Film Noir: The Case for Black and White

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  • Опубликовано: 29 окт 2024

Комментарии • 421

  • @kingofwakanda6899
    @kingofwakanda6899 7 лет назад +1050

    Every time this channel drops a new video, I party.

  • @TheMightyPika
    @TheMightyPika 7 лет назад +278

    I have no idea why people say they "can't" watch b&w movies. It's a weird self-limitation thing, like they're terrified of trying new things.

    • @linuskarlsson9449
      @linuskarlsson9449 5 лет назад +2

      I think the reson is that B&W is abstract, if you look at a abstract painting or film, It's hard for everyone o appreciate it...
      Just so you know, I have made films B&W or partily B&W so I do appreciate it myself. 😉

    • @TheMightyPika
      @TheMightyPika 4 года назад +2

      @ciaran perry huh, that's a good point

    • @numerousfrogsinacoat607
      @numerousfrogsinacoat607 4 года назад +4

      My sister says this and it annoys me so much, because there's so many amazing black and white films, and I love watching old films but she never wants to watch them, I don't know why, she just has some aversion to old, especially back and white, movies

    • @amandasilkstone1586
      @amandasilkstone1586 4 года назад +6

      I used to be that way, then I watched Casablanca for a lecture. Was expecting to be bored and having to slog through it, but I was pleasantly surprised that I got so immersed into it I didn't realise the time flying by until the end. Really opened up my eyes that I was missing out on a tonne of good film because of stupid unfounded preconceptions like that and that I had no idea where I got them from.

    • @royfr8136
      @royfr8136 3 года назад +2

      Because they are idiots. Simple. Don't worry about it.

  • @rolanddeschain6089
    @rolanddeschain6089 7 лет назад +125

    The moment when someone says: "I don't like black and white movies" and you know, the person will never love the movies like you do.

    • @ShadowWarrior9001
      @ShadowWarrior9001 7 лет назад +18

      Roland Deschain or when people say they won't watch foreign films because they have to read subtitles

    • @rolanddeschain6089
      @rolanddeschain6089 7 лет назад +7

      Yes. There is always art you like or dislike but to limit oneself keeps you away from so many treasures!

    • @FiercelyGold
      @FiercelyGold 7 лет назад +6

      We all limit ourselves in certain ways, though. Maybe you'd never pay $100 for a steak dinner, or you'd never skydive or you'd never have kids or you'd never drive across the country.... does it really matter if someone won't read subtitles or watch a black and white film? Isn't in a trivial thing really? th
      I have friends that never want to watch a black and white film or a foreign film, and I just don't expect them to, and that's that. We all have friends interested in different things... though maybe as a life partner, it could matter more. You can always give your two cents and encourage people you love to love what you love, but sometimes you gotta respect their choice to not care about such things so that you can continue to love the many other things about them .

    • @danielstanwyck2812
      @danielstanwyck2812 6 лет назад +3

      yes, but....what a world they cant experience

    • @serugolino7867
      @serugolino7867 4 года назад

      I personally love movies and everything about them, but I don't like black and white movies that much.
      Mainly I dislike film noir from that era 40's and 50's, I watched a couple of them but It's just not my thing.
      But weirdly I did love Kurosawa and Kubrick's black and white. I also love some other black and white cinema but I prefer colour every time.

  • @timothymcguire5126
    @timothymcguire5126 6 лет назад +57

    I'd like to point out that in the dark, the human eye cannot see color that well. So I think black and white give a film a darker, creeper feel to it because it subconsciously reminds us of nighttime.

  • @AwfulWaffle8474
    @AwfulWaffle8474 7 лет назад +262

    People are confusing Neo Noir and Film Noir.
    Neo-Noir s a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently use elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in film noir of the 1940s and 1950s. (Chinatown, Blade Runner)
    Film Noir isFrench for "black film" or "dark film" ] first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era (Maltese falcon)

    • @maocharlisme
      @maocharlisme 7 лет назад +4

      Neo Noir I think Sin City.

    • @brayanargandonaflorentino548
      @brayanargandonaflorentino548 6 лет назад +3

      The DC Cinematic Universe confuses me with their gloomy, dreary, dark and gritty tone, and accidently looking like it should be filmed in black and white

    • @poweroffriendship2.0
      @poweroffriendship2.0 4 года назад

      @@brayanargandonaflorentino548 And DC isn't really "dark" to begin with. It started with Action Comics with Superman debuted. For Batman being the "world's greatest detective" make sense, DC used to be called "Detective Comics" because Batman isn't a typical superhero character, he's just a detective in a suit who feared the criminals because of his mysterious nature. He can't kill because he viewed criminals as human beings who got corrupted by poverty and needed to be locked down whether a jail or an asylum in order to redeem themselves from the criminal activities or being sent to punish for their heavy criminal acts like murder or vandalism.

    • @paveantelic7876
      @paveantelic7876 3 года назад

      @@brayanargandonaflorentino548 dceu is more gothic and industrial than noir

  • @meurer13daniel
    @meurer13daniel 7 лет назад +56

    When it comes to that, I think it's impossible to not remember Orson Welles first appearance in The Third Man. That scene is fucking gorgeous

    • @Behemoth29
      @Behemoth29 7 лет назад +11

      The Dutch angles. The awesome music. The zoom. That cheeky smile. "Harry?" Fuck, I love that movie.

  • @TheMaverickanupam
    @TheMaverickanupam 6 лет назад +3

    Your clear explanation of the beauty of film noir has made me fall in love with the genre again.

  • @SocratesCrime
    @SocratesCrime 7 лет назад +34

    This channel just really makes me happy.

  • @joibenjamin2223
    @joibenjamin2223 3 года назад +4

    OMG I’m so glad you included Calvin and Hobbes! I thought I was the only one who remembered his private eye character. Definitely had all the elements of noir!!

    • @MS-xi7zg
      @MS-xi7zg 2 года назад +3

      And some hilarious dialog as well. "I keep two magnums in my desk. Ones a gun and I keep it loaded. The other's a bottle and it keeps ME loaded."

  • @owenrose1633
    @owenrose1633 7 лет назад +1

    This is better than screen rant and I love how this channel has great content quality. It makes me want to make a movie every time I watch one of these videos.

  • @JoeyTCartoonP
    @JoeyTCartoonP 7 лет назад +1

    Raging Bull. Like you said, the smoke, contrast and elements of good and evil are highlighted perfectly.

  • @hookbeak3516
    @hookbeak3516 4 года назад +1

    Your brief but contrasting comparison of film noir is concise & to the point. I also like how you lighten the mood, with subtle clips that involve parody. Nicely put to gather NYSI. You stand true to your channel name.

  • @ferrousearth
    @ferrousearth 7 лет назад +1

    That set of Calvin and Hobbes panels is one of my favourite comic strips of all time. So happy you mentioned it.

  • @unvergebeneid
    @unvergebeneid 7 лет назад +55

    I think people who dislike black and white especially mean film noir. It's slow, it's character-focused and it's hard on the eye.
    Personally, I like film noir but I can totally get why someone would hate it.

  • @lopi00ful
    @lopi00ful 7 лет назад +80

    I really like the video, but it feels like the audio is too fast. Like the pauses between sentences are missing. Like you ask the question of if people ever say they can't watch black and white movies, but then don't let that questions ruminate for a second before diving into your argument.

    • @aModernDandy
      @aModernDandy 7 лет назад

      Connor Fahy i thought exactly the same!

  • @jakeroosenbloom
    @jakeroosenbloom 7 лет назад +42

    I think schindler's list is a really good example.

  • @Minecraftinity
    @Minecraftinity 7 лет назад

    This channel teaches me why I love movies. I've never been able to tell people why I love a particular movie until I found this channel.

  • @TheSmokingHat
    @TheSmokingHat 7 лет назад +3

    Great video! One of my favourite effects in Film Noir is rain - especially when it's used both to create a visual background (much like smoke) & because it's always just such a great mood-setter in regards to the mysterious, dangerous 'big city'.

  • @josueamericanistarv
    @josueamericanistarv 7 лет назад

    Your essay was as great as black and white cinematography. Simple and genius.

  • @AlcoCZ
    @AlcoCZ 7 лет назад

    You sir deserve some award. Your vids always makes me happy.

  • @chumkrimson8161
    @chumkrimson8161 7 лет назад +1

    showing good, beautifully shot black and white movies is not gonna convince anyone who says stuff like "ugh, i can't watch black and white movies" to like them. the kind of people who say stuff like that are not gonna know what they're seeing.

  • @GoldenCycloneGaming
    @GoldenCycloneGaming 7 лет назад +1

    That shadow section you talked about was used excellently in the Vader/Luke fight in ROTJ

  • @Antilles1974
    @Antilles1974 7 лет назад +15

    Great video! If I could make just one suggestion, pause a little bit with your narration. You edited the video such that it sounds like your never breathe for the whole four minutes.
    Having said that, great video!

  • @WlatPziupp
    @WlatPziupp 7 лет назад

    Ending on The Doobop Song was a fantastic choice! Great job on finding a track that so beautifully mixes the classics with the modern, as you emphasized in the video. That's thematic consistency right there!

  • @goPistons06
    @goPistons06 7 лет назад +1

    This video is great. I too hate it when somebody says they can't watch black and white films.

  • @arkoidd9832
    @arkoidd9832 7 лет назад +1

    I'd never thought I was going to be addicted to this channel.

  • @chrisdigitalartist
    @chrisdigitalartist 7 лет назад

    Oh nice point about the contrast! It isn't just the grayscale but the contrast of the black and white! Nice video!

  • @christineohanyan6216
    @christineohanyan6216 7 лет назад

    I'm so grateful for the man who runs this channel

  • @grfgtbhh34
    @grfgtbhh34 7 лет назад +1

    You know, I'm about to star a college project where me and a group have to make a movie. We're deciding what movie it'll be and we're leaning pretty heavily towards this tongue in cheek Film Noir homage. Gonna take this as a sign.

  • @aaronjanowitz8973
    @aaronjanowitz8973 7 лет назад

    Another great video, one of the best channels on RUclips

  • @monkey363
    @monkey363 7 лет назад +4

    I'm making a noir and looking at videos for black and white shooting and this was very helpful

    • @IsraelStorey
      @IsraelStorey 7 лет назад

      Definitely check out the Sin City comics if you haven't already. There are plenty of very stark shadows in that, like a super concentrated version of noir lighting.

    • @monkey363
      @monkey363 7 лет назад

      thanks ill check em out!

  • @rebelyell3451
    @rebelyell3451 7 лет назад +4

    also the black and white use in Night Of The Hunter is fucking gorgeous. It's not , in my opinion, a film noir, but it does use the lack of color and the saturation of the b&w very interestingly. Especially the background in the scenes where the two children are runing away and are near/in the barn. Please go watch this movie if you haven't already, it's fucking beautiful, Robert Mitchum is evil and it's great.

  • @Phoenix909TV
    @Phoenix909TV 7 лет назад

    haha, Jesse's quote is a nice addition to the end of the video.
    Good work as always.

  • @charlemagnebrown
    @charlemagnebrown 6 лет назад +3

    The first Film Noir I watched was "The Stranger" and I went, "Holy hell, that was so creative." It's amazing what a few shades of gray can convey to us, compared to color.

  • @alposchannel4647
    @alposchannel4647 5 лет назад +18

    "Elegance is Simplicity." - Steve Jobs

  • @sergiobaez3756
    @sergiobaez3756 7 лет назад

    This is one of the best videos of yours I've seen so far, imo. It's the kind of video I've been waiting for - black and white film noir genius I say!

  • @AppleWasMyIdea
    @AppleWasMyIdea 7 лет назад

    This video pretty much encapsulates my thought process when I made my first short film.

  • @HTMLSniper
    @HTMLSniper 7 лет назад +4

    Thanks for this video, I myself wasn't to motivated to watch a black and white movie but your video convinced me. Thanks

    • @brayanargandonaflorentino548
      @brayanargandonaflorentino548 6 лет назад

      HTMLSniper Black and white films is very important for film buffs like me. My first black and white film is Clerks or Plan 9 from Outer Space

  • @Ptangmatik
    @Ptangmatik 7 лет назад

    Samurai Jack uses the high contrast monochrome aesthetic gorgeously, I adore this style.

  • @notzeb
    @notzeb 7 лет назад

    I am so happy Tracer Bullet in Calvin & Hobbes was mentioned

  • @Phoenixbrand95
    @Phoenixbrand95 3 года назад +1

    Citizen kane does this extremely well

  • @james.a.delancey
    @james.a.delancey 7 лет назад +2

    Great tutorial, thank you:) I will shoot my first feature film in black and white.. greetings from Berlin - James

  • @hkh5able
    @hkh5able 7 лет назад

    The best channel on RUclips.

  • @scaltheceiling
    @scaltheceiling 7 лет назад +1

    I just finished watching Double Indemnity yesterday for my English class!

  • @dakoduh
    @dakoduh 7 лет назад

    that last clip was perfect

  • @Jobsih
    @Jobsih 7 лет назад +33

    Last time I was so early
    This joke was original

  • @ryanpeters9108
    @ryanpeters9108 7 лет назад

    As always you've made an outstanding video essay, it's been over a month, I've missed you, great job!

  • @mohamadhamidi8773
    @mohamadhamidi8773 7 лет назад

    when you mentioned comics and their ability to embody film noir I was hoping you would mention Sin City. It not only embraces all of the film noir tropes but also takes them to the extreme. IMO The great use of high contrast and negative spaces in those comics results some the best looking shots in all of noir history. And I also believe the first film did a great job of translating that to the silver screen.
    Great channel BTW! Keep up the great work!

  • @hunterc8943
    @hunterc8943 7 лет назад +2

    These videos make my day

  • @PauLtus_B
    @PauLtus_B 7 лет назад +1

    I guess the big thing is just contrast. I very much think it's a common problem with the way (digital) camera's are often used nowadays where the image is kept quite grey even though you can quite easily create very dark blacks in a digital image.

  • @crazycommentwriter1829
    @crazycommentwriter1829 7 лет назад

    I really like your Video Essays. Other Channels cant compare to yours. I like how you are drawing the conclusion, other channels miss to hit the bullseye

  • @Vash0Estampida
    @Vash0Estampida 7 лет назад

    Exactly my thoughts watching The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki such great contrasts and use of lightning that were extremely relevant to the plot. And, especially with the black and white setting, the juxtaposition of the plain world of boxing and the ROUND and vivid world of his love are more evident.

  • @Professor_Whom
    @Professor_Whom 7 лет назад

    Great video as always. Given me a totally different perspective on something I hadn't even payed mind to.

  • @swordguy1243
    @swordguy1243 5 лет назад +1

    This style of filming comes from the painting style called Chiaroscuro made famous by the likes of Caravaggio . Yeah it’s basically using pure black as shadow and pure white as light . It could done in color . I think Tim Burton movies do pretty good on that especially the batman And Edward Scissorhands

  • @thiccboss4780
    @thiccboss4780 7 лет назад +1

    i wish this video had a "film titles" subtitle option , like some other film essayers as good as you!
    this should be a motif y'all should do, to better inform and preserve the information in the video

  • @brackonstudios
    @brackonstudios 7 лет назад +1

    That last bit is totally me when I'm trying to explain why something is so great to someone.

  • @laylamantle-edwards1432
    @laylamantle-edwards1432 7 лет назад

    I've been waiting for this video all week! I'm so happy!

  • @PurpleCloud619
    @PurpleCloud619 7 лет назад +1

    Best 25 Noir Films...
    1. The Third Man
    2. Key Largo
    3. Scarlet Street
    4. To Have & Have Not
    5. Strangers On A Train
    6. The Lady From Shanghai
    7. White Heat
    8. Double Indemnity
    9. Woman In The Window
    10. The Killing
    11. Gilda
    12. Angels With Dirty Faces
    13. Out Of The Past
    14. Laura
    15. Gaslight
    16. In A Lonely Place
    17. Sunset Boulevard
    18. Mildred Pierce
    19. Touch of Evil
    20. The Asphalt Jungle
    21. The Maltese Falcon
    22. Sweet Smell Of Success
    23. Postman Always Rings Twice
    24. The Big Sleep
    25. Casablanca
    Bonus: 26. Dressed To Kill

  • @akttt9876
    @akttt9876 7 лет назад +1

    This is great. Love love love. Though sometimes I can feel his frustration getting his point across, like he's already addressing where the comments are heading "i'm not saying that....." "I know I'm comparing a casablanca to a sketch comedy..."

  • @soratoninx
    @soratoninx 7 лет назад +1

    I've been enjoying your videos for awhile now and I gotta say, it's addictive to listen to your analysis and to submerge myself into the world of cinematic and its beauty 💙
    Especially with the way you focus on the details and express the beauty of black and white movie, convinces me to take a different view upon it! I enjoy your work so much!! Stay amazing 😁
    Also, may I know the song name at the end?

  • @nikgtasa
    @nikgtasa 7 лет назад

    I loved the first (or second) episode of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood when after minutes and minutes of usual colored imaging you get that gritty noire style with black-white-red colours and two rivals clashing at each other.

  • @maocharlisme
    @maocharlisme 7 лет назад

    A contemporary movie that makes the perfect case for both black-and-white and silent film is the impeccable The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius from 2011.

  • @711Rod
    @711Rod 7 лет назад

    Loved the final clip

  • @ajujuadoidoi
    @ajujuadoidoi 7 лет назад

    Keep doing what you do! You teach me so much every time you post a video!

  • @ErinMartyFreeman
    @ErinMartyFreeman 7 лет назад

    My favorite type of films are Noir and this is just icing on the cake. This is awesome.

  • @logansmith1227
    @logansmith1227 7 лет назад

    Good to see another video from you.

  • @rosm101
    @rosm101 7 лет назад +1

    My friend refuses to even consider watching a film in black and white simply because it's in black and white and I find it absolutely baffling. I haven't been able to convince her otherwise, but I think I'll direct her to this video and see if that can change her mind.

  • @JustinBieber5270
    @JustinBieber5270 7 лет назад +1

    I was literally watching another one of your videos and found this in the suggestions

  • @brotherofAnubus
    @brotherofAnubus 7 лет назад

    I love this video and the message it's trying to convey. Film Noir has been one of my biggest inspirations in the realm of photography and I can't credit it enough in how it developed my personal style.
    That said, there are some pacing issues here in this video. Especially toward the beginning, where I felt like I was experiencing the vocal equivalent of a run-on sentence. Having a second or more pause between some of the dialogue might resolve some of this and help keep your pacing from running away from itself.

  • @daniellos333
    @daniellos333 7 лет назад

    Beautiful and succinct analysis

  • @peppTV
    @peppTV 7 лет назад

    Great video. i recently wrote an essay about film noir elements in "touch of evil" (which you also showed in the video) .

  • @pascal-t
    @pascal-t 7 лет назад

    Wow you man are a wizard. I don't know how you did it, but the first video, that was recommended to me like 20 minutes ago, was about the meaning of milk in films. That was right after I came back from the kitchen, after I drank a glass of milk.... I then watched on, and your Videos are amazing. I will try to incorporate this into a few photographs, now that i know what makes black and white so interesting.

  • @lawrencecalablaster568
    @lawrencecalablaster568 7 лет назад

    Every video essayist needs to come together to do one big mega-essay.

  • @OakTreeFilms
    @OakTreeFilms 7 лет назад

    Big fan of the channel. One of my fav videos!

  • @ugensvandpyt
    @ugensvandpyt 6 лет назад

    The background music is "China Town" by Nicholas Peyton, if anyone wondered :))

  • @Xylus.
    @Xylus. 7 месяцев назад

    Some of my favorite movies are black and white. I couldn't imagine them any other way.

  • @allfarewells
    @allfarewells 7 лет назад

    interesting. we were just talking about film noir in my film criticism class this week

  • @kathlynp.6697
    @kathlynp.6697 7 лет назад

    10 points for posting a new video and 1000 points for breaking bad as exemplifying film noir techniques.

  • @deafgrapes
    @deafgrapes 7 лет назад +1

    Double Indemnity is, in my opinion, the best noir film ever made.

  • @donalkennedy6393
    @donalkennedy6393 7 лет назад

    All hail the king of the video essay 🙌

  • @brownbread435
    @brownbread435 7 лет назад

    This is brilliant, I also think that film noir is something you 'feel'
    I saw from your twitter that you're in Ireland!! Whats the craic!!

  • @keepyoureyespeeled
    @keepyoureyespeeled 7 лет назад

    I used to be one of those people until I saw Sin City. I know it has colour in it but I loved the aesthetic of that movie and it got me really fascinated with the look of black and white films.

  • @libby2783
    @libby2783 7 лет назад

    I've learnt more here than i have all in year in my film lectures...

  • @EdJonesVideos
    @EdJonesVideos 7 лет назад

    I love the Comic Strip Presents parody of Film Noir called something like "The Hunt for Tony Blair". Really good.

  • @GoldF4TE
    @GoldF4TE 7 лет назад

    Nice job. Your video has been very insightful! Keep up the great work man!

  • @AdjectiveOtter
    @AdjectiveOtter 7 лет назад

    I was just thinking "man, whens the next 'Now You See It' video coming out?" Lo and behold when I check my sub box...

  • @fragr33f74
    @fragr33f74 6 лет назад

    Black, white, and smoke is just pure beauty

  • @Leone525
    @Leone525 7 лет назад

    It's interesting to note that colors in hard-boiled fiction are often pretty bright, more like in Hitchcock's Vertigo, and therefore aesthetics of early film noir is quite different from the novels that these films are based on.

  • @dadams106
    @dadams106 Год назад

    Very nice job, young man!

  • @artofthelift6212
    @artofthelift6212 7 лет назад

    Awesome video! Loved that you included Point Blank---huge fan of the Parker novels.
    Believe it or not we're actually on the verge of launching a film noir TV show for cable. Think there's an audience for that sort of concept? If so, have any tips on how best to reach out to more noir fans like yourself who might take a liking to the project?
    Looking forward to more great videos!

  • @erhantufekcoglu3193
    @erhantufekcoglu3193 7 лет назад

    One of the best example of film noir is sin city 1&2 from Robert Rodriguez I think. But other beautiful ones in your list amazing as well. Thanks a lot

  • @jaymartin8273
    @jaymartin8273 3 года назад

    Nice video :=). As for the film noir in color idea, one idea I've always liked personally is doing both bright lurid colors and the monochromatic tones, personally I always found the juxtaposition worked with a film noir setting, especially if you show the villain or a fabulously wealthy character in the bright colors, but that's just me :=)

  • @abhishekmewade4134
    @abhishekmewade4134 6 лет назад +1

    Watch Satyajit Ray's Apur Sansar, all his movies used this effect to show his creativity to optimum

  • @daniele.5163
    @daniele.5163 7 лет назад

    As always, great video. Thank you for the content, and keep up the good work!

  • @elysiabarr425
    @elysiabarr425 7 лет назад

    You should talk about how costumes affect a film. They are important to films and can help tell a character's story.

  • @BiscuitAWitch
    @BiscuitAWitch 7 лет назад

    Two days ago I watched Chinatown for the first time. And I thought of this exactly. Great video!

  • @SLASHERHEATH
    @SLASHERHEATH 7 лет назад

    Have you seen the black and White version of The Mist? It was Frank Darabont's "preferred version" of the film and it's a really great modern example of this style of cinema.

  • @ant1books
    @ant1books 7 лет назад

    For me one of the best heritage of Film Noir is Shane Black's filmography

  • @carloscobian3989
    @carloscobian3989 7 лет назад

    Until last weekend that I saw "American Beauty", I've always thought you where the guy of the profile picture.

  • @philosophyofacting2681
    @philosophyofacting2681 7 лет назад

    love the look of black and white. Gives the movie a distinct quality.