MovieChat Forums > Paper Moon (1973) Discussion > Color or Black-and-White??

Color or Black-and-White??

posted 8 years ago by CalibMcBolts
7 replies | jump to latest

I saw this movie in black-and-white, but in the IMDb Image section i saw some pictures where the movie was in color, and those pictures were beautiful and i thought the b/w cinematography wasnt that great in this film. I feel like if i watched it in color i wouldve like it even more!
Are there 2 versions of the film?

I gave it a 9/10.

Favorite films of all time list
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls031708001

[–] Lagertha8 8 years ago

Are there 2 versions of the film?

Actually, no, the film was only shot in black and white.

As to the color pics on IMDb, they actually appear to be from some sort of promotional photoshoot. If you take a look again at the photo that's just of Tatum O'Neil, you'll see a guy in modern clothes in the background.

Personally, I liked the black-and-white photography and I thought it added to the atmosphere of this film, but I can understand why someone would prefer color.

[–] CalibMcBolts 8 years ago

No that's not true? There are several pictures here on IMDb and on google images, of scenes in the movie that are in color. Simply google Paper Moon Color, and you'll find a handful of pictures.

Favorite films of all time list
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls031708001

[–] Lagertha8 8 years ago

Here's an interesting blog post about the film's cinematography:

https://greg-neville.com/2010/05/29/paper-moon/

[–] howyoodoon 7 years ago

The very thought of seeing this film in color horrifies me. The stark, black-and-white cinematography by the great Laszlo Kovacs is almost a "co-star" of this film. The flat, colorless terrain on which it was shot is almost an allegory for the bleak, stark existence that was the Midwest of the 1930's. If you want to see how "color" completely throws the story off-kilter, go to YouTube and look for the (mercifully) short-lived TV version from 1974, of the same name (with Jodie Foster as a highly-unappealing "Addie Pray"). It's just awful.
Though technically "black and white," Bogdanovich (and Kovacs) chose to shoot the film through a red filter, which is what gives the film its singular, sharp definition. So, I guess you could say it WAS shot in "color" (at the suggestion of Orson Welles--who used the same red filter to shoot Citizen Kane, and other films of his). And if it was good enough for Orson Welles...

[–] JohnnyJohnson (163) 3 days ago

I agree, the B/W is a huge "character" in this movie. In the same way that The Last Picture Show was. I can't imagine feeling the same watching it in color.

[–] TheArgentinian (6429) 2 years ago

I pity people who don't like B&W films just because they are not in color.

[–] liscarkat (16515) 2 years ago

This movie is beautiful in black-and-white. There was probably a still photographer present who took the color photos of the actors performing on the sets.