Why contemporary filmmakers are choosing black and white

In this article, we’ll examine the resurgence of interest in black and white films among contemporary filmmakers. We’ll look at the history of black and white films, see some modern examples, and ask why it’s a popular choice.

A short history of black and white films

Before colour film, black and white was the standard for the movie industry, from the silent era of the 1910s through to the golden age of Hollywood in the 30s and 40s.

Silent movies

Georges Méliès

Georges Méliès, a French filmmaker and magician, was one of the earliest pioneers of cinema. He was known for his advanced use of special effects and narrative storytelling, Méliès created some of the most iconic films of the silent era. He used techniques like multiple exposures, time-lapse, and even hand-painted colour.

Lois Weber

Lois Weber was one of the most influential directors of the silent era and one of the first women to direct films in Hollywood. Her work tackled social issues, and she was known for her technical innovations including split screen to show two things going on at once.

The Golden Age of Hollywood

The 1930s and 1940s was a period of significant advancement in filmmaking techniques and storytelling, but black and white films still dominated the screen, and a lot of what we now consider to be iconic movies in cinema history were made at this time.

Orson Welles

Orson Welles is best known Citizen Kane (1941), often hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. His non-linear storytelling in particular became part of his distinctive style and he favoured heavy contrast to make effective use of black and white to add depth and complexity to his work.

Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker whose black and white films had a big impact on cinema worldwide. He was influenced by Western cinema but managed to blend those influences with Eastern storytelling techniques

Transition to colour

As colour film technology improved and became more affordable, the industry gradually moved to colour films. This started in the late 1930s and continued through the 1950s and 60s by which time colour had become the new standard. Films like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind really cemented that colour was here to stay with their use of Technicolour.

What is Technicolor?

Technicolor is a series of colour processes for motion pictures that involves three strips to help accurately reproduce the full spectrum of colours. The rich and saturated colours that this produced were far more vibrant than what had come before. We’ll go into more depth about technicolour in another article.

Why modern filmmakers are choosing black and white

In recent years there’s been a real shift back to using black and white as a deliberate artistic choice. There are several reasons why that could be:

Artistic expression

Black and white just looks kind of cool doesn’t it, it’s striking! The contrast between light and shadow in black and white can add more depth and drama to scenes too. Without the ‘distraction’ of colour, filmmakers can concentrate on things like composition, lighting, texture and so on.

Emotional impact

Black and white no doubt evokes a sense of nostalgia in some of us, it also makes a film feel timeless. Using black and white in film might mean it’s easier to ‘transport’ the audience to a different era. Having no colour can also trigger certain moods and feelings, like melancholy, suspense, or even romance!

Budget

Sometimes black and white can be more cost-effective, particularly for smaller indie filmmakers. It’s not really that black and white is cheaper than colour, it’s more that you can hide a multitude of sins when you take the colour away!

Homage

A lot of filmmakers use black and white in their films to tip their hats to the classics, or directors that have influenced them.

Examples of contemporary black and white films

Here are some contemporary black and white films and a bit about each one.

1. The Artist (2011)

The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, isn’t just a contemporary black and white film, but a (mostly) silent one too. It’s set in Hollywood between the late 1920s and early ‘30s, telling the story of the decline of a silent film actor’s when the talkies start to get popular. It was nominated for and won several awards, but audience reviews have been very mixed

Why black and white?

The black and white format, plus the fact it’s (mostly) silent is obviously a direct homage to the era it’s depicting. It immerses us right in the time period, creating a more authentic experience

2. Frances Ha (2012)

Directed by Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha is a comedy-drama about a young dancer navigating life and relationships in New York. The film stars Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach.

‘Noah Baumbach’s boho New York comedy is saved from shapelessness by leading lady Greta Gerwig, not his decision to shoot in black and white’ The Guardian

Why black and white?

It’s very French New Wave inspired, which is a particular thing for Baumbach, the director. The choice to shoot in black and white emphasises the protagonist’s sense of drifting and searching.

3. Nebraska (2013)

Nebraska is a comedy-drama that follows an ageing, alcoholic father who thinks that he’s won a million dollars and insists on travelling to Nebraska to collect it. His son goes with him, and of course the trip becomes a father-son connection story.

Why black and white?

There are big themes of nostalgia and ageing in Nebraska and black and white really helps hammer those home, plus the stark reality of rural America.

4. Roma (2018)

Roma is a semi-autobiographical film by Alfonso Cuarón that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City during the early 1970s. It won the oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first Mexian film to do so.

Why black and white?

Cuarón chose black and white to evoke the period and strip away any distractions, meaning the audience could focus on the characters and their emotions. The cast and crew were apparently not allowed to wear colours to get them in the ‘monochrome’ frame of mind!

5. The Lighthouse (2019)

Robert Eggers is kind of a weird-lil-guy when it comes to his films, and that quite often works well. Not sure that’s the case with The Lighthouse, a psychological horror film about two remote lighthouse keepers descending into madness on their island.

‘Even though it’s a very dark movie, the sets were actually blindingly bright,” says Blaschke. “We’d put 500- to 800-watt halogen bulbs in the lanterns that would flicker and were only a few feet from an actor’s face.’ — Variety

Why black and white?

When it comes to Eggers, it’s probably easier to ask WHY NOT?! The use of black and white, and the almost-square aspect ratio, makes for a claustrophobic and eerie atmosphere, which ratchets up the tension and also complements its 19th-century setting.

6. Cold War (2018)

Cold War is a Polish film telling a passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, set against the backdrop of the Cold War in Poland in the 1950s and 60s.

Why black and white?

The director, Paweł Pawlikowski had actually intended to make the film in colour, but during research discovered it would look more like ‘Soviet or East German stock, when they bleach colours like pastel colours’ and so the film’s black and white cinematography aims for a timeless and haunting visual style to emphasise the historical context, making it feel ‘grey and bleached’.

7. Belfast (2021)

Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is a semi-autobiographical film that follows a young boy’s childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during The Troubles in the late 1960s.

Why black and white?

Branagh explains in his own words:

‘Belfast is a city under the northern skies—it often rains, the monochrome is the tonal range I associate with it in a way, peppered by brilliant bursts of colour’ – Newsweek

So he chose black and white to evoke that particular period and to help contrast the innocence of childhood with the surrounding violence and conflict.

8. Passing (2021)

Rebecca Hall’s Passing is an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel, exploring the lives of two light-skinned Black women who can ‘pass’ as white but live very different lives, one hiding her heritage.

Why black and white?

Obviously this is another period-appropriate use. The black and white also underscores the film’s themes of race, perception, and identity.

9. Mank (2020)

Mank, by David Fincher is about the life of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for Citizen Kane.

Why black and white?

It’s about the screenplay for Citizen Kane, so it makes sense that it would be in black and white, like that film, as an homage.

‘And to my way of thinking, there’s no faster way to transport you to the 1930s than black and white.’ – LA Times

10. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

The Tragedy of Macbeth is the first film to be directed by only one of the famous Coen brothers. Joel Coen’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play Macbeth stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand and has been described as ‘bold’.

Why black and white?

The stark black and white imagery enhances the film’s dark, brooding atmosphere and helps to underline the themes of ambition, power, and fate.

‘Joel Coen explained the choices, saying that the idea of shooting “Macbeth” in black and white and in 4:3 was “there from the beginning… black and white is a way of instantly abstracting an image in a way that everyone understands.’ The Harvard Crimson

The resurgence of black and white films in cinema: Conclusion

The resurgence of black and white films happens periodically (it had another brief one in the 70s) and it shows that the attractiveness of monochrome will never really go away. With digital cinema, it’s easier than ever to decide to create something in black and white so really the challenge is to create something that isn’t a gimmick, but that stands on its own merit because it’s black and white, whether that’s a clever use of cinematography, or artistic flair, it isn’t enough for it to be colourless just for the sake of ‘difference’.

In the last couple of years the trend has settled back down again but no doubt we’ll see another influx of black and white movies in the near future, let’s just hope they’re half decent.

About this page

This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Ian Yates.