My Top Films In Both Black and White and Colour

These days we take colour films for granted, what with almost every film, bar the odd indie film, in colour and lately 3D coming in to its own right.

But what about some of those ground breaking films in their time that used both black & white as well as colour to entice those going to the cinema with something a little different, now I do have my favourites and I’m going to bring a list of the movies that I enjoy watching some classics and modern movies that use both Black & White and colour segments to bring you something special.

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

This is one of the classic movies that I really love and that’s why it’s at the top of the list, the movie centers around David Niven playing a British wartime aviator who cheats death then has to fight for his rights to stay on earth when he falls in love with an American girl.
What I really love about this film is its vibrant use of colour when we are on earth and it’s mono chromatic tones when we are in heaven, to me it’s a case of the dead are in a bland world and earth is a wonderful life-giving place of beautiful colours. So as the court goes on between heaven and earth we are swapped between Colour and Black & White. One thing I do notice watching this film is that after you have been watching the scenes in heaven the colours seem even more vibrant when back on earth.

Memento (2000)

This has to be described as a one of in films, I’ve not seen another one like it, but I dare say someone will let me know, I can only describe the film as running backwards as Guy Pearce plays a man suffering from short-term memory loss and is covered tattoos as he hunts down the killer of his wife, certain memories in the film are shot in black and white, giving the film an even more of a special feel to it.
Those of you who do have the special edition of Memento on DVD may have seen the special option of watching the film in its correct order, in my point of view “DON’T” it totally wrecks the effect of the movie.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Probably the most popular of all films that are in both black & white and colour, though this is not the first version of the movie, this has to be the most seen version with its dark beginning as Dorothy races home from the tornado and then only to find herself transported to the magical world of Oz in its glorious Technicolor, who can forget the yellow brick road and those dazzling ruby slippers, though I do enjoy the movie, I’m not one for musicals, but it’s still fun to watch and if you have the Digital Restored version of DVD then the colours are even more vibrant.

Pleasentville (1998)

This is quite an interesting one as a brother and sister are sucked in to the black & white world of 1950s television, but rather than suddenly go into colour, the colour is added to certain things and increases as the film progresses, as the pair, bring modern values to the world they are in the colour starts to get added, nicely done and fun to watch.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

I first saw this film on TV when I was quite young and though the entire film is in black & white, it’s the crucial moment where the colour is thrown at you like a freight train coming out of a dark tunnel.

Dorian Gray a corrupt young man, wants to keep his youth and his good looks, lets face it who wouldn’t, but as the years go by its only his painting that ages and becomes quite deformed and hideous.

The moment that terrified me as a child is the unavailing of the picture at the end of the movie, after watching the complete movie in black & white the horror of the Picture of Dorian Gray is shot in colour, showing its complete horror to all. I can only imagine that when this was originally released it terrified audiences.

What are you favourites?

Have you seen any films that are in both black & white and colour that I haven’t mentioned? Did you enjoy them? What did you think of my selection?

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