[Shoegaze99]

Originally Posted by C Roberts

Schindler's List thread that B&W was used after I'd asked about how graphic the movie's holocaust scenes were. Is B&W typically used to lessen the emotional attachments to scenes?

For Schindler’s List, the use of black and white gave it less of a Hollywood sheen, in my opinion, which is a perfect decision for the film. I did not feel any less attached to the material through the decision. (The excellent graphic novel “Maus,” also about the Holocaust, is also in black and white ... and uses mice in place of Jews! Still powerful)

Citizen Kane works well in B&W and The Godfather works well in color. Could either of these movies have worked as well if they were reversed?

Citizen Kane relied so much on harsh contrasts and deep shadows, played so much with composition through the same, that I can’t imagine a color version of it.

The Godfather Part II, on the other hand, could probably have worked as half black and white and half color. (The same with Once Upon A Time In America, arguably) Rather than sepia tones, I could see the early parts working in black and white (though I do love those colors).

The first Godfather could have worked in black and white, too. It’s such a darkly lit film, with shadow so important, that I could see it working.

How big a part did B&W play in the success of Clerks?

None at all. Or, only in making it seem more “small and obscure,” and therefore allowing its cult status to cultivate by helping people think no one else had heard of this tiny black and white film. But I don’t think its black and white status has anything to do with why the movie clicked with people.

What about movies that have some scenes in B&W and some in color? Are there any that stand out as being particularly good choices for those scenes or particularly bad?

Memento. Perfect choices as far as color and B&W is concerned ... a choice the director even spun into the film as a means of explaining the timeline and how each narrative linked. Interesting stuff. The B&W allows us to feel detached and reflective as the main character does, almost dreamlike when contrasted with the color scenes – which, strangely, are the more dreamlike because of the disjointed narrative.