The Modern Movie Lover's Guide to Black and White Movies

Black and white movies can be pretty challenging for the uninitiated to enjoy. They're old, devoid of color, and the characters sometimes talk funny. But don't let those factors detract you as classic films are also some of the most entertaining to watch. Oh, and did I tell you they're also rich in cinema history?

As a cinephile, I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss out on the fun of watching black and white films. But with so many to choose from, where do you start?

Easy! Let's pair some of your favorite modern movies with a few unforgettable classic blockbusters!

Romance: Roman Holiday

If The Princess Diaries or The Prince & Me are your guilty pleasures, then you're guaranteed to enjoy Roman Holiday. This film stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, whose playful banter and magnetic onscreen presence pull you into a whirlwind of romantic energy.

Even though this movie was released in 1953, it checks all the prerequisites of a modern rom-com. The story involves an American journalist (i.e., the average Joe) who meets a princess (i.e., the fairytale love interest) and spends a day touring her around Rome (i.e., the ideal romantic backdrop).

Sure, the storyline may seem formulaic, but don't let it fool you. Written by the legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, this movie is anything but average. And don't expect a stereotypical fairytale ending, either. Its simple but brilliant conclusion gives you the kind of satisfaction only a few rom-coms could ever dare offer these days.

Comedy: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

If you're into intelligently written political movies such as In The Loop and Death of Stalin, then the 1964 flick Dr. Strangelove is right up your alley. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this Cold War-era film contains some of the wittiest and most hilarious lines in comedy history.

Dr. Strangelove tells the story of a crazed American Air Force general who orders his planes to drop hydrogen bombs on Communist Russia. Consequently, chaos ensues as a group of top political brass attempts to stop him from starting World War III.

On the surface, the synopsis of this film sounds too bleak for a comedy. After all, nuclear annihilation isn't a laughing matter, especially back in the 60s. Nonetheless, Peter Sellers (who plays three characters, including Dr. Strangelove) and George C. Scott (as Gen. Buck Tergidson) skillfully use their comedic antics to scrawl a big exclamation point on the absurdities of the Cold War and nuclear warfare.

Action: Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai is such a seminal movie that it would take a book to list all the films it influenced. But if you love John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven or Quentin Tarantino's 2016 remake of it, watching this 1954 Japanese classic is a must.

Like Magnificent Seven, Seven Samurai is about a town that hires seven warriors to defend its people against bandits. This movie with a simple plot runs three and a half hours long, but director Akira Kurosawa's masterful visual storytelling makes every minute of it worth watching.

Through the years, countless movies from A Bug's Life to Star Wars have copied elements from the Seven Samurai. But perhaps the most imitated is the dramatic fight scene depicting the Samurai and the bandits swishing their katanas in the rain. So next time you see drenched characters duking it out in a heavy downpour (Zatoichi or The Matrix, anyone?), this film is most likely the inspiration.

Science Fiction: Metropolis

This 1927 German classic needs to be the next on your list if you're a big fan of sci-fi flicks like Blade Runner or even Ex Machina. Metropolis may be almost a hundred years old now, but it remains one of the most visually stunning movies in cinema's history.

Metropolis is about a prosperous city powered by an underground army of slaves. Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the son of the city's master, accidentally discovers the subterranean society after following Maria (Brigitte Helm), a renegade prophet who wants to liberate the workers. Learning about the plights of Maria's people, Freder decides to join the laborers and rebel against his father.

This German movie runs two-and-a-half hours, which seems a bit long for a silent film. But its incredible visuals and story will captivate you like any modern-day blockbuster. Directed by the German cinema icon Fritz Lang, Metropolis creatively combines drama, action, adventure, and romance in a futuristic setting--all without recorded dialog!

Drama: All About Eve

The 1950 film All About Eve is so iconic that it makes me feel guilty to compare it to any modern movie. But if dramas like 2014's The Clouds of Sils Maria made an impression on you, this classic gem is what you need to watch next.

The movie tells a story about an aging theater actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis), who welcomes a young, beautiful admirer Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), into her close circle of friends. But as their relationship deepens, it becomes clear that Eve, the seemingly faultless ingenue, is a ruthless manipulator who fakes simpatico to climb her way to stardom.

Written and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, All About Eve is a treasure chest filled with dozens of quotable dialog. So much so that the famous line "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night" remains in pop culture circulation 71 years since the movie's release. Of course, its lasting impression is partly due to Bette Davis' effortless delivery. Her subtle yet penetrating facial expressions create a whole new dimension to Mankiewicz's screenplay.

Adventure: The Lost World

Do you still remember how impressed you were when Jurassic Park came out in 1993? Then try to imagine how people felt when the movie The Lost World (not the Jurassic Park sequel) came out in 1925.

Based on Arthur Conan Doyle's (yes, of Sherlock Holmes fame) novel, The Lost World is about a group of adventurers that mounts an expedition in the Amazon to prove that dinosaurs still exist. In their perilous journey, they defend themselves against dangerous creatures in the jungle and return to London with a Brontosaurus. Unfortunately, it escapes before they could show it to their colleagues.

The Lost World may seem crude by today's standards. But it's an excellent resource for studying the evolution of special effects in movies. After all, it's the first feature-length movie that combines live-action with stop-motion animation. Its success opened doors to famous giant monster films like King Kong and Godzilla. This film entered the public domain in 1954, which means you can watch it online right now for free!

Thriller: Psycho

If you're into movies about deranged murderers such as American Psycho, The Shining, or Shutter Island, it would be a crime not to watch Alfred Hitchock's 1960 film Psycho.

Psycho starts with a female secretary (Janet Leigh) who checks into a secluded hotel after stealing money from her boss. There, she meets the hotel's bumbling but well-mannered owner (Anthony Perkins). Their conversation makes her change her mind about her misdeed, but she dies in a horrific incident before she could redeem herself. As the secretary's sister and fiancee search for her, they make a shocking discovery about the hotel owner.

Considered by critics as Hitchcock's best work, Psycho's iconic scenes and film score remain ubiquitous and widely copied to this day. The movie's influence is so profound that even those who haven't seen it are still likely to recognize its infamous shower sequence--the one where Janet Leigh's unforgettable shriek earned hear the title Scream Queen.

Ready to press Play?

In many ways, classic cinema is like a delicacy. It may seem unfamiliar at first, but you just have to taste it if you want to know what the fuzz is all about. Once you do, you'll discover all the intricate flavors you've never tasted before--and you'll find yourself coming back for more.

So go ahead and take that first bite.

You won't regret it!