Just like wine, olives, and dark chocolate, black and white movies are an acquired taste. Like with certain books, like Sun Tzu's The Art of War, one must reach a certain age to understand the notion and enjoy the content. It may be read at a young age, yet one wouldn't be able to take away from it as much as they would if they read it after their 20s. Or quit on it just 10 pages into the book. The same goes for old movies shot in black and white.
Just like one may hate the tannins that make the wine bitter, some may think that the black and white picture in classic movies takes away an appeal from the film. Nevertheless, it's the tannins that create the exquisite flavor of the wine that so many enjoy. We can claim that vibrant pictures just didn't exist in the day when old classic movies were made, and there was no other choice than to make movies in grayscale. However, there are quite a few reasons why more modern in-color remakes of some of the best black and white movies stand nowhere near the originals.
In essence, the use of black and white gives the image an "evergreen" characteristic that keeps it from looking out of date. Other than that, like in photography, black and white lets the viewer concentrate on different aspects of the shot by removing any color distractions and really focusing your attention on what's in the frame. Therefore, the black and white scale actually favors the best classic movies.
While the camera work and color palette play a significant role in the film's appeal, we often regard works of cinema as classics if they have transcended time and trends with indefinable quality. And many of the best old movies filmed in black and white did. Below, we've gathered some of the best B&W or film noir movies that will take you back to the times when some of the most significant works of cinema were made. Do you have a favorite black and white movie? Let us know!
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