howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
watched "psycho" on itv 3 last evening and thoroughly enjoyed it, watched it many times in the past and can now sleep with the light off afterwards.
the film is always noted for being a horror cult but not enough credit is given to the quality.
the plot is well thought out, the dialogue clever, acting first class all round and full of suspense.
these films did not have the benefit of special effects so had to have the above qualities - other great films spring to mind, such as "sunset boulevard", "casablanca", bad day at black rock" and many other starring humphrey bogart, edward g robinson and james cagney.
what do members have as their old favourites?
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
I watched one the other day; Rocky Jones, Space Ranger - Crash of the Moons
Which was nearly bad enough to be special.
I am, on the whole, a little puzzled as to which films are really B&W. What with the colouring-in that goes on these days and the fact that we had a B&W TV for longer than the market wished. The last time I watched African Queen it was 'coloured' I think rather than in colour and I was a little disappointed. [that film though is far better than the book]
I don't know whether it is just that extra bit of atmosphere you get from B&W, the availability of plot or the Studio System that makes so many of these films so special. They were certainly made in an age that was fighting against the introduction of the new medium of television though, this too will have helped.
Here is think the link I gave earlier for those interested. [and to save them the effort of searching]
http://www.bnwmovies.com/Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
I have yet to see a coloured B&W film that is an improvement on the original B&W version, a Wonderful Life completely lost its magic in the coloured version.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i cannot think of a film where a remake has been better than the original whether or not it was from b & w colour.
the recent "king kong" was very good with great cinematography but failed to convey the same drama as the original in my opinion.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
There have been superb black and white films in times past, they truly were great days, when art seemed to take precedence over profit. Some of the greats Howard has already mentioned..Sunset Boulevard for example which is probably one of the greatest films ever, a literary giant in film. in that I mean that they filmed it as a book, like they did with so many stories then. Yes indeed films of the book, and that method worked very well.
How about The Third Man for another great film..almost every moody shot a work of art. There have been quite a few.
But what of the modern age. I dunno...they are all fairly dismal, but I readily admit that this might be a generation thing. They are showing adverts on TV for a new movie called The Immortals I think its called. It doesnt appeal. All thick eared CGI gung ho violence with no relevence at all as soon as the bloody thing stops rolling. Once you re-visit the street outside the cinema you dont even remember it. More low level violent fodder for the consumer age....and I havent even seen it...but you just know...dont you.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Not to mention that many of the old stalwarts were B movies.
Those were indeed the days;serial, trailers, B-movie and main feature...all for the donation of a jam-jar. [and that, for our younger viewers, in not rhyming slang]
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
paul mentions action films above and their lack of any substance, the main reason they are made is that the dialogue is usually irrelevant - people in outer mongolia can go along to their local cinema and derive the same pleasure as someone fron an english speaking country.
getting back to the old b & w classics one would have to mention "citizen kane", after the events of the past year with news international the film is as relevant today as it was all those years ago.
a few films have been made of novels by hemingway and the voiceovers were in tune with the books to great effect.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
I read there is to be a new film, "Into Darkness" which takes the Conrad novel 'Heart of Darkness' into space.
I mention this only to say that the book has already come to the big screen as 'Apocalypse Now'. I made the rather sad choice of seeing that film before reading the book. It is said that A-N is loosely based on the novel, but I found it otherwise. All the way through the book I was trying to get into the action, but could only bring to mind the antics of Martin Sheen.
Moby Dick, though a very good film is thankfully quite different from the book. [I think I have mentioned the Sandwich connection before]
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
must have been some sandwich then, would need to have been to fit a whale in.
Can't remember the name of the movie but it was David Niven as an air force guy who dies and there is a stair to heaven. Fab use of b&w and colour, great movie. (I can never remember the names of books, movies or songs.........)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just checked and found that the film was "a matter of life and death", released in the states as "stairway to heaven".
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Gosh have seen that film with david Niven,thought it was called Heaven can wait and was on fairly recently, and yes we did watch the Third Man with Orson Wells not long ago a brillant black and white film, they don't make them like that anymore.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_Can_Wait_(1943_film)
Another good film where the original was better than the remake
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
'The Third Man' a magnificent cinematic classic, marvellous camera work, great direction and haunting music, I've lost count the amount of times I've watched it, a momentous perspective through a window in cinematic history
For me it's Metropolis, Fritz Lang at his best, haunting pictures of the downtrodden workers trudging around, heads bowed, living and working in underground warrens where giant machines keep the city turning, unforgettable.
The Day the Earth Stood Still, the robot Gort, turning homicidal after the murder of his master, Klaatu, played by Michael Rennie. Only to be stopped by a revived Rennie with the immortal words 'Gort! Klaatu barada nikto', says it all.
The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman, with the Knight (Max von Sydow) playing chess with death for the right to survive.
Quai Des Brumes, where soldier on the run, Jean Gabin, gets shot down in the cobbled street just before he reaches the safety of a waiting boat.
La Salaire de la Peur (Wages of Fear) Four Europeans who will do anything to escape the putrefying heat of a South American village, drive trucks laden with nitro across country. At one stage having to drive over the legs of one of their number when unable to stop in a pool of leaking oil. Haunting images of fear in every twist of the road.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
quite a list there barry, i remember clearly that last one.
the white hair and contorted faces of the drivers summed up the film.
Guest 713- Registered: 19 Mar 2011
- Posts: 342
I have always enjoyed the Margret Rutherford films when she is playing miss marple ,such as "Murder at the Gallop" Murder Ahoy"
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Two of those movies you mention Barry - Metropolis and and The Day The Earth Stood Still are true greats.
Also Things to Come, but I'm not sure if that was B & W or early colour.
Also the Bishops Wife was a great film too - many others too of course.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
on a lighter note some of the ealing comedies were memorable, "kind hearts and coronets" with denis price murdering his way to a dukedom and the st trinians films with alistair sim, george cole and joyce grenfell.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Indeed Howard.
Roger
I love the war era movies , Mrs Minever and its sequel The Minever story are two of the best . I like Metropolis as well and the black and white version of Scrooge