Your Favorite (and Least Known) Black and White Movie

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Here’s a fun factoid from the Wesleyan Argus:
“Netflix has more offerings from the last 2 years than from the beginning of film history through 2009.” The Wesleyan Argus | The Case For Watching Old Movies

My favorite is “The Big Street” (1942) starring Lucille Ball in what was probably the juiciest role she ever had under the old studio system. Another is the screen adaptation of “Our Town” with the youngest William Holden I have ever seen (rarely seen because it is so badly in need of restoration.) I’m sure there are others.

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Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali

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Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thieves) 1948.

Not least known by world cinema aficionados or by Italians, but not well known by the average American who runs from subtitles.

Arguably the best example of Italian neorealism

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My favorites are well known. “The Lady Vanishes,” “My Man, Godfrey”.

If you want to see a very unsettling film that will depress you to no end: “Le Chat.” Not my favorite, but everyone should see it once.
Edit: apparently not black and white, just felt that way, I guess.

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“Rashomon”. Like others here, world famous, but I am not sure what the uptake in the US is.

Now, if you want my favorite (and BEST known) black and white movies, I could go on all day and night.

As Paul Simon sometimes says in his very great “Kodachrome”, “everything looks better in black and white.”

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Miracle on 34th Street (pre-colorization)

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least known?

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I don’t know if it’s my favorite but I loved “Down By Law” by Jim Jarmusch. Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits and John Lurie make a great trio.

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“La Haine”, a French movie from the 90s gives powerful (and controversial at the time) social commentary in black and white. It’s very good.

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The Haunting!

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During Covid, H and I decided to watch early Alfred Hitchcock films. A few we really liked–Shadow of a Doubt (1943), The 39 Steps (1935), and Strangers on a Train (1951).

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2 lesser known films stand out to me:

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (perhaps (imho) one of the most exquisitely shot b/w films ever)

and

Touch of Evil

I adore b/w films so I have a ton I’d add to the more well known -

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Agree.

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Is that really lesser known, though? But yes, great movie

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It’s from 1987 but the German film, Wings of Desire.

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I don’t know if it’s lesser known or not - my generation seems to have some idea of it.

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Not unknown to cinophiles, but I love Hiroshima Mon Amour.

Other French movies in black and white that I adore, Jules et Jim and Les Enfants du Paradis.

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Couple of lesser known movies that come to mind.

The Farmer’s Daughter

Vacation from Marriage

Arsenic and Old Lace (This one probably does not qualify for lesser)

Edited to correct title.

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Brief Encounter.

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Ok, at the risk of being flagged, I will unilaterally submit one of my favorite B&W movies that is least known to anyone born in the 21st century:

Here’s looking at you, Gary Cooper! It’s super-duper, as is Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks and countless others for this WONDERFUL movie.

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