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Where to start with black-and-white films.
Wondering where to start with black-and-white films? Choose Some Like It Hot if you want a fast comedy, or Sherlock Jr. if you only have 45 minutes. This is not a ranking or a homework list. These are eight easy doors, arranged so you can choose by mood and by the evening you actually have.
If your first question is why anyone would choose monochrome now, begin with why black-and-white films are still worth watching today.
- 01
Modern Times (1936)A warm, funny way in: Chaplin against the machine age.
Find more approachable classics you can finish in under 90 minutes.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 02
It Happened One Night (1934)The blueprint for every romantic comedy. Easy laughs.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 03 The Wizard of Oz 1939The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The moment black-and-white opens into colour. Pure wonder.
See how colour becomes the doorway.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 04
Casablanca (1942)A perfect romance. Not a single wasted minute.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 05
Sunset Blvd. (1950)Watchable, wickedly ironic, and impossible to stop.
Use the Billy Wilder beginner guide to choose your next film.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 06
12 Angry Men (1957)One room, no escape, all tension — and it feels modern.
After watching (spoilers): see why Juror 3 is really trying the wrong son.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 07
Some Like It Hot (1959)Quite possibly the funniest film ever made.
Use the Billy Wilder beginner guide to choose your next film.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch
- 08
Sherlock Jr. (1924)Proof that silent film is no homework. 45 minutes of joy.
Find more approachable classics you can finish in under 90 minutes.
Great first watch Good first watch: Great first watch