eddie71664 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Just watched Madam Curie with the wonderful Greer Garson for the first time, and while watching I came to the conclusion that the acting/directing of the time was far superior to todays. You know someone is in love because of the way they look at each other,the way they ACT around each other. Not the way they hump each other for long periods of time. I don't get the emotional attachment to very many films of the last 20 years like I do when I see Ilsa cry in Casablanca or Bette Davis look at me with those big, beautiful eyes in all of her films. Cary Grants smile makes me wish that I was him and Claude the Great makes me want to go back to acting. Never have I felt this way about a movie made since maybe the 60's if then. Eddie Link to post Share on other sites
edgeciff Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 eddie71664, I feel the same way about films that you do. Look at the beautiful B&W GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. This is a beautiful love story, but the two stars cannot even touch. Much cinematography in B&W with its shadows and light is something that color films simply cannot produce. There few current films in my DVD collection. Much of today motion picutres are totally forgettable or one time viewing is enough. But films from the golden age can be viewed over and over again and one gains the same pleasures. Many times, even if the film was not so good, it was the magnetism of the stars from the golden age that made those films worthwhile seeing. Link to post Share on other sites
bggalaxy Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 A couple of actors of today that can do with their eyes like the old days are Meg Ryan and Rene Zellweger. IMHO. Meg Ryan (pre 2001 have not seen anything since Kate & Leopold) spoke volumes with just a look. Zellweger the same. As for the guys Hanks and Depp come to mind. But you are correct - there is just something special about a classic black and white. Link to post Share on other sites
broadwaylo Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Don't hate me, but I cannot stand Renee Zellweger. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I've seen her in Bridget Jones' Diary and Jerry Maguire and I didn't like her at all in either. Also, everyone seems to have a preoccupation with her beauty, and I have to say that I am not impressed with that either. I don't know if I'm missing something or what, but she really annoys me and I don't see the appeal. Link to post Share on other sites
jimbluemusic Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I love "Black and Whites." I guess it is the reason that all of us are here and TCM exists. There is a plot you can follow and the actors and actresses seem so genuine. One of my favorite actresses is Veronica Lake. I had a crush on her before I was old enough to talk!!!!!!!!! Just saw her on "I married a Witch." Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Black and white and all the shades of gray in between are enough for me! Link to post Share on other sites
mutinyetc Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 What ever happened to deendaisy? I don't think anyone liked b/w more than that guy. Link to post Share on other sites
eddie71664 Posted June 19, 2004 Author Share Posted June 19, 2004 I knew that when I started this thread that 99% of y'all felt the same and that it was totally obvious but still had to be said. Im a bit of a novice as far as the deeper non four star movies are concerned and I have always felt that the B/W's have been better. But only recently have I realized just how superior they are. Edge I will watch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. That is what I like most about this site. I have very little time these days to figure out which films are worth the few hours a week (if Im lucky) to view. So I take the advice of my fellow TCManiacs such as myself. And Bggalaxy I stand corrected I fell in love with Renee Zellweger when I saw her in Jerry and thought she was a wonderful actor. Thanks Eddie PS to Jim Blue Veronica Lake is/was quite lovely Link to post Share on other sites
kenwal34 Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Antar expressed it very well when he said black and white and all the shades of gray.That defines a well photographed b&w film.Two good examples are THE INNOCENTS and THE WOLFMAN.For that matter,any of the Universal Monster series on DVD. Pick any film in that series and you will see great examples of B& W photography . Link to post Share on other sites
mutinyetc Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Roldfilm once said the universal movies had a special atmospheric look to them back in their day. Very cool. Link to post Share on other sites
kenwal34 Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Just wanted everyone to know that kenwal71 and roldfilm is one and the same! I signed on the other day and had a new screen name.I just decided to let it ride...Sometime ago there was a lively thread called Black and white beauties.Each major film company had a distinctive look and sound to their productions.That seems to be gone now .Compare the original THE HAUNTING with its great sound mix and eerie black and white photography with its color remake and one can readily understand why the original became a classic.Lastly,watch THE UNINVITED for more B&W standout photography. Link to post Share on other sites
classicsfan1119 Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Ken...thanks for keeping us updated on your user name. We appreciate it! Your informative posts have always spoken for themselves. :)ML Link to post Share on other sites
kenwal34 Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 classicsfan, Just want to say that its folks like you that make this my favorite site...Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
mutinyetc Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Hey, nice to have you back roldfi...er ken! What are the odds! Link to post Share on other sites
kenwal34 Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 mutiny, good to be back in whatever guise!!! Link to post Share on other sites
starshine545 Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Yes, Black and White films are beautiful...I often prefer B&W to Technicolor (Not always but often) I just think of some movies like The Philadelphia Story...Would that movie have been quite the same if it were in color? Like the scene when Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart are beside the pool at night...the black and white film just adds a certain warmness to that scene that makes it stand out in my mind. Link to post Share on other sites
loliteblue Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 yes, black -n- white hold their own in cinema history in movies like the haunting where the effects in black and white make the movieas well as in the movie the univited BEST TO SEE IN BLACK AND WHITE.....this movie rocks couldn't possibly consider it in color oh NO!.... Directors knew how to dress their stars in black and white film. For an example Kate Hepburn's glitter on her dress in the philadelphia story the shine the sparkle you Can't get that in any color film.The stories in black and white film are geniune not computerized like those of today. I'm not knocking computer graphic films they have their place in film history. but black and white films of yesteryear are just wonderful and when they need restoring of any kind we all should make a point to see that hollywood and the powers that be do just that film perservation of black and white films no matter what! Film history is a stake for future generations to enjoy the films we love so much. Link to post Share on other sites
gwtwbooklover Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 I saw the new version of the Haunting my friend and I watched it on video. One day I was watching TCM it was Halloween time and I watched this movie the Haunting. It sounded very famaliar as I watched it and then I thought the other must be a remake boy did they mess it up. The up shot to this is it came on again and my friend saw it and she liked it better than the remake also. I felt with the remake they got to the end and didn't know how to end it and concotted a stupid, stupid ending. Also do you guys remember when Ted Turner had that weak moment and thought about colorizing movies like the Maltese Falcon which took advantage of black and white tell me did they end up colorizing it? I hope not. Link to post Share on other sites
deeanddaisy666 Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 >What ever happened to deendaisy? I don't think anyone liked b/w more than that guy. LOL, thanks mutinyetc. Actually got away for a few days (but had the VCR set nonetheless!)...and you are correct (although I'm a 'she'), I am absolutely bonkers about black and white movies. This was one reason why my head almost exploded when Turner 'colorized' the b/w's, in addition to the fact that he was tampering with history. Fortunately, I think that 'enhancement' has gone by the wayside. Oh, yes, the atmosphere of the old b/w's, the mood, the lighting, it's a feast for the eyes. I go beyond the story when I watch a movie, I watch for continuity errors, I notice the clothing, and the lighting, and the b/w's somehow pulled me in to the scene before me. Color movies appear to keep me at a distance. Now, I realize this is an emotional reaction on my part, but nonetheless I can't say enough about the film noir genre or, as I've said before, the shadows from the venetian blinds in many early movies of the 1930s. Or the stark striped couches that were luminescent. Heck, I even appreciate the opportunity to visualize the color when a character refers to a woman's red dress. So, yes, I am not impartial enough to be coherent about b/w movies, so just color me a fan (I know, groan...). Link to post Share on other sites
moviegeek3000 Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 why do I watch B&W's? because they're......."the uhh...stuff that dreams are made of." Seriously, another reason for B&W lovin is for the whole 'MINING OLD MOVIES FACTOR'....I'm in the middle of my first script & have ideas for others which develop daily from TCM's programming, things I hear in their movies, & really just the whole concept of: 'Less soundtrack more dialogue from the players.' In most B&W's when a actor speaks, that actor is on front street...its just them & whoever they're acting with.....today's films have so much additional aid what with all the SCORES & SPECIAL EFFECTS of our time....there's not that EMPHASIS on straight acting/dialogue that there used to be...for me the best technOlogical device of any movie is watching an actor's unique mannerisms...listening to the way they say certain lines.....and just being able to see the exchanging of fine performances without all the extra SUPPORT we now have in movies today. B&W's are just that.....they're black & white.....and I just think there's a lot to learn from not only the actors of that era, but also the writers & directors who made the films we now call 'the classics' There's a little thing in Hollywood called HOLLYWOOD RECYCLING, and I'm inspired & innovated by the the qualties B&W's brought to the table....I'm just grateful we have (1) channel left that refuses to mess things up commercialism......"buy the ticket.........take the ride." Link to post Share on other sites
kenwal34 Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 As an added postscript,to be truly appreciated,black and white films needed to be sceen on the big screen.With the possible exception of viewing them on HDTV,regular tv does not do them justice,or does vhs tapes.I grew up with b&w films,and DVD comes closest to representing what I saw in my younger days.A good cameraman was like magician and composed within his camera.No cgi,just great artistry. Even the so called B movies were often elevated to "A" status with superior photography .Contrary to some,a great film does not have to be loaded with special effects and shot in color.My opinion only. Link to post Share on other sites
mutinyetc Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 I'm sure a lot of high hippies appreciate MAN WITH A MOTION PICTURE CAMERA. I wonder how leo feels about this movie. The whole point of it is vision and camera tricks and not dialogue. Would you're whole dicsision change on it if it did have a few words but still the same film and didn't dwell on dialogue? "It's far out wicked man!" Link to post Share on other sites
pfornatar Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 I know this might sound crazy but being from the black and white era, I find that stories in black and white films seem more vivid for me. While color can be used wonderfully, sometimes it gets in the way. I've often thought that perhaps it might also be a way of returning me to my youth. Some films were made in color because it was a substitute for quality writing. I believe this. There are nuances in black and white especially in developing character that color misses. It's probably the same dynamic I find in listening to old radio and watching television sitcoms. Jack Benny, Fibber McGee, Phil Harris etc. are far more entertaining and "present" than most of the drek we're fed on the networks. Link to post Share on other sites
kelseymlawrence Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I think that some movies just wouldnt be the same or NEAR as good if they wernt in black and white for instance... casablanca could you even imagine that in color? it would have been lousy... maybe its just me but i have a strong opinion about this. Link to post Share on other sites
deeanddaisy666 Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Nope, it's not just you, kelsey. I prefer b/w over color movies any day of the week. Thankfully, Teddy gave up on his idea of 'colorizing' classic b/w movies. What an abomination that was. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now