The best looking Black & White films this century

[scarletlion]

I love how modern technology really makes black and white films look lovely these days. What are the most beautiful ones this century? So films from the year 2000 onwards. I'd say that the most intoxicatingly gorgeous black and white film to look at is:

1. 'November'


2. 'Ida'


3. 'Nebraska' perhaps. Or 'The Painted Bird'


What's your top 3?

.

[Gacivory]

Control

The Man Who Wasn’t There

The Lighthouse

[Beckford]

Frantz
Blancanieves
Nebraska

Also love the black & white Blurays of "The Mist" and "Mad Max: Fury Road"

[Mothravka]

I think I would go with these three visually:

The Turin Horse (2011)
Hard to Be a God (2013)
Matters of the Heart (2016)

[ps3bd_owner]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

It's not in B/W, but it is in 4:3. Love the look of this film, it feels old yet modern.

[Warm Gun]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

It's not in B/W, but it is in 4:3. Love the look of this film, it feels old yet modern.

It's nice at highlighting the ugly spherical distortion in scope movies when it switches aspect ratios. Scope is overrated.

[Show spoiler]

[slumcat]

1. Tabu - Miguel Gomes
2. Ida/Cold War - Pawel Pawlikowski
3. The White Ribbon - Michael Haneke
4. Werckmeister Harmonies/The Turin Horse - Bela Tarr
5. Jealousy/In The Shadow Of Women/Lover For A Day/The Salt Of Tears - Philip Garrel
6. The Day After/Grass/Hotel By The River - Hong Sang-Soo
7. Hard To Be A God - Aleksei German
8. Frantz - Francois Ozon
9. City of Life and Death - Lu Chan
10. The Painted Bird - Václav Marhoul

Not only are all of these films in black and white, but they are also all in foreign languages and they are all masterworks of cinema and all worth watching.

[scarletlion]

Originally Posted by slumcat

1. Tabu - Miguel Gomes
2. Ida/Cold War - Pawel Pawlikowski
3. The White Ribbon - Michael Haneke
4. Werckmeister Harmonies/The Turin Horse - Bela Tarr
5. Jealousy/In The Shadow Of Women/Lover For A Day/The Salt Of Tears - Philip Garrel
6. The Day After/Grass/Hotel By The River - Hong Sang-Soo
7. Hard To Be A God - Aleksei German
8. Frantz - Francois Ozon
9. City of Life and Death - Lu Chan
10. The Painted Bird - Václav Marhoul

Not only are all of these films in black and white, but they are also all in foreign languages and they are all masterworks of cinema and all worth watching.

Excellent list. I've not seen Tabu or those Phillip Garrel films. Adding to watchlist, thanks.

[slumcat]

Originally Posted by scarletlion

Excellent list. I've not seen Tabu or those Phillip Garrel films. Adding to watchlist, thanks.

Tabu is one of the greatest films made in the past 20 years, an overlooked masterpiece. Once seen, never forgotten.

Watch the blu ray if you can. The super grainy 16 mm photography in HD is glorious.

[Cremildo]

Cold War and Tabu.

[imsounoriginal]

The Lighthouse
Cold War
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Nebraska
The Artist
The Good German

[TheSpruceMoose]

I was about to say Hara-Kiri (1962) until I reread the headline...... go watch it anyway.

Nebraska

[testmon112]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Roma on their list.

[Leonidas King]

Originally Posted by testmon112

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Roma on their list.

Fr. Was already coming in expecting to see it mentioned.

[Al_The_Strange]

My top three, not counting the ones that were in color then made B&W after the fact:

1. The Lighthouse (2019)
2. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
3. Visitors (2013)

[88mph]

Bait (2019)

Mmm lovely 16mm

[filmbuffTX]

[Damon1281]

Cold War
The Lighthouse
Mank

[slumcat]

Originally Posted by testmon112

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Roma on their list.

Originally Posted by Leonidas King

Fr. Was already coming in expecting to see it mentioned.

Roma is good and won the Oscar. But I think it has a rather flat digital look. The visuals are interesting due to the composition and production design but I think the lighting itself is flat and the film has an overly digital sheen for my tastes.

Something like Cold War from the same year has a very dimensional with such beautiful sculpting with light and dark shades.

[castor]

November

The Painted Bird

Cold War