In colour? They just wouldn’t be the same

Watching black and white movie classics is cool - again. Sue Wilkinson looks at the films making the hit list.

As a lifelong fan of Casablanca, the Wicked Lady, the Third Man and Brief Encounter, this comes as no surprise to me - watching black and white movies is cool.

Some of the films listed, like Belfast, the Lighthouse, the Elephant Man and Raging Bull, were deliberately made in black and white - though there is no doubt the monochrome adds to the atmosphere.

It is unimaginable that Casablanca or Brief Encounter could ever have been made in colour. It would strip both films of their appeal.

The melodrama of Gainsborough classics including the Wicked Lady and the Man in Grey would be wiped out by colour.

According to a new survey, more than half of Gen Z and millennial Brits enjoy re-watching classic black and white films, with 64 per cent disagreeing with the notion that only older generations enjoy films with no colour.

List, the 1946 tearjerker, It’s a Wonderful Life and Hitchcock blockbuster Psycho. The research commissioned by LG Electronics found that those who enjoy watching movies in black and white are more likely to be seen as artistic, cultured and as impressive film buffs.

Overall, 62 per cent of those surveyed like to be thought of as a person who enjoys black and white films.

More than a fifth of the British nation say that they love them, while 52 per cent appreciate a fantastic flick in black and white.

From The Lighthouse, The French Dispatch, and Roma,, to Belfast, film and tv producers are increasingly playing with more monochrome styles.

Not only did Kenneth Branagh produce his childhood memory film Belfast, entirely in black and white but his 2022 rendition of Death on the Nile also contains a well-received black-and-white prologue set in World War

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And 36 per cent admit they cannot get enough of the aesthetic while 57 per cent say black and white helps them to focus better on the content of a film, 38 per cent cannot help but feel disappointed if a film starts and it’s in black and white.

Meanwhile for the 21 per cent of the 1,500 Britons polled who admit they cannot stand black and white movies, over a third feel they lose much of the cinematic experience due to not being able to distinguish between the shades of grey on screen.

James Thomas, Product Manager at LG Electronics, said: “It is clear to see that visual clarity is important when enjoying your favourite movie or TV programme, so whether you enjoy a black and white or colour film, LG OLED technology ensures you won’t need to compromise on your picture quality.”

The findings also support the importance of technology when sitting down to watch something, with four in 10 believing that the quality of the screen you are watching a black and white film on can improve the viewing experience.