Old films will forever have a special place in my heart. I love black and white movies, especially the ones made in the early-mid 20th century. To me, they beat all of the new modern movies. My favourite thing is that little glitch on the screen that you can only see in those older B&W movies. I’m also a fan of the crackling sound that the movie makes when it goes quiet—you know what I’m talking about. But other than the little things, the general idea of a B&W movie just gets me excited. Chances are if you tell me that we’re going to watch an old movie, I’ll 110% agree with no questions. I love love love the acting in those movies. They’re obviously much more different than the acting we see in movies now. Back then, they mostly spoke in that old-timey accent which also changed the way they acted. Most likely, all people back then talked and acted like that, but still, I don’t know why I love it so much. They had different slang, different humour, and of course, the iconic vintage Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn and Betty Grable. In every aspect possible, B&W films are one of the best types of movies.
Roman Holiday, for example, is one of the most iconic “vintage” Hollywood classics. Starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, this movie was the start of the “celebrity-pretending-to-be-normal-and-falls-in-love-with-an-unsuspecting-civilian” idea. It’s one of my favourite movies, and it being black and white is a bonus. I love the way they talked and the romantic/comedic relationship Princess Anne (Hepburn) and Joe Bradley (Peck) shared. Roman Holiday is a super cute love story that I think inspired a lot of pop culture today.
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Another B&W movie filmed in 1953 is “Stalag 17“. It is hands down my favourite movie ever ever ever. Not once did it make me bored. The movie, being two hours long, kept me interested and laughing the whole time. This is the type of humour I like that can only be found in old movies. It tells the story of a German POW camp in 1944, but especially about the American airmen residing in a particular barracks where their secrets somehow seem to be finding their way to the German guards. That only meant one thing: somebody inside the barracks was trading information with the guards. The unravelling of this mystery was actually quite shocking. Usually, the suspect becomes pretty obvious or predictable in mysteries but in Stalag 17 specifically, the ending was very surprising and even when I thought it was foreshadowing, it was actually leading me to believe the wrong person as guilty! It’s such a fantastic movie and don’t let the fact that it’s black and white make you think that it will be boring because let me tell you, it’s one of the least boring movies I have ever watched. Stalag 17 deserves soooo much more attention and love because it is wonderful. You can start watching it right here!
Going a little further back to 1930, one of the most influential and amazing black and white movies of that era was and will continue to be All Quiet On The Western Front, based on the WW1 book by Erich Maria Remarque. It’s no doubt a cinema classic. The film (and book) is about a group of German boys and their experience in the German Army in World War 1. It demonstrates the tragic reality of war and its effects on the once innocent boys who lost their youth to the fight. No matter which side it was, there were always going to be boys who were forced to become men, hardened by battle. This film did such an awesome job at representing how the great war had changed the soldiers. It’s a super iconic war film whose quotes are still used today. Aaannddd, since it’s so old, the movie has a lot of those screen glitches and crackling noises which is PERFECT because I love that. Plus, they all use that transatlantic accent and everything about it is incredible.
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Everyone needs a little black and white films in their life!
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