Gedall40 and I have just been talking about Fred Astaire films on another thread - is anyone else a fan of old black-and-white films?

Two which have always been my favourites are Portrait of Jennie with Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones, and the original Rebecca with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine (and Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers )

I can't remember any others offhand but I've got loads on video - I used to tape them off the television for a member of my family many years ago so I ended up watching most of them

The seventh seal
Mr Smith goes to Washington
Who'se afraid of Virginia Wolfe ?
Battleship Potempkin

I don't know much about black-and-white films but I did see Rebecca some time ago

B/W film fan here

Film4 on Freesat has some excellent b/w films on in the early afternoon, not that I'm often around to watch them but J records them if he remembers.

Some of the British comedies are great fun - the other week I was able to watch "Sailor Beware" with a whole cast of great actors - Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton, Esma Cannon, Gordon Jackson.

Passport to Pimlico, Brief Encounter..........all very re-watchable

And the original b/w non-musical version of "State Fair" was on - this was the first of three versions to be based on the novel of the same name. Later Rodgers & Hammerstein made a musical in the late 40's (think??) which was then updated in the 60's.

The three scripts are virtually identical

Mrs Danvers.................creepy

My all-time favourite film! It has, in no particular order, spiffing hats, repressed passion, RP, Rachmaninoff and steam trains at Carnforth (so basically it's my life in film ). What's not to like?

Altogether now - my birthday's in June and there aren't any pantomimes in June.

I love so many of the black and white films.
Fred Astaire and Rebecca definitely.
Mildred Pierce, Philadelphia Story, Now Voyager and Mr Skeffington are a few I've watched recently and I bought It's a Wonderful Life at Christmas.

There are so many more, British and American - if people post their favourites I'll now spend the rest of the day going 'Oh yes!' and 'Me too!'

Just remembered - James Mason in The Man in Grey and The Wicked Lady and
Blithe Spirit and The Ghost and Mrs Muir and
Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.

Absolutely; I almost know it word for word. -not here, Alex; someone will see.....

If it is British and in black and white I will watch it - no better accompaniment to the ironing.

I think Blithe Spirit (with Rex Harrison) was in colour, because they used a green over-wash to highlight Elvira - but what the heck it's a good OLD film

and b/w Miss Marple - Murder At The Gallop, Murder She Said - wonderful. Who would have thought that Joan Hickson in Murder She Said, would have played Miss Marple herself in later years/

It DOES pass an ironing afternoon very pleasantly.

Absolutely brilliant! I want to be Margaret Rutherford when I grow up/old, providing I can find a decent cloak-maker. Style icon

Rebecca I really enjoy. I'd read the book before I saw it, my husband didn't know the story at all, so he thought we were watching just a rather sweet romantic film until...well, you know (I won't spoil it for anyone who doesn't know!) It was just so funny to see him sit bolt upright and say 'did you know that was going to happen?' as his perception of the genre he was watching did an about-face.

Arsenic and Old Lace surely deserves a mention.

Not entirely b'n'w, but A Matter of Life and Death is a great one - probably as much for its use of b'n'w v. colour as part of the film.

To Kill a Mockingbird - interestingly I'd only ever seen it in b'n'w, but then when I saw it on DVD to buy it was a colour version. It wasn't a colourised version (you know, where they've painted the colour on later), it actually was filmed in colour but b'n'w copies were done too. I couldn't bring myself to watch it in colour though, it just wouldn't be right!


TCM and TCM2 can be good for old black and white films, though they do put more recent stuff on as well. It was TCM, I think, that introduced me to the Marx Brothers...

Every Christmas for more years than I can remember we have had all the family around for the Christmas holidays. Every year without fail "White Christmas" has been on, and every year without fail we have said (almost in unison) "not that old chestnut again".

Well a few years ago the television happened to be on and "White Christmas" was playing, we suddenly realised that none of us had actually seen it before . It was brilliant.

Oh let's not wish for the moon, we have the stars...

and the music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-KGiwGn1d8


Dated? un-PC? Carcinogenic? Nah!!!



One box of tissues just isn't enough




... especially the bags that she used to have... mine are getting that way



Random Harvest with Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson [grabs another box of tissues]


and the old swashbuckler The Prisoner of Zenda - I keep telling St George he reminds me of Stewart Granger

Box of tishoo's and a packet of fags.....Hang on I don't smoke

Classic

Yes of course, Elvira was ghostly green




Definitely

(And I love Arsenic and Old Lace )



When my sister and I were younger, as far as we were concerned Stewart Granger was perfection in tights (though not in The Prisoner of Zenda, but great film )

I love It's A Wonderful Life and Brief Encounter too..

Psycho is another favourite..

Two recent films which I don't think would have had so much impact had they been filmed in colour, are The Elephant Man and Schindler's List. Inspired use of black and white film there.

Sounds like we ought to have a Brief Encounter party! I'll bring the Banbury buns, and the sugar will be in the spoon.

Brief Encounter, and anything with Margaret Lockwood in. My Mum and I used to watch them all on Sunday afternoons when I was little.
I remember particularly The Man In Grey, and The Wicked Lady.

Apart from Fred and Ginger (I have the complete set beautifully restored on DVDs), and Brief Encounter, and the Ealing comedies, I also like (and have) John Mills in Great Expectations. I studied it for O-level English Literature, and just couldn't believe how cruel Estella could be to poor young Pip. Nearly put me off girls .

Can I play the theatre organ? - I look quite good in a frock

"Git yor 'ands orff my Banburies!!" (or words to that effect)

says Joyce Carey (who used to play Grandmother in "Father, Dear Father") to Stanley Holloway


and what about "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane"....?

"Ya didn't eat ya lunch Blaaaanche"

Ooh yes...great film!

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was terrifyingly good. And another great b&w with a Blanche - A Streetcar Named Desire. Marlon Brando was so good, but it was the first time I'd seen Karl Malden in a real film (as opposed to a TV series) and I thought he was excellent.

Let's not forget the westerns.

Yes, I hated 'em when I was younger but they have stood the test of time and there is merit in them for other reasons.

I wouldn't mind betting that when Dmitri Tiomkin wrote the music for Gunfight at the OK Corall he was inspired by the Chopin Nocturne in G op 37 No 2.

I can clearly hear it, anyway; and if someone would just remove this straitjacket and bring a keyboard to my cell I will show you.

Yeeessss - you've all just reminded me of Brief Encounter I never tire of seeing it!

And anything with a young Bette Davis - the costumes were always gorgeous.

Ooooh and Cary Grant


Showing my age now!!!

Casablanca (my favourite movie)
The African Queen.
It Happened One Night.
Almost anything by Laurel and Hardy
Likewise Buster Keaton
Likewise the Marx Brothers
The Maltese Falcon
The Sea Hawk
Captain Blood
The Errol Flynn Robin Hood
The Robert Donat 39 Steps
Scaramouche
Reach for the Sky
Some like it Hot
Destry Rides Again
Harvey
The Road to Morocco
The Road to Alaska
The Cat and the Canary
Guess who's coming to dinner (filmed in colour but still more black and white than most!)
Spartacus
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes in many films

. . . too many others to mention.

On the wall next to the desk with this computer on it is a 2x1m poster with over 200 b&w publicity stills from Hollywood on it. I can place about 25% of them!

Good picks!!! I shall have to add that pretty much any Spencer Tracey / Katherine Hepburn film can go on my list

Ohohohohohoh, I got another one: Sunset Boulevard!

Stagecoach


Robodoc, I love your list (though I have to admit I'm not so keen on Laurel and Hardy), especially The African Queen and Buster Keaton (and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a sneaky insert, but a good one).

Oh, I love anything with James Mason. When I was about 14 I decided to watch all his films. I think I got up to 54 - only halfway!

Brief Encounter is fantastic - almost worth getting a bit of grit in your eye.

Love all the Gainsborough, Rank films like Madonna of the Seven Moons (which is truly terrible), the Man in Grey, Fanny by Gaslight.

I wish there were more old films on Italian tv. We get Sky Classics - but that seems to mean the 1980s

I really cannot get on with black and white films - I just do not see the attraction
(I don't like historical films either)

Arsenic and Old Lace

TCM is a good channel for older films.

Psycho of course - fantastic!

This thread has reminded me of loads of great films I haven't seen for ages

I don't think there's anything particularly special about black & white per se, but a good film is still good, whether it is in B&W or colour. I tend to think of "black & white" as a euphemism for "old" in this case.

When you say historical I assume you mean "about historical events as opposed to contemporary", not just "old", so do we assume that you didn't like Master & Commander, or The Duchess, or any one of the various films of Jane Austen or Shakespeare that have been made recently? How about Star Wars, which starts "Long ago in a Galaxy far, far away . . ." How old do events have to be to be too historical for you? Westerns? 19th Century? WW2? Korean war? Vietnam? Frost vs Nixon? 20th Century? Last year? It seems a bit odd to dismiss a whole range of films merely because they are set in the past, which is after all everything except the future or fantasy. (There isn't an obvious smiley for tongue in cheeck but if there was I would put it here)

The Jean Cocteau version of Beauty and the Beast - it's very beautiful!!

Or It's a Wonderful Life... classic... My mum's favourite Christmas movie

As a gift for passing my uni coursework my husband presented me with a DVD of 'Moonlight Sonata'!!!

Apparently it stars Jan Paderewski and was made in 1937.

I'm really looking forward to watching it.. I'm having a day off today and might just curl up on the sofa with some popcorn and the dogs and watch it

Now Voyager.. wonderful.. one of my all time favourite romantic films. The girl who playes Tina (the girl Bette Davis takes under her wing) actually ended up being a concert pianist...

The Happiest Days of Your Life (Joyce Grenville, Alistair Sim etc.. )
Laughter in Paradise (ditto ditto)
Goodbye Mr Chips
Bringing up Baby (Cary Grant film... although now I can't remember if it's in colour or black and white)..

the list is endless... I am a complete b/w addict.
Oh.. and anything with Charlie Chaplin but especially Limelight (about a romance between a ballet dancer and an alcoholic tramp)

Have my evening planned already

Ealing comedies, old black and white horror movies, anything with Alistair Sim, Betty Davis films and similar.

On any cold, wet winter afternoon, there's nothing better than watching a black and white movie.

No, I don't like any of those.

Don't like that either.

Probably after Frost vs Nixon. Around 20th century.

Ah, a sense of humour
I never claimed not to be odd
Old stuff just does not hold my interest.

I love this thread! I was reminded of it the other day when I was in a secondhand bookshop looking at sheet music and I got the sheet music for the theme tune to Now Voyager It's got a picture of Bette Davis and Paul Henreid on the front.

Many thanks, Skylark, for reviving this thread just in time to help me choose classic movies for family Christmas presents.

Just want to put in a good word for :

First 2 St Trinian's films
Night of the Hunter
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Wages of Fear
Any and every film with Leslie Howard in it

I give up - every one of the ones I love has already been mentioned - exept perhaps for "Jeux Interdits".
I love the Ealing comedies and I once saw a terrifying version of Great Expectations way back in the fifties.But my favourite is probably The Longest Day.

Not a comedy but I was watching an Ealing classic the other day - Dead of Night, the one with the half-dozen or so individual spooky stories. "Just room for one more inside..."

Mince pie you mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajC4Az4wscc...be_gdata_player

No one's mentioned The Music Box (Laurel & Hardy) yet... shocking!

I love B and W films. Not so keen on the silent ones (although I make an exception for Keaton and of course L & H's Music Box ). Love the 30s especially the musicals, the 40s (James Mason in particular but also Powell and Pressburger). My favourite "modern" b & w film though has to be The Man who Wasn't There - so beautiful! Just wouldn't be the same in colour.

(I got Now Voyager out the videolibrary other day, inspired by this thread - thanks!)

Edited to add - just remembered that The Music Box isn't silent!

I know this isn't quite what was meant by this thread, but did anyone else see that amazing film shot from an airship in 1919 on TV yesterday evening? It was in the 'First World War from Above' programme on BBC1.

Ooh, how did I miss this thread. I recently watched Double Indemnity, which was fun.

Some others I could think of and not already mentioned, I've enjoyed Shadow of a Doubt, Foreign Correspondent (both by Hitchcock), Mildred Pierce, Rashomon

A few years ago I've also watched the silent movie Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Opera House when they screened it with live orchestra. Very interesting.

Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la B?te)