white film on occasion. Now, nearly 80 years later, we still see major motion pictures (and some TV episodes) shooting in black and white. There are lots of reasons for these choices, and they vary depending on the filmmaker.
Jan 10, 2022 · Why do so many TV shows and movies look like they were filmed in a gray wasteland?
Dec 5, 2022 · Whether an aesthetic choice or for budget reasons, there are plenty of modern movies filmed in black and white. Here are 15 great examples that you need to see.
