CONFESS!!!! What's your FAVORITE all Black & White Movie

[LynneSin]

There were some classics back then when color was a fun oddity. Black & White movies today are classic works of art. What's your favorite B&W movie?

I'm torn between 2 and I go a step futher! Mine are B&W silent movies, but both are absolute classics by Charlie Chaplin:

City Lights & Gold Rush.

Deciding upon which of those 2 are my favorites is like figuring out which is my favorite from "Ramble On" or "What is or What Should Never Be" (both by Led Zeppelin).

And yes, I have both of those movies on DVD along with some other great B&W classics from Charlie Chaplin and I also have the original Nosferatu (my favorite non chaplin B&W).

What's your favorite B&W movie?

[Kellanved]

1. Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (n/t)

[Frederic Bastiat]

2. Denzel Washington in Carbon Copy n/t

[GOPisEvil]

3. Casablanca

Of course it's one of my favorite films of all time.

I'm a big film noir fan, so I love the b&w movies.

[Catshrink]

72. Casablanca is my choice too...

best film ever. Well, after Spaceballs anyway (JK).

[Jim Sagle]

4. They Day the Earth Stood Still

[SCDem]

5. To kill a mockingbird

I have others but I really like that one the best

[BlondieK143]

12. Agreed!

:)

[MissMillie]

34. get my vote too (n/t)

.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

51. The first thing that popped into my head...

It's the best movie ever.
Duckie

[terrya]

6. "The Manchurian Candidate". One of the best films EVER made.

A brilliant thriller. Being shot in black and white heightens the paranoia of the film.

Terry

[GOPisEvil]

16. That one is high on my list, too.

:thumbsup:

The book is terrific, as well.

[smirkymonkey]

88. Definitely in my top 10 B&W

along with:

Casablanca
The Awful Truth
Dinner at Eight
The Maltese Falcon
Grand Hotel
Spellbound
Notorious
Citizen Kane
The Thin Man...

Well that's 10 - there are many more!

[freetobegay]

7. The Wizard of OZ!

:)

[LynneSin]

8. That's not all B&W though

Just the beginning and end

:P

:bounce:

[freetobegay]

Since when?

Yes they have a colorized version, but rhe original was in B&W.

[Laughing Mirror]

14. I remember seeing it before colorization existed back in the early 60s

And it was in black and white, and in color. George Cukor used the same technique for effect in his camp classic The Women the same year (1939) as Wiz of Oz.

[mobuto]

84. No the colorized version came out in 1939

The first part of the movie, in Kansas, in b&w. But the part in Oz was always in color - it was the first major color movie.

[Laughing Mirror]

11. Wizard of Oz was in color wasn't it?

At least partially, as I recall. When Dorothy was dreaming. When she came out of the dream it was black and white in Kansas.
Correct me if wrong.

[freetobegay]

Ok I must have been on something

I thought the whole thing was in B&W.

[bikebloke]

56. Both Black & White and in Colour

Back in the 60's, before showing the film on the telly, they'd have someone like Danny Kaye introduce it. For those folk with colour tellies, he warned them about the beginning and end being in black & white. Nothing wrong with your televisions (just like the Outer Limits). I have never seen it in colour. Perhaps I ought to. It might be a treat like The Adventures of Robin Hood when it came out in DVD.

Back to topic:
Casablanca
Les Chez Hommes des Rififi
The Grapes of Wrath

[DarkPhenyx]

9. Casablanca.

Hands down.

[Burma Jones]

10. Duck Soup n/t

[chenGOD]

13. "Dead Man"

Classic Jim Jarmusch movie with Johhny Depp and a whole bunch of great apperances.

[GumboYaYa]

15. "The Bicycle Thief"

that is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the scene where Ricci has to decide whether to steal the bike.

[peacefreak]

17. Harvey

followed closely by Bringing Up Baby

[SCDem]

26. I like Harvey too! That is my second fav

[cedahlia]

45. I Love Harvey!

The Shop Around the Corner is a close second for my fave B&W...guess I have a thing for Mr. James Stewart! :)

Oh, and To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely tied for second.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. "The Man Who Wasn't There"

By The Coen Brothers, starring Billy Bob Thornton. Excellent movie.

[Bronco69]

19. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

My favorite B&W movie. :-)

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

39. That is a GREAT flick

I love too many of them to name one. A lot of the ones named here, plus The General, plus Nosferatu, plus Ivan the Terrible, plus The Bank Dick, plus Gay Divorcee, plus, plus, plus....

[Rhiannon12866]

55. Do you like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers?

I can't explain it, but they always seem to engage me. I believe that "The Gay Divorcee" is my favorite. The Italian "correspondent", played by Eric Rhodes, is a classic, and never fails to make me laugh. I like this one, as well.:D

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

58. "Chances are fate is foolish"

Ah, Tonetti! :D

I think I like Ginger better cuz of the dresses...I could never understand why a girl would find Fred attractive. But I love their banter and dancing, and the actors like Eric Blore and Edward Everett Horton who showed up in a couple of their films. I agree, "Gay Divorcee" is my favorite: the songs are great, the cinematography is crisp, and the patter is snappy.

[Rhiannon12866]

67. That is definitely the funniest part! And I try to never miss it! LOL!

I agree that Fred is not particularly cute, but he is a great dancer. The thing that really boggles the mind was the reason that Ginger married that cheating stick-of-a-man who she was trying to get rid of to begin with?! And, yes, the dresses are great. The songs are always wonderful. They just don't make them like this, anymore, LOL! And Edward Everett Horton is priceless. My Dad met him, as a kid, since he used to vacation around here. But this one is definitely my favorite with Eric Rhodes' memorable routine, that you mentioned. Just classic.:D

[JVS]

20. Dr. Strangelove

[LynneSin]

27. That would be #4 on my list

:bounce:

[NightTrain]

78. ABSOLUTELY!!!

"Strangelove" is, in fact, my favorite film of all time! :thumbsup:

[Teddy_Salad]

21. It Happened One Night

1934.....Directed by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

Great, great film!

"They fly through the air with the greatest of ease, those daring young men on the flying trapeze......"

[BigMcLargehuge]

22. Godzilla : King of the Monsters (1954)

followed by:

King Kong (1933)
Manchurian Candidate
Cape Fear (1965)
Casablanca)
Psycho
Nights of Cabiria

[Sticky]

23. It's A Wonderful Life

LOVE that movie!

....and now for the other end of the spectrum:

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte was good too.

[Az]

24. Seven Samurai

No contest. One of the greatest movies ever made color or black and white.

[Waistdeep]

25. I've got to agree with you

I love most of the other movies mentioned, but Seven Samurai would be my choice if I had to pick only one.

[chenGOD]

35. Dammit, I forgot about that one.

Well, I still like Dead Man, but yeah Seven Samurai.

Of course there's also "the Seveth Seal". Which is a definite classic

[Bonhomme Richard]

28. South

For those who don't know the movie it's a silent film shot during the Shackleton Expedition. If you like real courage while it's happening you ought to see it.

[Nomad559]

29. The Grapes of Wrath

http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=494

[Lavender Brown]

30. Brief Encounter (1945)

Sigh.

[Shrek]

31. Schindler's List n/t

[Mick Knox]

61. 2nd vote for Schindler's List

[Euphen]

89. I'm not sure if that qualifies.

There is some color in there, after all.

[Richardo]

32. Manhattan; Dr Strangelove; Citizen Kane; To Kill a Mockingbird;

all Buster Keaton and Marx Brothers movies

[Richardo]

33. ...and Hard Day's Night!

[Rhiannon12866]

36. Either "Bringing Up Baby" or "My Favorite Wife."

I prefer comedies. Both star Cary Grant, a favorite of mine. The first is with Katharine Hepburn, the second with Irene Dunne. My younger cousin came to visit and expressed an interest in old movies, so these were the two I rented.:-)

[Blue-Jay]

37. Clerks

Probably not what you were looking for, though. Also "Manchurian Candidate"

[Amaya]

38. Young Frankenstein

:D

[elfwitch]

80. Me too

It's brilliant!

[Kahuna]

40. My new favorite is, "Modern Times." However, anything...

with Cary Grant in black and white is my favorite. :7

[qb]

41. Night of the Living Dead

My first big-screen horror movie experience.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

42. The Seventh Seal

[Frederic Bastiat]

50. Good choice n/t

[msu2ba]

43. Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace - n/t

[bmbmd]

44. All good choices.

I nominate "Some Like it Hot".

[dryan]

49. Favorite moviesin B&W

Casablanca

Leave her to Heaven

[proud patriot]

46. "Arsenic and Old Lace"

:evilgrin:

[SarahB]

47. Double Indemnity

Film Noir, baby. :bounce:

[Love Bug]

54. Wouldn't be the same in color, would it?

I mean, all those shadows just wouldn't look the same...

[dae]

48. The General with Buster Keaton, followed closely by Casablanca.

[Claire Beth]

52. casablanca n/t

[Love Bug]

53. Golly, too many to name!

Turner Classic Movies is my favorite channel!

People (usually young ones) who won't watch a movie because it's black and white or ghod help us, silent, are just cheating themselves, IMO.

Saw a Harold Lloyd feature last night. Laughed my ass off through the whole thing!

[FunBobbyMucha]

57. Citizen Kane. The Mona Lisa of chiarascuro cinematography.

Welles actually PAINTED with that camera of his, that's the only description I can provide.

[windlight]

59. Casablanca & Animal Crackers

Gotta love the Marx Brothers..;)...

[Minstrel Boy]

60. Pandora's Box

So many great ones already mentioned, and many more I could choose from, but I'm a big Pabst fan, and a huge, slobbering Louise Brooks fan.

[curse10]

62. Road to Morocco

:-)

[denverbill]

63. The Blue Angel. Subtitled and not. Marlene Dietrich's 1st movie.

It's funny to watch because her voice is very high and girlish when she's speaking in German, nothing at all like her deep voice when she started doing Hollywood flicks.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

64. Yojimbo

[x-g.o.p.er]

65. Dr Strangelove..

With everything that's going on today, it needs to be watched, and watched again

[BringEmOn]

66. Schindler's List

Lenny
Manchurian Candidate

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

68. The Wild One

Brando at his baddest

[Westegg]

69. The Song of the South Remains the Same Time Next Year

[m-jean03]

70. The Haunting, with Julie Harris

:scared: Scariest movie ever made

[sus]

71. Dr Strangelove

[Mrs. Venation]

73. The Last Picture Show

Look at this awesome cast:


Timothy Bottoms .... Sonny Crawford
Jeff Bridges .... Duane Jackson
Cybill Shepherd .... Jacy Farrow
Ben Johnson .... Sam the Lion
Cloris Leachman .... Ruth Popper
Ellen Burstyn .... Lois Farrow
Eileen Brennan .... Genevieve
Clu Gulager .... Abilene
Sam Bottoms .... Billy
Sharon Ullrick .... Charlene Duggs (as Sharon Taggart)
Randy Quaid .... Lester Marlow
Joe Heathcock .... The Sheriff
Bill Thurman .... Coach Popper
Barc Doyle .... Joe Bob Blanton
Jessie Lee Fulton .... Miss Mosey

[CO Liberal]

74. "Young Frankenstein"

:-)

[BlackVelvetElvis]

75. Bride of Frankenstein

Gorgeous lighting.

[geniph]

76. Definitely Young Frankenstein

closely followed by Dr. Strangelove and Arsenic and Old Lace.

[DietVanillaCoke]

77. The Producers and The Scarlet Pimpernel

Both are great!

[Taverner]

79. Night of the Living Dead

Romero version. That or Citizen Kane...yes NOTLD is that good!

[Zorra]

81. The Producers and Dead Man.

[Gothic Sponge]

82. I have a ton

but i guess my vote would be for It's A Wonderful Life.

[Crunchy Frog]

83. Dr Strangelove, The Manchurian Candidate,

as well as a number of others.

[flamingyouth]

85. I have about 250 - where shall I start?

Anything with Buster Keaton
The Sheik
The Eagle
Ella Cinders
Sunset Boulevard
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Women
Shiraz
...the list goes on and on...

[Madrone]

86. CLERKS!

I wasn't even supposed to BE here today!

[Deja Q]

87. Sunset Boulevard!

n/t

[Euphen]

90. "Judgement at Nuremberg"

"Viva Zapata!" might have been if it weren't from Brando and the fake Mexican accents.

[Superfly]

91. "Die Brucke"

Also a great book. About the latter days of WWII when Germany resorted to filling the front ranks with boys from the Hitler Jugend.

[x-g.o.p.er]

92. Twelve O'Clock High

Gregory Peck as a WWII B-17 Group commander. Outstanding portrayal of leadership during intense aerial combat during WWII.

It was required watching when I went to Air Force Officer Training School.

[Commendatori]

93. Plan 9 from Outer Space

Because it makes me laugh so hard.

For Led Zeppelin tunes, I'll take "No Quarter."

[Scout]

94. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

since somebody already got TKAM, my favorite, I'll go with my second favorite

[cheezus]

95. Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn (1942)

http://imdb.com/title/tt0034862/

Bing Crosby
Fred Astaire
Marjorie Reynolds

First appearance of the now famous song "White Christmas".

It's a good movie. Bing Crosby, sick of NYC showbiz moves to a farm to be lazy. Turns out that didn't work, ends up in the satitarium. Comes back with the idea to turn his farmhouse into a nite club that's only open on holidays. Nifty love triange. Great songs. My Dad must watch this movie a half dozen times every xmas season.

[Bride of Cthulhu]

96. The Lady Vanishes

[Rhiannon12866]

100. Oh, I really loved that one, as well

Thanks for the reminder and welcome to DU, Bride of Cthulhu! :hi:

[Parrcrow]

97. The Maltese Falcon

great film noir.

or The Third Man just for Orson Welles' fantastic entrance

[VOX]

98. "The Third Man," "Wild Strawberries," "Great Expectations"...

and anything by Laurel and Hardy.

[SmileyBoy]

99. 12 Angry Men, Schindler's List.

And that's about it.

[Ramsey]

101. Metropolis

nt

[sir_captain]

102. City Lights

hands down

Dr. Strangelove comes in 2nd.

[Zookeeper]

103. Too many to choose from!

Off the top of my head:

-Citizen Kane
-Eraserhead
-Mildred Pierce
-The Music Box and Sons of the Desert (Laurel & Hardy)
-Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast

and many of the films already mentioned in this thread...

[CBHagman]

104. How could I possibly pick one?

Casablanca, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Arsenic and Old Lace, the Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol...

If pressed, I'll pick Casablanca, but there are many worthy contenders.

[noonwitch]

105. I can't pick just one either

Casablanca, Adam's Rib, Sunset Boulevard, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, etc.

[Skittles]

106. The Haunting, circa 1963

very creepy