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With a cinematic history spanning more than a century, there were bound to be a variety of advances as technology improves. One of the biggest things to take off in cinema was sound as 1927’s The Jazz Singer made audiences aware of how much better a film could be when the sound was actually a part of the film. Another huge advance on the big-screen is that of Technicolor, which was first seen in Becky Sharp back in 1935 (via Studio Binder).
That being said, color on-screen did not catch on as instantly as sound did. As such, black-and-white was still the main form used on the silver screen. That being said, a number of films chose to use both black and white mixed with color throughout the film, like The Wizard of Oz. While this may seem like a bit of a stretch, the use of color and black-and-white can truly add to the symbolism throughout the film, adding a layer of depth. These are the best movies that mix color with back and white.
10/10 Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List is based on the true story of Nazi businessman Oskar Schindler, who hires Jews to work in his factory to save them from the poor treatment elsewhere. Giving up a great deal of money, Schindler saved thousands of Jews from grisly deaths during the Holocaust. Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece is difficult to watch, but truly emanates the real tragedies created by hatred. The monochromatic film is a perfect choice considering the time period the film is set in. The only true color moment within the actual film is the little girl in the red coat, an unforgettable moment as Oskar sees her being escorted away and later sees her dead body being moved.
9/10 A Matter of Life and Death
When BAF pilot Peter Carter is forced to bail out of his plane into the ocean, he shares his final moments with the radio operator June. Peter manages to survive the event, and when he reunites with June, the pair falls in love. However, their time together is cut short when a divine messenger comes to take Peter to heaven as he should have died during the crash. While A Matter of Life and Death is a rather old film, the use of both color and black-and-white is surprising. While Earth is a colorful place full of life, Heaven is seen in black-and-white, creating a true reality of leaving a life behind in death.
8/10 Bonjour Tristesse
Based on the novel of the same name, Bonjour Tristesse, which translates to “Hello Sadness,” revolves around Anne, who travels to the French Riviera to visit the husband of her deceased friend. While Anne is visiting, she butts heads with Raymond’s hedonistic daughter Cecile, who attempts to keep Anne away from her father with the help of Elsa, Raymond’s mistress. Present day in the film is shown in black-and-white, while the vivid Technicolor screen is saved for the flashbacks in which things seem more innocent of pain and suffering.
7/10 JFK
Written and directed by Oliver Stone, JFK tells the story of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the effect that it had on the country. Starring Kevin Costner as New Orleans DA Jim Garrison, Garrison investigates the assassination and digs deep to uncover and conspiracy surrounding Kennedy’s death. The film features a number of modes of film including documentary footage, TV coverage, and cinematic style of film. The film drifts between black-and-white and color throughout ,creating a more vivid picture of the assassination from Stone’s perspective.
6/10 The Wizard of Oz
Probably the most recognized film to use black-and-white and color is The Wizard of Oz. When young Dorothy decides to run away from home so her dog Toto won’t get taken from her, she winds up getting caught in a tornado, which upends her home and lands her in a strange but colorful land she doesn’t recognize. The film portrays Dorothy’s life in Kansas in a black-and-white/sepia tone to show her feelings about her mundane life, while the land of Oz is all colorful. This choice has become iconic, becoming one of the main talking points about the film.
5/10 Pleasantville
Pleasantville is a unique film that shows brother and sister David and Jennifer trapped in a black-and-white 1950s TV show. While David doesn’t mind the setting at first, Jennifer stirs the pot, hoping to bring some excitement to the drab 50s world while they seek to escape. Pleasantville‘s approach to color and black-and-white is quite different as when the 50s characters begin to get more lively, they begin to get more physically colorful, and while this may seem good, this opens the door for a whole new set of problems that never existed before.
4/10 Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish follows the life of Rusty James (Matt Dillon): restless and abandoned by his family, he drifts through life not knowing what to do and wishing he could be the criminal legend his brother was. When his brother, The Motorcycle Boy, returns to town, he hopes to get some guidance from him and finds himself shocked when his brother longs for a more peaceful life. Similar to Schindler’s List, Rumble Fish‘s use of color appears as orange fish in a tank against a black-and-white background.
3/10 Raging Bull
This classic starring Robert DeNiro and directed by Martin Scorsese revolves around the life of middle-weight boxer Jake LaMotta, whose inability to express his emotions was channeled into the ring leading to a great deal of violence which would eventually destroy his life. The majority of Raging Bull is in black-and-white, with certain scenes in color, specifically the LaMotta home family movies, depicting the life that exists away from Jake’s abusive way of living as an idyllic world that one would want to return to.
2/10 Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire is truly a one-of-a-kind film. Angels Damiel and Cassiel walk the streets of Berlin, shooting off invisible rays of hope without ever interacting with the population. Damiel finds himself at a crossroads when he falls in love with trapeze artist Marion. Seeing the life he could have, Damiel wishes to take human form and be with Marion, a dream that may just be possible. Similar to A Matter of Life and Death, the human world is colorful while the spiritual realm is black-and-white, showing the angels the beauty that Earth has to offer.
1/10 The Purple Rose of Cairo
This Woody Allen film revolves around waitress Cecilia, who is the main breadwinner while her dead-beat husband blows all their funds drinking and gambling. Cecilia’s only escape is to go to the movies. While in the theater, she becomes entranced by the film The Purple Rose of Cairo and its main character Tom Baxter. Things change for the better when Tom steps off the screen and into Cecilia’s reality. Not only was this one of the first films to break the fourth wall as much as it did, but its use of black-and-white and color is tactical as Tom steps out of his black-and-white world and into the world of color.
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