A youtuber has wondered why movies always improve in black and white. The answer: “Less distractions”

The tendency to move black and white some successful films looks like a fashion more than a hollywood desperate for repairing and selling our favorite films several times. In some cases, however, the results are surprising, and there is an explanation for this: why in virtually all cases the black and white versions of films that were shot in color are so interesting, when they do not directly improve the original?

Blanquinegros dinosaurs. It is the question that Youtuber Midday Reviews was asked when he checked for the umpteenth time one of his favorite films, ‘Jurassic Park’, This time in black and white. He discovered in her, thanks to an experiment that did not believe that he was going to take him to any interesting conclusion, a completely new film, one that returned to the terror to the saurios he experienced when he first saw the film, in the cinema and being a kid.

The reason: less distractions. According to the author of the channel, this improvement is summarized in one point: the absence of color distracts less, and the viewer focuses unconsciously on planning, textures, lighting, microgest of interpretations. In aspects more linked to film creation, and therefore in black and white movies have a more “cinematographic” appearance.

Not only because they are backward for times when films were less naturalistic and more focused on cinematographic language, but because the absence of color makes the spectator more aware that he is watching a fiction.

Other examples. Midday Reviews reviews multiple examples of recent films that have received this treatment commercially, such as’Mad Max: Fury on the road‘(that George Miller himself considers The best version of the movie) either ‘Logan‘ (that He was born as an experimentbut that fans and director think that it is the definitive version of the film). Also mentions a case of which We have talked here‘In search of the lost ark’, a completely unofficial experiment, but that reaches the same conclusions as ‘Jurassic Park’: without distractions derived from color, background aspects such as edition or planning shine throughout its glory.

You try. Midday Reviews recommends experiencing with your favorite films, ensuring that you will always find some interest with these colorless versions. And to demonstrate it, it puts some unusual examples: ‘Ninja turtles’ has almost expressionist lighting and planning details; And ‘Solo at home’ becomes an absolutely sinister dyes film thanks to its use of contrasts and that make it a film close to the horror genre.

We have done it. Of course we have done it. We have tried an absolute icon of horror cinema: the first ‘nightmare in Elm Street’, overflowing with chiaroscuros, contrasted colors and games with lighting and colors. The result is not only a much more rough film, but completely loses the low -budget air of the Wes Craven classic, acquiring a very classic elegance. Apart from the fact that, as the video says, the lack of color allows you to repair in aspects such as the very detailed and terrifying texture of the special effects or makeup. Is it used for all cases? It will be a matter of testing, but the fun does not take away from you.

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