All The Best Movies Were Made in Black & White

It doesn't matter what decade you're talking about, chances are the best movies made during that decade are black and white movies. From the 30s even up through the 90s and today, great black and white movies continued to be made.

This lens will focus on great black and movies, especially ones that the filmmakers consciously chose to shoot in black and white, as well as little known gems.

When I was growing up and we only had twenty or so cable channels to choose from, you could see black and white movies on all of them. Now, TCM is pretty much the last domain. For that matter, it's getting more and more difficult to find networks that are willing to show movies made before 1990.

Which is really a shame since 99% of all the truly great movies ever made were made before 1990.

The VERY Latest Additions

I'm a busy writer so it often takes me some to update this lens. But I'm back baby!

Double Indemnity versus Sunset Blvd.: An examination of two of Billy Wilder's best movies and how each is representative of film noir.
The Film Noir of Ingmar Bergman: Ingmar Bergman's films of the 1950s suggest a film noir that goes beyond the moral ambiguity of American film noir.
The Red Menace Films of the 1950s: The power of these films as either propaganda or art lies in the insistence to portray an idealized representation of small town America before introducing a threat that may be impossible for some to identify because nothing looks different.
Who is the Elusive and Mysterious Mr. Schwamp?: Okay, so it's not really an article about movies. It is about a black and white TV show, however. And just who is Mr. Schamp. Hint: Whistle while you read.
Actresses that Time Forgot: Una Merkel: They don't really make actresses like Una Merkel anymore. If you held me in a room and forced me to smell Karl Rove's breath until I could come up with a modern day analogue to Ms. Merkel, I guess I would choose someone like Janeane Garafolo or Christine Baranski, although the comparison
is less than perfect.
The Greatest Non-Conformists in Hollywood History: It is dastardly easy to confuse what being a non-conformist really means. On this list you will not find characters who define their non-conformity through clothing, jewelry or ink on their bodies. These guys are real non-conformists.

Latest Articles on Black & White Movies

Hollywood Actresses That Time Forgot: Kay Francis: Kay Francis was for a time, during the early to mid 1930s, the Queen of Warner Brothers. No other female star enjoyed the stature granted to Francis, who had infamously jumped from Paramount to Warners on the basis of a lucrative contract that promised her meatier roles.
Who Wrote the 1933 Version of King Kong?: The original, totally good, version of King Kong produced in 1933 has never lost its power to tap into the consciousness of moviegoers. King Kong is a perfect example of how a film can lay the groundwork for critical engagement that allows so very much to be read into it.
King Kong on Film: When I say King Kong what do you think of? If you have the slightest bit of knowledge of great moviemaking then you first think of Fay Wray and black & white. If your first thought is of Peter Jackson and Naomi Watts then I kind of feel sorry for you. If think of Jessica Lange, then you, like me, saw that the 1976 remake had some really terrific aspects to it. A very small minority of people who hear the words King Kong will think of something else entirely. That is because our history is almost littered with more King Kongs than bad John Travolta movies.
The Influence of Invisible Invaders on Night of the Living Dead: Every once in a while, you discover a movie you never heard of before that seems so achingly familiar to a much more famous movie made in its wake that you simply cannot but be overcome by the idea that the more recent film had to have been inspired directly by the previous. Thanks to the Internet, in most cases, when you come upon a situation like this, all it takes is some typing and a few clicks of the mouse to find some kind of mention in an interview or article in which the makers of the second movie admit to being influenced by the first film. Alas, I have not yet been able to make the determination that George Romero ever admitted that he was inspired to make Night of the Living Dead after watching a mostly forgotten 1950s B-movie science fiction flick called Invisible Invaders.
The Year of the Sex Olympics: The Most Accurate Prediction of 21st Century Society: A 1968 teleplay, The Year of the Sex Olympics, seems an unlikely choice to be nominated as the most prescient prediction of what society, and especially television, would look like 40 years in the future, but even Stanley Kubrick's twin cam psychic predictions 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange pale in the arena of showing what the near future may have looked like.
The Wolf Man Movie Invented Most Of What You Think You Know About Werewolves: What do you know about werewolves? A full moon signals their transformation from human being to feral animal. They walk on their tiptoes. They can only be killed by a silver bullet. All of these things are well known as part of the iconic mythology of the werewolf. But did you know that despite the fact that werewolf legends trace back through millennia and across the globe that just about all you think you know about those legends were created, or enhanced, by a 20th century writer. Not just a writer, but a writer of classic Universal horror flicks. That man's name was Curt Siodmak and he was commissioned by Universal to write the original The Wolf Man movie starring Lon Chaney, Jr.
Skinny and Fatty: If you are an American between the ages of 40 and 50 I bet you can remember the first foreign film you enjoyed. Not necessarily the first foreign film you ever saw, but the first one you enjoyed. I'll bet you watched it on a Saturday morning, it was in black and white, it was set in Japan and you know it by its American title Skinny and Fatty.

Black & White Movies You Shouldn't Resist

After Watching I Am Legend Rent the Original: The Last Man on Earth: Long before Will Smith walked alone among the zombies, Vincent Price was a legend as The Last Man on Earth. Watch this creepy B&W, low-budget original film adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend.
Why Citizen Kane Isn't Even Orson Welles' Best Film: Citizen Kane routinely tops lists of the greatest movie of all time. Weird, considering that it is not even the greatest film Orson Welles ever made.
The Best Year Ever for Movies: 1939 or 1980? Funny thing is, the best movie of each year was in black and white.
Halloween Horror Flicks You May Have Missed: Forget about all that vivid red gore that passes for horror today. Why not try something creative, with atmosphere and humor and chills?
Is The Film Crew as Funny as MST3K?: Mike, Crow and Servo are back. Kind of. Still making fun of cheesy B&W movies but without the silhouettes.
What You Need to Know Before Seeing Control: Hooray, a contemporary black and white movie! This beautifully photographed modern day B&W tells the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division, the band that took the name New Order after Curtis killed himself. Read this if you are unfamiliar but intrigued.
IMDB's Daily Poll Reveals a Sad Ignorance of Film History: Every day IMDB has a new poll about entertainment. You can count on one thing: The older the movie, the farther down the list it will be.
William Castle: The Low-Budget Alfred Hitchcock: Two men watch a French movie called Les Diaboliques. One is inspired to make the last great movie of his career...and the other one was William Castle. (The first dude was Hitchcock.)
The True Story Behind I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang: Very few movies really and truly do change the course of history. Read how this masterpiece of a film served to change the penal system throughout Dixie.
Martha Mansfield: The Actress Who Burned To Death on a Movie Set: Martha Mansfield appeared with John Barrymore in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and appeared destined for stardom until one careless crew member tossed a cigarette in her direction.
Cast of SpongeBob Dubs in Voices in Scene from Casablanca and Other Classics: You haven't lived until you've heard Sandy Cheeks doing Ilsa from Casablanca and SpongeBob doing Vito Corleone!
Harry Houdini: Magician...escape artist...movie star?: Although few realize it, Harry Houdini had a rather impressive career in the movies before he decided to give it up and set his mind to exposing fraudulent mediums. A new boxed set contains his imaginative and entertaining silent movies.
The Incredibly Strange Films of Ray Dennis Steckler.: Ray Dennis Steckler is the man who brought you probably the greatest movie title of all time: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies. A strange man who made engrossing odd films.

Believe it not, kids, but there was a time when black and white movies were shown on TV

Catch Them While You Can. Each Year Offers Less Opportunities.

Montgomery Clift: Cinema's Forgotten Rebel

How King Kong Expresses the Fear of a White Nation

Three Great Films You've Never Heard Of

Raging Bull: A Dual Biography

Raging Bull Special Edition DVD Worth the Wait

The Big Combo is Full of Surprises

Platinum Disc Collection of Mobster Movies is a Bargain

Val Lewton Boxed Set Is a Must-Have

Compulsion is Simply Compelling

A Place in the Sun and American Conformity in the 1950s

The Best Movie Dog Ever

The Worst Movie Ever Made: Maniac

Happy News: Val Lewton's Best In One Convenient Set

Finding Me On the Web

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Timothy Sexton's Web Site

Timothy Sexton's Associated Content Page

Great Squidoo Lenses on Classic Movies

Squidoo is a Great Place to Showcase Your Love of Classic Movies

Classics on Netflix

The Netflix module has been phased out. You should edit your lens and try adding an Amazon module instead!

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All The Best Movies Were Made in Black & White

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

The VERY Latest Additions

Latest Articles on Black & White Movies

Black & White Movies You Shouldn't Resist

Believe it not, kids, but there was a time when black and white movies were shown on TV

Catch Them While You Can. Each Year Offers Less Opportunities.

More Articles on Classic B&W Movies

My Articles on Classic Black and White Movies

Finding Me On the Web

I've Published a Lot of Stuff

Great Squidoo Lenses on Classic Movies

Squidoo is a Great Place to Showcase Your Love of Classic Movies

If you must buy something, then buy a good black and white movie.

Don't Just Watch Black & White Movies. Read About Them Too!

Classics on Netflix

And now a word from Homer Simpson

My Associated Content Feed

by timothysexton

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