I hate black and white movies

sounds like a personal problem.

I'll tell you in another life when we are both cats.

Going back to this, I was just watching A Thousand Clowns last night on TMC aqnd thought of your post. I'd suggest you give it a shot. The scene in the abandoned Chinese restaurant is one of the best uses of BW photography I've ever seen. It would have been ruined by use of color cinematography.

I didn't 'hate' the black and white. Nor did I ever watch a black and white tv (I'm 21).
Still thought the black and white didn't add anything to the movie - color would have been much better and would have made the movie more interesting/exciting. Sometimes B&W is a lazy directors way of not making use of the colours in the movie.

Some black and white movies are absolutely stunning to watch and would not be better in color. For example, "Angel-A" by Luc Besson with Rie Rasmussen and Jamel Debbouze. The story, the main characters, the scenery... all need to be presented in black and white for many reasons and with better results. I just can't imagine this movie would fair better in color. Check out this movie and you will see what I mean.

In the hands of a great cinematographer like James Wong Howe ["Sweet Smell of Success"] there are more "colors" in many B&W movies than any POS computer generated bits 'o' fake digitally generated color ugliness like ______________[fill-in-the-blank Transformers, Batman, Ironman, etc]

What's there to hate??? Not enough colors? You obviously don't read, if you need color to enjoy a story. My stepkids couldn't understand how my sons who were much younger than them, could be so interested in old black and white movies, even silent movies. After the stepkids went to college, they minds matured and were finally able to appreciate what my little boys learned long before. My sons also liked jazz long before the stepkids learned to appreciate it. We're all capable of understanding a lot more than we think. Saying you hate black and white movies sounds as ridiculous to me as people saying they only like piano music, or music of one certain decade, or hate music that has a saxophone, etc. Such a limiting way to think, yet they might put down people who have moral reasons for not liking a movie that has explicit sex (even bordering on porn), graphic violence or lots of vulgar language.

Under our clothes, we are all naked! Bare nipples (of females), genitals or buttocks is nudity.

I used to too until I saw "Angel-A" by Luc Besson with Rie Rasmussen and Jamel Debbouze. A beautiful film that can only be best presented in B&W.

One time I went to Yosemite in the winter to take some photos. It was wet and snowy and the mountains surrounding the valley were snowy and wind swept.

I walked around with my camera for quite some time (hours, maybe a day or more) unable to take a picture. Unable to figure out how to approach photographing Yosemite Valley.

I was lost.

Then I happened to walk into the Ansel Adams Gallery. It's one of many shops and attractions clustered in the commercial area of the valley. On display was a wide variety of Adams' work, which is predominantly black and white photographs of the west, especially Yosemite.

Just one look really, and I got it. "Uh huh!". I threw the camera into B&W mode, went out into the weather, and had the time of my life finding composition after composition to shoot.

Over the next two days I took some of the best photographs of my life. I'm not saying they were great in general, but they were great for me. I will say that when showing the photos off at work the following week, a colleague standing behind me exclaimed "Wow, Ansel Adams". I'll never forget that.

When you strip away color, it gives focus to the actual composition, or reality, of the scene. When I watch films shot in B&W they actually seem more real, like it's easier to step into the frame and be there with what's going on.

That doesn't really make sense, but it does happen. I did not read every reply to your post, but perhaps one day you will see a B&W film whose story really resonates with you... and the early association of B&W to something... lacking... will be erased!

Cheers