# Black & White movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** photo\ **Created:** [July 2, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307 "2022-07-02T16:24:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/1 "2022-07-02T16:24:08Z")
In my past as a profesional still photographer I shot a lot of B&W film. I just trusted/assumed that the film would render color via grey scale in an acceptable fashion and didn’t give it much thought. That said, I am aware of things like the use of a red filter with black and white film can darken blue sky and make white clouds “pop”. Infrared film can have a similar dramatic effect. I wonder how much the makers of black and white movies concerned themselves with colors of sets, costumes and other visual elements. For example, fake blood needn’t actually be red. It could be faked by using chocolate syrup. Would anybody notice that the leading lady’s hat is not the same shade of yellow as her dress? It would seem that B&W would let you get away with a lot of things that you couldn’t get away with if you were shooting in color. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a perfectionist director did all kinds of test shots to make sure the leading lady’s yellow hat and dress rendered to the same shade of grey. Does anybody in the biz know how that worked? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/2 "2022-07-02T17:03:45Z")
You are correct. They did. Color didn’t matter. Which is why actors’ makeup for B&W looked horrible in real life. It’s also why colorizing old films is problematical, because the actual colors were often weird. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/3 "2022-07-02T17:04:33Z")
Costume colors were selected based on how they would show up in B&W. A movie example isn’t coming to mind right away but the B&W Adventures of Superman TV show had a costume designed to better represent the colors of Superman’s costume. [This photo contrasts a full color and a B&W version of the costume.](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/330873903846487608/) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/4 "2022-07-02T17:07:30Z")
Thanks, great picture. I didn’t realize he wore a less colorful costume in B&W filming. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/5 "2022-07-02T17:25:28Z")
IIRC, black & white\* film didn’t perfectly respond to all colors of light equally, so some hues of equal eyeball brightness might not look the same. \*don’t we say “monochrome” these days? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/6 "2022-07-02T17:27:14Z")
the make-up used for B&W tv was also quite different than that used for colour tv later-on. There are some interesting pix in this article: > **[Cosmetics and Skin: Max Factor and Televison](https://www.cosmeticsandskin.com/aba/max-and-the-tube.php)** > > Max Factor is widely known for his contributions to the motion picture industry. As television expanded after the Second World War, he got involved in this new industry as well. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/7 "2022-07-02T18:05:11Z")
Sets were colored differently as well: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ea/b2/a3/eab2a392743a2d073d890847e52677d6.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ea/b2/a3/eab2a392743a2d073d890847e52677d6.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/8 "2022-07-02T18:08:06Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > the make-up used for B&W tv was also quite different than that used for colour tv later-on. One complicating factor with respect to TV is that, for a significant period of time, there were lots of shows that were broadcast in color but watched by sustantial numbers of people on black and white TVs. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/9 "2022-07-02T18:10:31Z")
Nice! The pinks and yellows don’t look nearly as gothic in color. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/10 "2022-07-02T18:10:54Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > > the make-up used for B&W tv was also quite different than that used for colour tv later-on. > > One complicating factor with respect to TV is that, for a significant period of time, there were lots of shows that were broadcast in color but watched by sustantial numbers of people on black and white TVs. In _ **The Making of Star Trek** _ (published in 1968), they talk about using a special viewing glass to see how their colors would look on B&W TV sets before they started filming. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/11 "2022-07-02T18:19:48Z")
One can do nifty special effects when shooting in B&W: > **[The Lost Art of Aging Not-So-Gracefully](https://thenightgallery.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/the-art-of-aging-not-so-gracefully/)** > > Say you want to age 2,000 years in two minutes. What’s the best way to do it? There are two different ways: 1) Take the approach used by the title character in The Twilight Zone’s” Long… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/12 "2022-07-02T18:21:44Z")
[The 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz pulled off a transition from B&W to Technicolor.](https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/09/16/true-movie-magic-how-the-wizard-of-oz-went-from-black-white-to-color)I can’t find a source that discusses the B&W costume colors, that aspect is overshadowed by the transition itself, but they did have to pick colors that presented a sepia toned Kansas to emphasize the change to color. Sepia was actually an improvement for Kansas which I have been told has not upgraded to color yet, remaining B&W to this day. It’s not really B&W filming, but the were trying to present that conceptual change to the movie goers still frequently seeing movies in B&W. Although a very simple trick of a switcheroo with a double the effect is stunning as shown in the video from the link above. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/13 "2022-07-02T18:31:24Z")
As an aside, the bit about going from black and white to color was in the book, too. Kansas was just as drab and monotone back then as it is now, and Dorothy knew it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/14 "2022-07-02T18:31:28Z")
Some directors preferred working in B&W. Billy Wilder was one of them: > **[Why Some Like It Hot Was Shot In Black And White - /Film](https://www.slashfilm.com/795261/why-some-like-it-hot-was-shot-in-black-and-white/)** > > Some Like It Hot arrived at a time when Technicolor was all the rage. So why wasn't the film shot in color? There are actually a couple good reasons. [![](https://c7.alamy.com/comp/P0RDGF/original-film-title-some-like-it-hot-english-title-some-like-it-hot-film-director-billy-wilder-year-1959-stars-jack-lemmon-marilyn-monroe-tony-curtis-credit-united-artists-album-P0RDGF.jpg) ](https://c7.alamy.com/comp/P0RDGF/original-film-title-some-like-it-hot-english-title-some-like-it-hot-film-director-billy-wilder-year-1959-stars-jack-lemmon-marilyn-monroe-tony-curtis-credit-united-artists-album-P0RDGF.jpg) Series star Vic Morrow objected when _ **Combat!** _ went color (along with all other US TV shows) in 1966, saying that the mood of WWII was best captured in B&W. I remember a lot of older shows like _ **Dick van Dyke** _ and _ **The Beverly Hillbillies** _ continued to be shown in B&W in morning reruns well into the late '60s at least. They’ve since been packaged for syndication and are often stripped on daytime TV. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/15 "2022-07-02T18:47:30Z")
The Lone Ranger’s mask was purple so it appeared to be the shade of gray the producers liked. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/16 "2022-07-02T19:15:50Z")
Stan Laurel had difficulty transitioning from vaudeville to films because his eyes were a very pale blue that didn’t photograph well. In really old B&W films, red appears to be much darker than blue. I notice this every time I see clips with the American or British flag. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/17 "2022-07-02T20:37:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Some directors preferred working in B&W. Billy Wilder was one of them: Some Like It Hot is an example of a well shot B&W film that uses contrast to enhance the image. [Rebecca](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032976/) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock who insisted on shooting it in B&W. His attention to detail in every aspect of that movie was well known and he used the medium in impressive ways despite the lack of color. Going back to the beginnings of color movies [Jezebel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel_(1938_film)) was shot in B&W by noted director William Wyler and often criticized for doing so because a crucial scene in the movie has the eponymous character arrive at the ball wearing a scandalous red dress. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/18 "2022-07-02T21:44:06Z")
And here’s a different approach. The early 60s sitcom _Car 54 Where Are You?_ was shot in black and white. The characters drove around the streets of New York in a squad car. But the NYPD did not want a TV squad car confused with the real units, which were painted green and black like this. [![](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/217a8e3e-f11c-45e3-be45-248362d6c72b/d8to3f5-d44cc858-c650-4e4e-935a-3c11baa4f818.jpg/v1/fill/w_1092,h_732,q_70,strp/1959_ford_custom_300_nypd_police_car __ii__ by_hardrocker78_d8to3f5-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTA3MiIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzIxN2E4ZTNlLWYxMWMtNDVlMy1iZTQ1LTI0ODM2MmQ2YzcyYlwvZDh0bzNmNS1kNDRjYzg1OC1jNjUwLTRlNGUtOTM1YS0zYzExYmFhNGY4MTguanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTE2MDAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.ulcHy6AamuUW6leo8fLkY9E-COUncCzcc1THFQ6-z8k) ](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/217a8e3e-f11c-45e3-be45-248362d6c72b/d8to3f5-d44cc858-c650-4e4e-935a-3c11baa4f818.jpg/v1/fill/w_1092,h_732,q_70,strp/1959_ford_custom_300_nypd_police_car __ii__ by_hardrocker78_d8to3f5-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTA3MiIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzIxN2E4ZTNlLWYxMWMtNDVlMy1iZTQ1LTI0ODM2MmQ2YzcyYlwvZDh0bzNmNS1kNDRjYzg1OC1jNjUwLTRlNGUtOTM1YS0zYzExYmFhNGY4MTguanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTE2MDAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.ulcHy6AamuUW6leo8fLkY9E-COUncCzcc1THFQ6-z8k) The producers came up with a novel solution, which actually photographed better than the actual colors would have. [https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/255618062\_6344248032283031\_5750377737373601053\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=105&ccb=1-7&\_nc\_sid=730e14&\_nc\_ohc=XvSbe-wGs04AX\_\_f2cz&\_nc\_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00\_AT9HLoWEZytrDUR7YMDaBlsrHe5E\_7Y2MN0s1zNpwo0rzw&oe=62C53F6E](https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/255618062_6344248032283031_5750377737373601053_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=XvSbe-wGs04AX__f2cz&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00_AT9HLoWEZytrDUR7YMDaBlsrHe5E_7Y2MN0s1zNpwo0rzw&oe=62C53F6E) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/19 "2022-07-02T21:57:14Z")
The [1931 film version of _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Hyde_(1931_film)) used layers of makeup and colored filters on the lights to show the transformation effectively, as shown [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soolcLpo18w&t=124s). This was only possible because the makeup was not visible on black and white film. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307/20 "2022-07-02T22:24:55Z")
John Ford could put a red lens over his camera to enhance the contrasts. Really made a washy sky pop with dramatic clouds. He may or may not have picked that up from The Germans Expressionists, but they had used it first in 1926’s The Holy Mountain. Lens filters allowed for night scenes too, sometimes with off effects. In the daytime scenes of Gary Cooper’s Beau Geste, the blue French uniforms coats are black under the sun, but the dark red lens used to darken the night scenes turn them slate gray. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-white-movies/967307.md?page=2)