Black & White

[Peace]

I love old black and white movies as opposed to color. I don't have much use for what is considered entertainment these days. I hate when they color an old movie, it is just ruined for me. Why destroy a beautiful art form like that? I can sit and watch these for hours weather mystery, horror, comedy or documentary.
I am just curious if anyone else shares this passion.
PS. I even enjoy new movies made in the old style like "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "Young Frankenstein".

 

[Billl]

Personally I was born with an optical condition in which I am unable to perceive any color. It has been determined that I basically only see Black, White, and approximately seven shades of gray. As a child, without realizing it, I learned to associate the colors of a box of crayolas in which there was only eight at the time to everything else just like the other kids. I couldn't figure out why the Crayola company keep increasing the number of crayons in there boxes, after all how many of the same does one need. I am of the age that grew up with black an white television, when color came out I couldn't understand the hoopla (Wow, color, whoopee). Long story short, You can adjust your TV's contrast on old TV's and or color levels on new digital ones to a point where everything is black and white. I've been involed with test and was unable to determine the difference between when the adjustments were made versus no adjustment. Try it, you may find it to your liking.

 

[Tarragon]

I enjoy taking B&W photos. Colour isn't lacking just because there are two colours(!) Many pictures of mine have been dull in colour yet look great in B&W. It's definitely a great medium to do films and pictures.

 

[Tarragon]

Here's an example

versus the colour original:-

 

[djn]

I love old black and white movies as opposed to color. I don't have much use for what is considered entertainment these days. I hate when they color an old movie, it is just ruined for me. Why destroy a beautiful art form like that? I can sit and watch these for hours weather mystery, horror, comedy or documentary.
I am just curious if anyone else shares this passion.
PS. I even enjoy new movies made in the old style like "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "Young Frankenstein".

Yes! I love The Wolfman, The Ghost & Mrs Muir, etc, and can watch them over and over or different ones, one after the other for hours on end. It's comforting. I'm wondering now if its like a stim.

 

[Billl]

It's just a matter of preference, one might choose the color version over the other because to them it is a representative of what they actually see not that they actually enjoy it. Both pix seem to be exactly the same to me.

One may not hold much stock in it, but I personally am a better hunter in the wood compared to one with color vision. An animal either human or otherwise camouflage does nothing for me. I am able to make out the shape of something without being confused by the multitude of colors in and around it.

Subsequently, I was always dispatched as "Point" when going out on patrols. The camouflage of snipers didn't fool me.

 

[Judge]

Ansel Adams. Sheer genius in 256 shades of grey. I'm done here.

 

[Nitro]

There is a wholesome crispness to black and white photography of any kind...my huge movie collection has both colored and B&W offerings,but most of my favorites are the shades of gray versions...I often desaturate colored photos to add a better feel to them...my other effect is colorizing black and whites on only one shade of color...example would be a red car with the rest of the pic in B&W

Photoshop allows me to play in the darkroom without all the chemical mess

 

[Judge]

Photoshop allows me to play in the darkroom without all the chemical mess

I spent a number of years developing my own B&W pictures. Used a walk-in closet for a darkroom.

But man, you can't beat Photoshop and a digital darkroom. Far better in every way.

 

[Grumpy Cat]

I'm the opposite. (The only one too, I see.) Anyway, my friend Mary told me to watch a BBC movie "Upstairs Downstairs". I started watching and the second episode turned all of a sudden to black and white and stayed that way for about another episode or two. I'm very visual. I found myself turning it off immediately. Mary said they had had some money troubles at the time when it was being produced. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't get myself to keep watching it. I never have seen the movie to this day. I just can't go back to black and white where television is concerned. HOWEVER, I love old camera photos (from the 19th century) in black and white - I would never want those changed. I know, I'm strange.

 

[Billl]

How did you like the original version of "The Wizard of OZ" apparently is starts in black and goes to color when they enter OZ?

 

[Tarragon]

It's not just whether something is in colour or not. Its the grain of the image. Works for both film and pictures. Old black and white stuff looks good also because it had a grainy texture. Modern "hi definition" films are great, but I like the feel of stuff from the Pre-digital age. Especially 70s and 80s stuff

I like imperfections in my images

 

[Judge]

One of the most devastating and brilliant film sequences using select color in a black and white feature.

Warning: Disturbing subject matter ("Schindler's List")

 

[Billl]

One of the most devastating and brilliant film sequences using select color in a black and white feature.

Warning: Disturbing subject matter ("Schindler's List")

I respectfully disagree. I venture to say, that had you viewed the same scene without the additional editing or colorization of said scene, you would have been had the same emotional feelings. I seen the movie, and was still able to get the gist of what the producer was attempting to display when they edited in the additional color with out ever having visualized it myself. I see the editing process of colorization as nothing more than a capitalistic endeavor to increase viewing which does nothing to the actual story line but which increases the bottom line i.e. Profit.

Contrary to a common misconception, Oz was not the first film made in color, but it was one of the first to prove that color could add fantasy causing it to have a "WOW" factor and draw audiences to theaters. A process that society has grown accustom to and with few exceptions continues to draw audiences.

One could compare it to CGI programming which is the new technology and is changing the entire movie industry again.

To me, the story line has to keep my interest not Hollywood's magic.

 

[Judge]

I respectfully disagree. I venture to say, that had you viewed the same scene without the additional editing or colorization of said scene, you would have been had the same emotional feelings. I seen the movie, and was still able to get the gist of what the producer was attempting to display when they edited in the additional color with out ever having visualized it myself. I see the editing process of colorization as nothing more than a capitalistic endeavor to increase viewing which does nothing to the actual story line but which increases the bottom line i.e. Profit.

Contrary to a common misconception, Oz was not the first film made in color, but it was one of the first to prove that color could add fantasy causing it to have a "WOW" factor and draw audiences to theaters. A process that society has grown accustom to and with few exceptions continues to draw audiences.

One could compare it to CGI programming which is the new technology and is changing the entire movie industry again.

To me, the story line has to keep my interest not Hollywood's magic.

Seems to me in this regard your argument over creativity and cinematography would be with Steven Spielberg.

 

[Billl]

Seems to me in this regard your argument over creativity and cinematography would be with Steven Spielberg.

Though I have viewed some of his works which were pointed out to be his. I for one don't bother with the credits, and actually may have seen more of Spielbergs works without realizing it.

I have never been of the mind to re-read a book. Even if an other where to offer a new spin, the basic story line is the same. The same goes for movies. Example, I viewed the first version of the movie Titanic years ago, regardless of how many new editions there are. The dam boat still sinks. Even if it was shown to be the results of an alien attack, and it still sunk, it is the same story line which involves the fact that it was supposed to be unsinkable.

 

[Billl]

I had no problem, and I am color blind.