# Your top two Black & White movies - one comedy, one drama. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154 "2019-04-28T01:19:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/101 "2019-05-01T11:40:43Z")
I’ll offer another title for consideration as best drama, **Pleasantville**. It wasn’t entirely black-and-white, and used the shift to color as part of the plot. When I run across it on television, I’m always surprised to remember how good it is. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/102 "2019-05-01T12:25:46Z")
Comedy: I’m a big fan of WC Fields so I’m going with _ **It’s A Gift** _. Drama: This may be a wee bit cheating as there was a tiny bit of color in it (the red coat) as well as at the end, but _ **Schindler’s List.** _ ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/103 "2019-05-02T22:03:33Z")
_Modern Times_ and _Casablanca_ ---
**Author:** ![ch51](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ch51/32/3111_2.png) [@ch51](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ch51)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/104 "2019-05-04T04:52:02Z")
Lots if good ones mentioned already. Here’s a couple more: Drama: “Out of the Past” Comedy: “Monkey Business” ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/105 "2019-05-05T15:04:38Z")
The Comedy catagory is a toughie, but **Bringing Up Baby** just barely manages to edge out **The Philadelphia Story, A Night At The Opera** , and **A Hard Day’s Night** by a whisker. Drama is easier, **Casablanca** is my idea of perfection. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/106 "2019-05-06T01:44:58Z")
Comedy: _Young Frankenstein_ Drama: _A Face in the Crowd_ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/107 "2019-05-06T03:07:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Drama: _Raging Bull_ Actually, after re-watching, I guess technically it’s not a 100% b&w movie. There is color Super 8 (or similar) style footage in the film that helps with bridging the narrative and passage of time. In that case, I will go with last year’s release _Cold War_, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/108 "2019-05-06T13:28:14Z")
I don’t think you can count _Pleasantville_, for the same reason that you can’t count _Wizard of Oz_ (and I’m guessing _The Giver_ did something similar, though I didn’t see it). Both made good use of black-and-white, but it only worked because they also made good use of color. Contrast it with, say, _Schindler’s List_, which also had color that was especially set off by contrast with B&W, but without it, it would have still been fundamentally the same movie. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/109 "2019-05-06T14:45:35Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > … > > Funniest black and white _Young Frankenstein_ > > Drama black and white _Casablanca_ > … Yep. With The Maltese Falcon and Seven Samurai right up there. But Young Frankenstein is clearly tops. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/110 "2019-05-06T17:06:34Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Casablanca wins over To Kill A Mockingbird for drama, simply because it was an original idea, not based on a book. It was, however, based on a play (_ **Everybody Comes to Rick’s** _). ---
**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:** [May 6, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/111 "2019-05-06T17:14:14Z")
I think\*\*\* Lonely Are the Brave\*\*\* deserves a nod. Kirk Douglas once said that out of all the movies he starred in, it was his favorite. > **[Lonely Are the Brave (1962) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056195/)** > > Lonely Are the Brave: Directed by David Miller. With Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, Michael Kane. A fiercely independent cowboy gets himself locked up in prison to escape with an old friend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154.md?page=5)