Here's my personal list of black and white movies that I can guarantee won't disappoint modern audiences. Some are well known classics you've probably heard of, others are more obscure gems. These are not necessarily the greatest movies ever made, but each of them nevertheless makes for a great viewing experience.
I'd love to hear comments on this list and suggest your own additions.
In no particular order:
1. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
The true story of a wrongly convicted robber (Paul Muni) sentenced to 10 years hard labor in a harsh southern chain gang, and who eventually escapes, still bristles with tension and surprising violence and sexuality 80 years later. So powerful was the film that the state of Georgia reformed its entire penal system. In an era when many film actors were still struggling with the relatively new medium of sound pictures, Muni gives a terrific, remarkably modern performance that transcends time. And the film's haunting, unforgettable ending will send a shiver down your spine.
2. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1946)
Dir: John Huston
3. Double Indemnity (1944)
Dir: Billy Wilder
When insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) and archetypal femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barabra Stanwyk) fall in love and conspire to murder her husband and collect on the title clause from his insurance policy, it sets off one of the most suspenseful and thrilling film noirs that still dazzles today. Wilder and writing partner/mystery novelist Raymond Chandler concoct a terrific script that oozes equal parts danger and lust. Sidenote: As a child growing up in the 70s watching reruns of My Three Sons on TV, after seeing this for the first time, I never saw MacMurray in the same wholesome way again. And neither will you.
4. La Strada (1956)
Dir: Federico Fellini
This early effort from Fellini stands as one of his most mainstream and accessible works that still packs an emotional wallop. The story is eloquently simple: a carefree girl (Giulietta Masina) is sold to a strongman (Anthony Quinn) in a traveling carnival and endures his continuous mental abuse until his anger towards her turns to affection and respect. Fellini's delicate direction and standout performances from the principals give this one a devastating humanity that resonates through the ages.
5. City Lights (1931)
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
You can debate which of Chaplin's comedies holds up best, but for my money it's City Lights. This beautifully simple tale finds his little tramp character falling in love with a blind, impoverished girl selling flowers on the street, while she mistakes him for a wealthy duke. Upon reading about a new miracle surgery for curing blindness, Chaplin sets out to get the money for the surgery any way he can. What follows is some of the best physical comedy ever filmed. Chaplin's artistry was at its peak here, and the classic final scene will melt even the coldest heart.
6. Psycho (1960)
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
10. And Then There Were None (1945)
Dir: Rene Clair
Of the many cinematic adaptations of mystery writer Agatha Christie's short story Ten Little Indians, this remains perhaps the best and most underrated, and worthy of rediscovery by today's audiences. Ten colorful characters are invited for a weekend in an island mansion, where they are subsequently murdered one by one. The result is a terrific mix of sophisticated character comedy and skilfully executed suspense, thanks to renowned French director Rene Clair, who brings his distinctly European flair to each and every scene.
I'd love to hear comments on this list and suggest your own additions.
In no particular order:
1. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
The true story of a wrongly convicted robber (Paul Muni) sentenced to 10 years hard labor in a harsh southern chain gang, and who eventually escapes, still bristles with tension and surprising violence and sexuality 80 years later. So powerful was the film that the state of Georgia reformed its entire penal system. In an era when many film actors were still struggling with the relatively new medium of sound pictures, Muni gives a terrific, remarkably modern performance that transcends time. And the film's haunting, unforgettable ending will send a shiver down your spine.
2. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1946)
Dir: John Huston
One of the greatest American movies ever made, TOTSM still offers a one of a kind experience. Adapted from the novel by B. Traven, the story follows a couple of down on their luck American drifters (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) living in Mexico who come across an old smooth talking prospector (Walter Huston, the director's father). The trio eventually go digging for gold in the mountains - they find it, of course, but Bogart's character comes down with gold fever in a seriously dangerous way. Don't be dismayed by its age - this is a stark, gritty, no-nonsense tale written and directed with style and verve that still grabs you by the neck. Bogart's performance stands as one of his greatest, and was criminally overlooked at Oscar time. Nevertheless, it won well deserved Oscars for best picture, writing, directing and supporting actor (Huston). A classic.
Dir: Billy Wilder
When insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) and archetypal femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barabra Stanwyk) fall in love and conspire to murder her husband and collect on the title clause from his insurance policy, it sets off one of the most suspenseful and thrilling film noirs that still dazzles today. Wilder and writing partner/mystery novelist Raymond Chandler concoct a terrific script that oozes equal parts danger and lust. Sidenote: As a child growing up in the 70s watching reruns of My Three Sons on TV, after seeing this for the first time, I never saw MacMurray in the same wholesome way again. And neither will you.
4. La Strada (1956)
Dir: Federico Fellini
This early effort from Fellini stands as one of his most mainstream and accessible works that still packs an emotional wallop. The story is eloquently simple: a carefree girl (Giulietta Masina) is sold to a strongman (Anthony Quinn) in a traveling carnival and endures his continuous mental abuse until his anger towards her turns to affection and respect. Fellini's delicate direction and standout performances from the principals give this one a devastating humanity that resonates through the ages.
5. City Lights (1931)
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
You can debate which of Chaplin's comedies holds up best, but for my money it's City Lights. This beautifully simple tale finds his little tramp character falling in love with a blind, impoverished girl selling flowers on the street, while she mistakes him for a wealthy duke. Upon reading about a new miracle surgery for curing blindness, Chaplin sets out to get the money for the surgery any way he can. What follows is some of the best physical comedy ever filmed. Chaplin's artistry was at its peak here, and the classic final scene will melt even the coldest heart.
6. Psycho (1960)
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
One of Hitchcock's best known movies is also one that more people have probably heard about than actually seen. Sure, we all know about the legendary shower scene, Anthony Perkins's portrayal in which he would forever be typecast, and the shocking twist ending. But despite years of parodies and half-baked homages, Psycho remains one of the most influential horror films ever made. Hitch had just come off an incredible streak of lush, classic color films from the 50s (such as Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window) when he went back to basics here, and in the process created a vicious masterpiece. Modern audiences may take a bit of time getting used to the mostly bloodless proceedings, but this is more than compensated for with some of the creepiest horror scenes ever filmed.
7. Raging Bull (1980)
Dir: Martin Scorcese
Scorcese struck cinematic gold in the atmospheric retelling of the life of 1940s middleweight champion Jake LaMotta. Robert DeNiro's Oscar-winning performance as LaMotta burns with intensity and charisma, matching just about every other technical aspect of this seething masterpiece. Major studio films films shot in black and white post-1970 were a pretty rare breed, which makes this one even more special. 30 years later it's as powerful as ever.
8. Ed Wood (1994)
Dir: Tim Burton
9. The Blue Angel (1930)
Dir: Josef Von Sternberg
8. Ed Wood (1994)
Dir: Tim Burton
Almost a decade before Johnny Depp became a household name, he played the title role in this extremely funny and endearing portrayal of the late real-life cross-dressing 1950s filmmaker Edward D Wood Jr., often cited as the worst director in movie history. The auteur of well known turkeys such as Plan 9 from Outer Space and Glen or Glenda couldn't direct a scene to save his life, but dammit the guy loved movies and showed unbridled enthusiasm for his work. Martin Landau is superb in an Oscar-winning portrayal of legendary horror icon Bela Lugosi, who was living in relative poverty when Wood cast him in a series or no-budget sci-fi and horror movies. This is one of Tim Burton's best, and is a wonderful film for anyone who loves movies, or like Ed Himself, ever dared to dream
9. The Blue Angel (1930)
Dir: Josef Von Sternberg
I first saw this one in film studies class about 20 years ago, and have never really been able to shake it. The story follows an elderly and stern school professor (Emil Jannings) who becomes infatuated with a flirtatious lounge singer, played by Marlene Dietrich in a role that would forever cement her place in film history. In addition to perfectly capturing the decadence of pre-war Germany, the movie remains an undeniably compelling treatise on the downside of obsession. It also remains, in my opinion, one of the most underrated of all early sounds films. NOTE: The movie was simultaneously shot in its native German (with English subtitles), as well as English, but try and catch the original German version if you can.
10. And Then There Were None (1945)
Dir: Rene Clair
Of the many cinematic adaptations of mystery writer Agatha Christie's short story Ten Little Indians, this remains perhaps the best and most underrated, and worthy of rediscovery by today's audiences. Ten colorful characters are invited for a weekend in an island mansion, where they are subsequently murdered one by one. The result is a terrific mix of sophisticated character comedy and skilfully executed suspense, thanks to renowned French director Rene Clair, who brings his distinctly European flair to each and every scene.
No comments:
Post a Comment