COLORIZATION


     It is the beast that will not die. Colorization is the bastardization of black and white films into dreadful colors. It has been around for a while. Ted Turner famously tried to colorize Citizen Kane, but he encountered such a firestorm of outraged opposition that he dropped the idea. He seems also to have dropped the whole colorization thing. Others have not...
     What these folks don't seem to understand is that directors and cinematographers know what they're working with. 
     Critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, the best of the best, called it "Hollywood's New Vandalism." Anjelica Huston successfully stopped the process in its tracks in France using French copyright law. The U.S. has legislation but it only protects films in the National Film Registry from colorization. 
     Here are some wonderful black and white movies that would be cheapened and perhaps ruined by being colorized.
     Let's begin with the towering Schindler's List (1993), which deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture. The starkness of the prison camp and the situations just cry out for black and white. The very end is in color and rightly so- it makes the contrast in times greater.
     Orson Welles perhaps understood how to use the subtle shadings and shadows of black and white better than anyone else. His landmark film Citizen Kane (1941) is exhibit A. But an even better use of the medium, though a lesser film, is The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) which is shot almost entirely in the gloomy old Amberson mansion. The story of a once-mighty family is perfectly mirrored in the photography. If the ending seems a bit strange, that's because it is. The studio took Ambersons away from Welles and tacked on the hokey ending.  
     Raging Bull (1980) is one of the great boxing movies.  The brutality and violence of the ring (and the kitchen!) are more exquisitely captured in black and white than any color imaginable. The sleazy, smoky nightclubs that became Jake LaMotta's environment seem much more oppressive and atmospheric in black and white.
     Casablanca (1942) has dark filmic echoes of the war and the end of a culture and is one of the most romantic films ever made. Notice that in the night scenes you can always see what is going on. Night scenes in most modern color films are annoyingly unwatchable.
     On The Waterfront (1954) with its gritty shots of the docks and union halls is perfect for black and white. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1966), in which an apparently happy marriage slowly unravels before our eyes, would be ruined by color.
     The Hustler (1961) with its seamy pool halls and seamier characters is just right for black and white. High Noon (1952) is an epic because the situation is black and white to Gary Cooper's character.
     My favorite example of black and white cinematography is How Green Was My Valley (1941). This is a great film anyway, but the photography is unmatched. It's the story of Welsh miners and their lives and their village. Use your freeze button on any frame in this movie and you could hang it on your wall.
     Director Alexander Payne decided to film Nebraska (2013) in black and white. Excellent choice! The film had five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The dreary, barren Midwestern landscape, the dingy small towns and the dysfunctional family members are perfect in black and white.
     And while we're on this topic, remember that a black and white movie, The Artist, won the Best Picture Oscar for 2011.
     All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming, in glorious black and white. All are for 12 and up.