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Post by lazario on Aug 10, 2007 21:38:35 GMT -5
Why not, are you that against a new audience watching the movie? I'm against it because it destroys the original movie experience. I can guarantee that you will have a tough time getting almost anyone born since 1985 to watch a black and white movie. If you say so. And like I said the colorization of night really improves it, how could it not? Romero's other zombie movies are in color and IMO Dawn and Day are a thousand times better than night. The colorization of Night makes it even more dated than it was to begin with. For instance, the music of a B&W movie is a very specific thing, especially those made after colorized films became the norm and the big studios began preferring them. The music for B&W horror films and psychological thrillers of the 1950's and '60s were bigger and larger in scope to overdramatize the sedating affects of the B&W film over the viewer. When you colorize what was a sedating film, the larger music becomes too-big. The mood is entirely screwed up. And in a film like Carnival of Souls, the mood is at least 75% of the reason it is a beloved film as it is. As far as Night being less of a movie than Day of the Dead, if you say that, you're only saying that because you prefer the colorization. But that's not what the movie was. That's what technology turned it into. It's technically a bastardized version of the original film. The keyword you're looking for here is: Different. They're different from each other. Just like Dawn and Day are different from each other. And people can prefer colorization all they want. So what? That doesn't mean they know crap about the original movie. They can only know the colorization process. Which is a disservice to thinking you understand film.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 10, 2007 21:47:24 GMT -5
Dude I've seen, and have both versions(colour, b&w)!! And Day and Dawn are not better movies because of color, it's because they're better movies, and more entertaining. Why do you think color has such a profound effect on the movie? And if you pay attention to late b&w and early colour you'll notice that b&w was far clearer. The more recent colorization of night looks like it was shot on a better camera than dawn!! Maybe you would realize that if you've actually seen the colorization of night. In the colour version we can see detail of the set, rotting flesh, blood, etc. The B&W version is hard to watch because there is nothing but greyness. If romero thought that black and white was better wouldn't he have just shot dawn and day in black and white? You're just being stubborn as you always are with your opinions. I'm stubborn too, so this could go on forever man. ;D
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 10, 2007 21:49:04 GMT -5
So in the end just watch the version of night you prefer as they have the exact same scenes and story, the only difference is you can actually see blood in the colour version, instead of something that looks like motor oil.
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Post by lazario on Aug 10, 2007 22:09:29 GMT -5
I'm sorry, but I don't care about just blood and gore. There's a lot more to a movie than just blood and gore. And I know you agree with me. I'd like to see some evidence of that, other than what you said about Maniac disturbing you.
As for why I think B&W has a profound effect over film... It's because it is essential to how the B&W films establish mood. Composers know they're making music for a B&W film. Make-up artists know the people they're working on will be seen on B&W photo stock. The way a movie is made when it's seen in B&W is just different.
I think the bigger question here is why people like you're describing don't just get over the fact that they think B&W movies are boring. I disagree with and don't like the Bush Administration, but that doesn't mean they stop taxing me. I disagree with and don't like the ultra-high gas prices, but they don't change just because of what I think.
I'm not really arguing about this issue in relation to Night of the Living Dead. But if you want a profound effect... I promise you the reason it's endured is because the affect it had on most people was partly because it was in B&W. That is part of the film's identity. There is no reason to change it for the comfort of other people. Does a woman decide to have a boy baby changed into a girl when it pees in her face? Or have a girl teenager changed into a boy when it complains about having periods? Do we straighten the Leaning Tower of Piza just because no one can comprehend, logically, why it should be leaning in the first place?
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 10, 2007 22:27:09 GMT -5
Well I would agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that the colourization of night was flawless. Keep in mind night is the only b&w movie I've ever even seen besides all the hitchthingy my mom scared the nuts out of me with when I was a kid.
And I know gore and blood isn't always important, but night was such a bloody and gorey movie for it's time, it's really a shame that it wasn't in colour.
And maybe they should fix the leaning tower before it falls over.
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Post by lazario on Aug 10, 2007 22:35:43 GMT -5
I don't think we're arguing over this movie. Certainly I just want to make a point about the colorization of B&W movies in general. Especially in the case of Carnival of Souls. It takes intelligence (and I have a remarkably short attention-span myself, so I can promise you that that's not the reason for the B&W snubbing) to sit through a movie and not expect something. With any movie though, it's pretty much a given that lower expectations produce a higher apprecation for the final product.
With the (all) B&W Universal classic monster movies, the B&W photography contributes uncompromisingly to the gothic look and feel of those films. And where would horror be today without those films? They inspired almost all of the Masters from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and so on. Sometimes more than anything that was being done by their peers and/or contemporaries.
The look to a B&W film is scary too. In many cases, the use of B&W was integral to bringing out everything a shadow could imply. Dark films were much darker in B&W. And that really enhances the feel. Which in turn, enhances mood / atmosphere. Those films could never be colorized and still work the magic they did in B&W.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 10, 2007 23:31:45 GMT -5
Well aside from night I don't care about colorization. And I still plan on watching the b&w version of night, I just thought it was cool to get to see all the zombies and action in colour, it was like being able to watch the movie new all over again.
I don't think every black and white movie should be turned into colour though. A great b&w movie i really enjoy is Dr. Strangelove, I don't think that movie needs to be colorized.
But for night it just fits so perfectly.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 10, 2007 23:33:33 GMT -5
I see what you mean now though.
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Post by lazario on Aug 10, 2007 23:52:52 GMT -5
Cool. My focus on this really has more to do with William Castle's B&W movies. Especially House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler. The Tingler was even one of the first American horror films to mix B&W with Color. In the Bathtub of Blood scene, the housewife is terrorized in her home by Red blood and in her bathroom the tub is filled with Red blood, but the rest of the movie is still in black and white. House on Haunted Hill also has that famous cinematic scare involving the Caretaker Woman jumping into frame. No it didn't scare me. But it was perfectly set-up and would never have worked in color. Since she is a white woman with that freaky white hair and all-White Eyes.
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Post by lazario on Aug 11, 2007 0:01:46 GMT -5
Cool. My focus on this really has more to do with William Castle's B&W movies. That's not what I meant to say. I meant to say: My focus really has more to do with what you can see in the William Castle-era. People who also amazingly used B&W in this time were Roman Polanksi (Repulsion, 1965), Jack Hill (Spider Baby, 1963), and of course Herk Harvey (Carnival of Souls, 1961). Polanski used B&W to make a claustrophobic and minimalistic film with Repulsion and have the viewer fully concentrating on how crazy the main character was becoming. Carnival of Souls was a complete escape film and one of the most effective ghost-horror films I've ever seen. And then, William Castle and Jack Hill knew how to use B&W to enhance the scares. Specifically, there is a really spooky moment in Spider Baby with an owl. I think it gets everyone- no one's immune to that scene. Everyone has a little jump at that moment.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 0:27:46 GMT -5
I'm more into movies made in the late 70's, 80's and early 90's, that's why I like colour.
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Post by Evil Dave on Aug 11, 2007 0:27:51 GMT -5
I bet Billy Madison would be really cool in black & white huh?
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Post by lazario on Aug 11, 2007 0:31:03 GMT -5
I'm more into movies made in the late 70's, 80's and early 90's, that's why I like colour. So am I. But when I was a kid, I saw a lot of old movies too. Not that I liked a lot of them. But the ones I liked the most were the B&W ones. Because my Mom made me watch musicals with her and I hated most of them. But we watched The Petrified Forest (which I loved), and movies like Psycho.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 0:41:01 GMT -5
I bet Billy Madison would be really cool in black & white huh? No, not really.
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Post by lazario on Aug 11, 2007 0:43:10 GMT -5
Dave made a funny joke!
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 0:45:03 GMT -5
So he's saying Billy Madison sucked?? I don't get it
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 1:41:22 GMT -5
^^^^^^^^^There has never been a jewel as great as this guy! Awww, that's sweet Dave, thanks!
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 1:42:38 GMT -5
Maybe we can watch American Beauty together. Don't you just love the scene where Kevin Spacey rubs one out in the shower? I know it's your favourite... Mine too
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 1:52:22 GMT -5
Yeah you're right, I only watch movies like that because I just can't grasp the complex nature of your posted fav movie, Billy Madison. Maybe then I could use smart lil' emoticons to express myself like you. Why not, you already like anime.
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Post by biscuitpower on Aug 11, 2007 1:54:00 GMT -5
Now let's all gather round and watch the masterpiece that is TRAINING DAY!!!
Wow, I never thought a movie could ever speak to me so much.
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