10 Modern-Made Movies That Used Black-And-White To Perfection

In the age of modern movies, audiences are hardwired to expect something not drastically different from what they have seen countless times before.

For this reason, the following 21st century-made films stand out. Not only did they deploy black-and-white as a major color scheme, reminiscent of old age cinema; all 10 did so to glowing acclaim. While the moviegoing public typically prefers to escape in the now, the boldest creative choices present in each of the below-listed allowed them to live in the past as well. Roll opening credits!

10 The Artist (2011)

The French love letter to the silent film era intentionally served as a black-and-white, dialogue-less experiment in breaking the chain of current mainstream cinema.

The result: a Best Picture-winning instant classic about an aging star and a rising star who are the victim and beneficiary, respectively, of the “talkie” boom. By choosing to film exclusively in black-and-white as opposed to color, director Michel Hazanavicius authentically sent audiences back to the time period The Artist lived in proudly (1927-to-1932, to be exact).

9 Sin City (2005)

Robert Rodriguez’s ultra-bloody adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic noir comic-of-the-same-name popped with intermittent, deliberately-traced in vibrant colors. However, its most vital aesthetic perennially remained the mood-capturing black-and-white backdrop.

Also a clear nighttime-set sendoff to the ’30s and ’40s film noirs it drew inspiration from, Sin City ironically turned witnessing violence override into a fun event. It starred Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis, and is currently streaming on Netflix.

8 Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)

Though actually shot on color film stock, the Oscar-nominated period ensemble was color-corrected to black-and-white during post-production. It starred David Strathairn as legendary TV anchor Edward R. Murrow amid his quest to fight the good fight against Joseph McCarthy and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Moreover, Good Night, and Good Luck served as one of the few flicks that put Robert Downey Jr. back on the map – and in a position to be cast as the MCU’s Iron Man. The film gained A-list actor George Clooney clout as a premier director as well.

7 Roma (2018)

To reflect both the cinema and class divide that shaped his own youth, filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón shot his semi-autobiographical passion project – the Mexico-set story of live-in housekeeper for a middle-class family – in black-and-white.

The Netflix Original earned Cuaron praise for his cinematography. Particularly, his masterstroke for crafting moving visuals on a budget-scale much lower than his past films like Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Askaban (2004) and Gravity (2013).

6 Frances Ha (2012)

Noah Baumbach’s film – starring Greta Gerwig as the eponymous main character – serves as evidence to support his adoration for turning points in the evolution of cinema, namely the French New Wave.

The black-and-white offers a tasteful lens into the inner life of someone burdened by purgatorial despair – as Gerwig’s titular dance company apprentice feels ever in over her head in the Big City.

5 Nebraska (2013)

According to the film’s foremost trivia entry on IMDb, Alexander Payne had to fight to shoot Nebraska in black-and-white with digital cameras and anamorphic lenses. However, Paramount relented after previews of the concept drew positive feedback.

The film stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte as an estranged father-and-son duo who embark on a road trip to claim the father’s winnings – him being incapable of recognizing the scam. ’50s and ’60s production title bookends supply the film even further nostalgic oeuvre.

4 Polytechnique (2009)

Though unfortunately more resonate now than at the time of its release, Dennis’ Villeneuve’s recreation of the 1989 Montreal Massacre is nonetheless a relentless experiment in tension-based narrative.

Villeneuve – whose Dune adaptation has released cast photos from the set – decided to shoot in black-and-white for cost-efficiency. A choice that inherently prevented the film from lending unnecessary power to its school shooter villain by way of bloodshed glorification.

3 Clerks II (2006)

Though it was shot predominantly in color itself, Clerks II‘s final frame pays tribute to its groundbreaking, NFR-certified predecessor.

After reopening their beloved convenience store that burned down in the pre-credit teaser, Dante and Randal look on at the only Heaven they have ever known from behind the Quickstop counter. Director Kevin Smith then brings the saga completely full-circle, pulling the camera back as the scene turns from color to 1994 Clerksian black-and-white.

2 The Lighthouse (2019)

Ephraim Winslow and Thomas Wake are less the real-life actors who played them – Robert Pattison and Willem Dafoe, respectively – than they were actual products of the late nineteenth century, thanks to the film’s Oscar-winning cinematography.

Stranded on a remote island, the two stir-crazy lighthouse keepers prove they helm from the school of The Shining‘s Jack Torrance. One can experience the madness themselves by streaming Robert Eggers’ The VVitch-followup on Amazon Prime.

1 Memento (2000)

Time-bending guru Christopher Nolan’s crime/neo-noir about a short-term amnesiac is sometimes misremembered as a non-linear outing told backward in reverse chronology.

While half of the narrative was shot in color and told in reverse order,  the other half was shot in black-and-white – and told linearly. Such was done to establish a collision between the mental state of the protagonist (Guy Pearce) prior to his memory loss, and afterward.

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