Black and white is the original form of medium; it had been the cornerstone of motion picture image making from the start!
The monochrome tone was the norm at nascent stages of the medium; it was widely used until colour film finally overthrew black and white and it became uncommon to shoot in monochrome. But even then from time to time artists have employed monochrome to shoot their projects even if they are out of style. The specialty of the black and white image and its elegance can hardly be explained but the rich contrast and deep shadows are partly a reason for it surviving the test of time, also because it is a view of the world that is not common, there is an inherent spirit of cinema in monochrome. The quality to turn even the most mundane activity into an event of beauty. This list contains modern works that have effectively been able to use black and white in works and have been able to justify the reason it is used, by their sheer visual brilliance.
In recent memory, Ida a polish work by artist Pawel Powlikowski, and photographed by Lukas Zal, has been one of the most outstandingly beautiful works made in black and white, every frame of this work is a masterpiece the rich contacts lifted highlights and greyish skin tones work perfectly in balance with the ratio of the film, perfectly complimenting the period setting of the narrative. This can also be partly attributed to the extensive research done by the artists to properly simulate black and white for the big screen.
This is a modern masterpiece created by one the visionaries of the medium Bela Tarr, it is a slow methodical epic which concentrates on the death of morality most importantly its black and white photography is stunning like in all previous works of Tarr. This one though stands out because it shows the real glory of monochrome.
A light-hearted work compared to the last two on this list, this film is a love Letter to New York. Shot in the most modern way possible on a DSLR camera, but using the old film form this is a work that shows the flexibility of black and white but also showcases its beauty when put in context to the 21st century.
