MovieChat Forums > The Window (1949) Discussion > black and white phobia

black and white phobia

posted 16 years ago by lastmidnite2
11 replies | jump to latest

How sad that one of the reviews here has to tell people not to think it's awful because it's in black and white. Why do morons refuse to watch b&w films? Don't they realize that b&w cinematography is an art form? I have no use for these people; and being young is not excuse. They are just ignorant, closed minded cretins. Period.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] not_josh 15 years ago

You should check out The Fallen Idol, made a year before this, which is about a young boy who thinks he witnesses a murder.

[–] lavenderspirit2005 12 years ago

Ah, more folks ought to give black and white flicks a chance! They are fantastic! This movie is almost like a horror movie rather than film noir. It's very well made. A similar movie is the 50s flick "Witness to Murder", in which no one believes a particular woman who witnessed a murder.

Oh, I TOTALLY agree! I cannot understand some younger people's resistance to old/black & white movies. I grew up watching old films on VHS and on the American Movie Classic & Turner Classic Movies channels. From the time I was two, I already knew a lot of the old Rodgers & Hammerstein songs because I was constantly watching the old musicals "Cinderella", "State Fair", and "Oklahoma".

When I was around four, my favorite movie of all time was the 1941 flick "Look Who's Laughing" which was a black&white starring Edgar Bergen and his famous dummy, Charlie McCarthy!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033850/

With "The Window", my mother originally showed it to me as a warning against fibbing, LOL. I was a relatively good child--this was a preventive measure!

I remember being entranced and terrified of the drama and suspense Tommy was going through and those two characters who were out to kill him was the stuff of nightmares to me! They were scarier to me as a kid than movie monsters because they looked so normal, were believed by everybody and were soooo evil!

I must've practically worn out my video of this film. I couldn't stop watching it and have the same copy to this day.

Also see the 40s flick "Shock" (starring Vincent Price). If I remember correctly, a woman goes into shock after seeing a murder...and the murderer is the one in charge of making her get well.

Thanks for sharing the title of this movie! I adore Vincent Price films; my favorites are "House of Wax" and "House On Haunted Hill".
If I'm not mistaken, "Shock" was remade as an episode from Tales From The Crypt starring Patricia Clarkson as the mute witness and Richard Thomas as the killer and her "doctor". It was one of the best episodes I've ever seen and it's called "Mute Witness To Murder".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716866/

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[–] pt100 11 years ago

Unfortunately, colorization keeps trying to make a comeback in order to reach a new audience that doesn't appreciate B&W. It fizzled after an initial flourish in the 1980s & '90s because of costs, but made something of a comeback in the early 21st Century when a less expensive automated process became available. Let's hope they'll quit trying. In any case, films on the National Film Registry are fairly safe from this process, thank goodness.

[–] hisgrandmogulhighness 11 years ago

Yes, leave as it . . . black & white is especially appropriate for this movie . . . the shading, lighting . . . colorization wouldn't do anything for this movie . . .

[–] Vermithrax_Pejorative 15 years ago

This movie is showing right now on TCM. I had to look it up because I'd missed the beginning... but the way it is shot is a true thing of beauty. Very engaging from what I've seen so far.

[–] hanguspangus1 15 years ago

Good. Let all those morons marinate in their own cinematic ignorance while they stand in line to see Adam Sandler's new brain numbing extravaganza. All but one of my favorite movies are in b&w.

[–] warlok1 11 years ago

there's an entire GENRE of film based on Black and White and its cinematography -- Film Noir...a film like this is an amazing example of Film Noir.

[–] Countryford 10 years ago

I'm 30, and I love watching B&W movies/TV shows. In fact I watch them on a 1959 Magnavox B&W TV. I was told by a coworker(guy in his 50's) "You couldn't pay me enough to watch a B&W movie."

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

Wow, that's kind of harsh.

I don't mind b&w movies but I also don't seek them out. I see them on occasion but not for the cinematography or the art form. I just happen to like a variety of movies and prefer to see them in their original formats.

What I've noticed from being on this site and from reading numerous posts is that we watch and enjoy movies in different ways and for a myriad of reasons. All things do not appeal to all people but if we create a dialogue, as we share our thoughts, views, and passions perhaps we can encourage others to consider seeing something they otherwise would not have seen.

I totally understand why some people, regardless of age, may not like b&w movies. It's their prerogative; some may even say it's their loss. Calling them names doesn't change that and it accomplishes nothing; except perhaps to make those accusing them of ignorance and closed-mindedness appear that way themselves.

[–] RobbieCalifornia 9 years ago

As a huge film noir fan I'm really disappointed there are people who dislike black and white films. It's their loss: Casablanca, Night of the Hunter, Citizen Kane, Out of the Past, I could go on and on, all B&W films. Recently Nebraska was shot in B&W, Oscar nominated. It's a shame that anyone who claims to love the movies would dismiss so many great films. Including The Window, a terrific film.