Colorized

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Finch

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They were NO IMPROVEMENT on the original Black and White ;)
Yes it can be done and done well. They Shall Not Grow Old is a great example of what can be done.
But I want to see a good print or properly restored Black and White version of The Thing from Another World before I need to see it in colour.
I have strong feelings about this [ Does it show? :) ]
 
Same here @CupofJoe. There is a lot that B&W shows that color misses out on. It is fun to see a B&W colorized just to see what it looked like to the cast and crew, but the director was thinking in B&W, and that takes some skill.
Yes, you can now take a color film and digitally turn it into a B&W, but that is still not the same.
 
CupofJoe said:
They were NO IMPROVEMENT on the original Black and White ;)
Yes it can be done and done well. They Shall Not Grow Old is a great example of what can be done.
But I want to see a good print or properly restored Black and White version of The Thing from Another World before I need to see it in colour.
I have strong feelings about this [ Does it show? :) ]
Click to expand...
The Thing from Another World 1951 colorized (Kenneth Tobey) : Winchester Pictures : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

I'm not suggesting all B&W films would benefit from colourizing . I recently watched Yield to the Night , with Diana Dors , and The Honeymoon Killers . Both were B&W and would not be improved with colour.
 
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Finch said:
Colourized films have been around for a long time . The Early ones were not that good and were not much of an improvement on the original black and white . But, the technology has improved so much that is no longer true .
Missile to the Moon 1958 colorized : Layton Film Productions : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Here is an example of a very low beget film transformed by colorization .
Click to expand...

Ive seen this this few times , it's silly but entertaining. Now I can see in all its silly glory in color . :D
 
My main concern is that I still have a 1950's sports jacket exactly like that one :unsure:
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Finch said:
Colourized films have been around for a long time . The Early ones were not that good and were not much of an improvement on the original black and white . But, the technology has improved so much that is no longer true .
Missile to the Moon 1958 colorized : Layton Film Productions : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Here is an example of a very low beget film transformed by colorization .
Click to expand...

What do you mean "improvement"? Do you really think a film is 'better' just because it is in colour?
 
JunkMonkey said:
What do you mean "improvement"? Do you really think a film is 'better' just because it is in colour?
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Not all films are improved by being in colour. There are many films deliberately shot in B&W, and it is an intrinsic quality. Ed Wood, Raging Bull and Schindler's List , for example . Not all Colorization works.

Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 colorized (Michael Rennie) : Twentieth Century Fox : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a good film . I like the opening sequence of the colour version , and some other sections , but overall the quality is cartoonish and becomes a distraction , so not an improvement on the original.

The Phantom Planet 1961 colorized (Dean Fredericks) : Four Crown Productions : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

However , the above film is not the best ever made , but being in colour makes in more enjoyable than the original. But the original is still available to watch , if that is your personal preference.
 
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JunkMonkey said:
What do you mean "improvement"? Do you really think a film is 'better' just because it is in colour?
Click to expand...

In the case of a silly grade z movie like Missile to the Moon , Colorization can't do it any harm .:)
 
I've seen some colourised Laurel & Hardy; they look awful. Films are what they are, they don't need tinkering with.
 
CupofJoe said:
They were NO IMPROVEMENT on the original Black and White ;)
Yes it can be done and done well. They Shall Not Grow Old is a great example of what can be done.
But I want to see a good print or properly restored Black and White version of The Thing from Another World before I need to see it in colour.
I have strong feelings about this [ Does it show? :) ]
Click to expand...

Tbf 'They Shall Not Grow Old' is newsreel rather than a film, so the artistic/directorial decisions made in producing it would not have been the same as if they were with a movie. Yes, it was done very well, and for a modern audience who probably wouldn't watch something in b&w simply because it was b&w, then at least the memory of the terrible conflict will stay in the memory.

I agree that properly restored b&w film is much preferrable to colourised. The 4k restoration of Casablanca is stunning. More needs to be done with other classic b&w movies.
 
BAYLOR said:
Colorization wouldn't work in films like The Maltese Falcon or Citizen Kane
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Film Noir are improved by being in b&w. I couldn't imagine (and wouldn't ever want to watch) Casablanca, Maltese Falcon, The Third Man etc. being colourised. They would suck all the atmosphere from them. With B&W movies directors can really make use of the light - and the lack of it. Which is why many of the very best horror movies were made this way. Just compare the original 'Psycho' with the colourised remake as an example of how more is less.
 
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