Don't watch old movies? This is what you should see...

Statuesque  villainess in Ministry of Fear

More often than I would have ever imagined, people tell me they don't watch old movies. Maybe I am the only person left who still makes a habit of going to the video store? You don't know what you're missing. Here are some ideas of where to get started.

Romantic Comedies

I think old romantic comedies are about 10 times more funny than modern ones. Maybe because the sexism seems appropriately old fashioned rather than cringy.
Pick any of these actors for a satisfying black-and-white romantic comedy

• Cary Grant
• Fred Astaire
• Katherine Hepburn
• Mae West, so glamorous
• Myrna Loy
• Audrey Hepburn

Or try these films

• The Philadelphia Story (1940) with Carey Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town with Gary Cooper
• Easy Living (1937) with Jean Arthur
• Roberta with Fred Astaire is about a fashion designer. (Funny Face with Astaire and Audrey Hepburn as a photographer and model in Paris is not b/w but is thematic)
• Here Comes Mr. Jordan you know you want something funny and a little hokey for the holiday season
• Holiday themed romance: The Shop Around the Corner with James Stewart

Film Noir

It's imposingly French sounding, but the essence of the genre is simple. These movies were popular at the same time as racy detective and spy novels. Story-wise, films noir are gritty, exciting, and often require who-dunnit thinking on the part of the viewer. Fundamental to noir, however, is their visual style. These black and white movies were crafted very deliberately. Old cameras and lighting equipment were fussy, so that speaks to the time and care used in lighting (or shadowing) parts of a scene. The mysterious plots, with ambiguously evil characters, give substance to the extensive use of careful shadow. Good noir films have a lot of visual interest and a lot of thoughtful depth. If you like dramatic thrillers, tragedies, or suspense, check out noir. If you like photography, cinematography, or visual art in general, you should check out some of these classics.
If you don't want to mess around, pick something well recommended off a list:

• Fifty Noir Directors
• Essential Films Noir
• Noir and Neonoir

from The Killers (1946)

Some personal favorites:

• The Third Man
• Ministry of Fear
• Double Indemnity
• Touch of Evil (by genius director Orson Wells)
• The Maltese Falcon (with Humphrey Bogart, who is in a lot of noir)
• Clash by Night (by Fritz Lang with Barbara Stanwyck)
• and basically anything by Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock gives us noir shadows in The Wrong Man

More Black and White Winners

Black and white has practically become a genre. Kids these days, get off my lawn and so forth. Here are some extra credit movies to check out.

• Sunrise (1927) Very touching story.
• Freaks (1932) Whole movie available online for streaming or download. Timely moral.
• Pandora's Box (1929) Before racy movies were sanitized
• Wages of Fear (1953) Perfect for someone who thinks they only like "guy movies"
• speaking of guy movies how about They Drive by Night

Do you have a favorite black-and-white era star?