The trend of rereleasing critical darlings in black and white is apparently here to stay. After George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and James Mangold’s Logan, it’s time for Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite to be revisited in sharp monochrome. The artistic value of such exercises is dubious, but they do offer a chance to reflect upon a film’s visual idiom and aesthetic construction. After all, do these works gain something by being in color? Is that an intrinsic part of their form or simply a consequence of convention? Would they be better, at least better looking, in black and white?
Those answers will have to remain unanswered, but as a fun exercise here are some from this year’s Best Picture nominees. They’ve been drained of color for your pleasure…
1917
directed by Sam Mendes
cinematography by Roger Deakins
FORD V FERRARI
directed by James Mangold
cinematography by Phedon Papamichael
THE IRISHMAN
directed by Martin Scorsese
cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
JOJO RABBIT
directed by Taika Waititi
cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr.
JOKER
directed by Todd Phillips
cinematography by Lawrence Sher
LITTLE WOMEN
directed by Greta Gerwig
cinematography by Yorick Le Saux
MARRIAGE STORY
directed by Noah Baumbach
cinematography by Robbie Ryan
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
directed by Quentin Tarantino
cinematography by Robert RIchardson
PARASITE
directed by Bong Joon-ho
cinematography by Kyung-pyo Hong
Would you like to watch any of these Oscar contenders in beautiful black and white?