Is this "anti-B&W" thing really true?

I certainly do not mind B&W, especially if the material was originally released that way. In fact, I find the B&W on regular (non-HD) TV has a certain "crispness" that many times color doesn't have.

I can't imagine watching A Hard Day's Night in color, for instance. It came from a time when TV, at least in my home, was B&W.

 

I think a lot of us on this board are pretty "enlightened" when it comes to issues like this. I've met a lot of people who have dimissed films/TV because they are in B&W. I think part of this is because our society is trained with marketing to truly believe that new is better and old is crap. I used to be really bothered by this but I think I'm more at peace with knowing that some of these close-minded folks are missing out on so many wonderful treasures. Oh, well.....

 

I don't mind B&W at all, I loved The Ed Wood Story, etc.

But we know lots seem to like color

So, maybe Ted Turner can colorize them, and make the soundtrack 5.1.

 

I don't mind if a new 5.1 soundtrack is created for an older film from the original elements as long as the original mono one is included. Last night I watched 'The Man Who Shot liberty Valance' and the 5.1 track was very enjoyable.

 

As though the unenlightened public will buy this stuff?

I think that's either faulty reasoning and/or a shoddy justification for not wanting to release anything that won't sell a gazillion copies...

 

I can imagine how kids today would feel if they had to watch B&W like I did all those years ago.

My kids think its a HD Digital Color World.

 

I really enjoy the old b&w shows. I receive a couple of fairly obscure cable networks "Goodlife" and "Trio" both run 50's era b&w shows. I especially like the old Warner Bros, produced shows such as "77 Sunset Strip" "Surfside 6" and "Hawaiian Eye". and the old westerns such as "Cheyenne" "Sugarfoot" "Maverick" ect. Trio will start airing the original b&w "Gunsmoke" eisodes very soon. The highest rated show on TV Land was "Leave it to Beaver." Also high on the list was "Mr. Ed" and "Dick Van Dyke." all b&w shows. And "I love Lucy" still garners high ratings everyday on one channel or another.

 

Can you imagine Young Frankenstein in color? Blechh

 

Anti-B&W bias seems to be the norm among "the younger generation" today...or perhaps it just seems more obvious to me, as I can no longer deny my own "middle age."

Somewhat OT, but thinking about "kids today"...I am much more worried by something my 14 year-old neighbor asked me the other day...

"Why would anyone want to own a book?

In his world, books belong to the school or to the library, but have no personal value at all...

Truly a jaw-dropping moment for me.



edit: and on that fine philosophical note...200 posts! Yee Haw!!

 

My stock answer: If you refuse to watch something simply because it is black and white then you are only depriving yourself. Meanwhile, I'll be enjoying films like 'Casablanca,' and 'Raging Bull,' along with groundbreaking TV like 'The Twilight Zone' and 'The Honeymooners.' And my life will be infinitely more rewarding for it.

 

I enjoy black and white when it is employed artfully, and I would never colorize an old film or not watch it because it wasn't in colour. But I have to admit I do find TV shows and B-movies that were only shot in black and white because of their low budgets rather boring to look at. The best black and white photography uses a lot of contrasts, but cheap b&w stuff just looks gray and blah.

 

Hmmmm - my 4 year old was watching a DVD I bought that had some Christmas animated shorts shown by WGN on Garfield Goose many moons ago - Hardrock, Coco and Joe, Suzy Snowflake and Frosty the Snowman. He sat and laughed with me as each one rolled - he never noticed that they were all B&W...

 

(IMO), I believe the appreciation of B&W is lost today, If there isn't a killing, car crash, theft, beating, shooting, raping, sexual, etc...It ain't gonna be watched by most youngsters today...there are exceptions of course...

 

What does any of that have to do with colour?

 

EVERYTHING...did you ever see grey/black blood?...if they are not interested in B&W they won't get past the credits...I'm sure you already knew that though...lesson over

 

yup, 4 years olds have that wonderfulness about them! If he keeps watching B&W it will be a natural thing for him and he'll be all the better for it, just like we are!...ain't we lucky! I can't imagine watching any of my favorite B&W shows colorized! Look what they did with the Stooges!

 

B/W films on big screens in dark cinemas. That's where my love of B/W began. Few young viewers have that experience anymore. Isn't it a pitty.

 

Will you guys stop blaming younguns for B&W falling by the wayside? If I could count the hours my roommates (and sometimes I) have spent watching TCM, renting Gary Cooper comedies, etc...
I would hazard a guess that there are more film buffs now than ever and that people under 30 are a large percentage of them. You can thank DVD (netflix!) and cable for this phenomenon...

 

Holy Moly! now that's scary...I couldn't imagine not wanting to own a book...the future.

 

I'm confused. So you're saying if I made a movie with the laundry list of things you mention, and make it in Black and White, the kids WILL like it, or WON'T?

 

...not everyone is as intelligent, articulate as you...you are a rarity these days and thank God for that! So is my Son...How many youngsters would want to be here at the forum talking about Oldies? Granted, we discuss EVERYTHING here, but it's home base is Oldies or older music...Thank You for being you.

 

No, they won't get past the B&W moniker on the outer DVD case...I was referring to COLOR movies...

 

With the way talk radio and political campaigns are waged, you'd think that everyone prefers black-and-white.