Five Great Modern Black and White Films
The past twenty years has seen a resurgence in the popularity of black and white films, but monochrome masterpieces have been a staple part of the industry throughout its history. To mark the DVD release of the critically acclaimed A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night; the feature debut directed by Ana Lily Amirpour often tagged as ‘the first Iranian Vampire Western’, we look back at five black and white favourites from recent years.
The White Ribbon (2009)
This German language drama was written by Michael Haneke (Funny Games) and is a parable set in a fictional protestant village in the early 1900s. The children of the village are made to wear white ribbons by the local pastor as a constant reminder of innocence and purity, but under this façade the town is riddled with grief, jealously, violence and oppression that starts to bubble over into a series of unexplained events.
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
A critically acclaimed historical drama directed by George Clooney and inspired by true events, Good Night, and Good Luck tells the story of a CBS News team that dedicate themselves to uncovering the corruption, lies and atrocities being committed by Senator McCarthy despite corporate pressures to turn a blind eye.
Francis Ha (2012)
Frances Halladay, a dancer in her late twenties, is left to her own devices when her best friend Sophie decides to vacate their joint apartment. Her journey of self-discovery takes Frances on a tour of New York’s China Town, the suburbs of Sacramento, Poughkeepsie, Paris and Washington Heights as she searches for a place to live and a way to earn a living. This charming comedy drama was directed by Noah Baumback (The Squid and the Whale) and stars Greta Gerwig.
Nebraska (2013)
Directed by Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Nebraska follows cantankerous old Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), who receives a sweepstakes notice in the post and insists on taking a 750 mile road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, along with his estranged son, to collect his prize. The pair gets waylaid in a small town where Woody grew up and news soon spreads about his ‘windfall’. This film was also nominated for six Oscars including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night premiered at Sundance 2014 to much acclaim, was lauded at the London Film Festival and picked up a nomination at the 2015 Glasgow Film Festival. The film focuses on Bad City, an Iranian ghost town home to prostitutes, junkies, pimps and other sordid souls where a lonely vampire is stalking the town’s most unsavoury inhabitants. But when boy meets girl, an unusual love story begins to blossom…blood red. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is available to own now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.
To be in with a chance of winning 1 of 3 posters kindly offered by Studio Canal please send your name and address to [email protected] by 10pm Thursday 30th July 2015.
