Originally by Ranker FilmList RulesTop monochrome BW films
List of the best black and white movies ever made, as listed by movie critics and film fans from all over the world. From the time that movies were first being made until the late '60s, black and white was the exclusive color of movies, since that was the only filming technology available. Although movies are now almost all shot in color, the old black and white movies feel classic, like there’s a higher quality to their storytelling.
Even though color technology has existed for shooting movies since the late 1960s, some filmmakers choose to shoot their movies in black and white for either budget, aesthetical, or storytelling purposes. Movies like Schindler’s List, Paper Moon, and The Artist were all made when color was available but because the black and white makes viewers feel transported to a former time period. For some movies, like The Night of the Living Dead and Raging Bull, the lack of color makes the horror and violence seem even more frightening.
What are the best black and white movies of all time? This list features movies made in the '20s to those made in the last few years, covering all types of genres. These movies are often ranked among the best of the best.
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407128Psycho
1960Actors: Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Psycho is a 1960 American horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film centers on an... more on Wikipedia2
492173Casablanca
1942Actors: Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on... more on Wikipedia3
25489Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, Walter Huston, Ward Bond
Directed by: John Huston
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film noir based on the novel of the same name by... more on Wikipedia4
23088All About Eve
1950Actors: Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and... more on Wikipedia5
473127Actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame
Directed by: Frank Capra
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film produced and... more on Wikipedia6
15243Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Barton MacLane, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett
Directed by: John Huston
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is an American dramatic adventurous neo-western written and... more on Wikipedia7
329150Citizen Kane
1941Actors: Orson Welles, Alan Ladd, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Arthur O'Connell
Directed by: Orson Welles
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film produced by, co-written by, directed by and... more on Wikipedia8
14342Rebecca
1940Actors: Laurence Olivier, Alfred Hitchcock, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Rebecca is a 1940 American psychological thriller-drama film. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it... more on Wikipedia9
10717Frankenstein
1931Actors: Boris Karloff, John Boles, Colin Clive, Francis Ford, Paul Panzer
Directed by: James Whale
Frankenstein is a 1931 horror monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and... more on Wikipedia10
18971Roman Holiday
1953Actors: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Silvio Bagolini, Harcourt Williams
Directed by: William Wyler
Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy directed and produced by William Wyler. It... more on Wikipedia11
21980Double Indemnity
1944Actors: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Double Indemnity is a 1944 film noir crime drama directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by... more on Wikipedia12
18551Actors: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Ward Bond, Joseph Crehan, Bess Flowers
Directed by: Frank Capra
It Happened One Night is a 1934 American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball... more on Wikipedia13
14862Notorious
1946Actors: Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Claude Rains, nm0129894
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Notorious is a 1946 American spy thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock,... more on Wikipedia14
16063Actors: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Robert Aldrich, Anna Lee, Dave Willock
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and... more on Wikipedia15
326148Schindler's List
1993Actors: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davidtz, Norbert Weisser
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama, directed and co-produced by... more on Wikipedia16
206105Sunset Boulevard
1950Actors: William Holden, Buster Keaton, Gloria Swanson, Yvette Vickers, Cecil B. DeMille
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Sunset Boulevard—stylized onscreen as SUNSET BLVD.—is a 1950 American film noir directed and... more on Wikipedia17
18572King Kong
1933Actors: Fay Wray, Merian C. Cooper, Bruce Cabot, James Flavin, Frank Reicher
Directed by: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
King Kong is a 1933 American fantasy monster/adventure film directed and produced by Merian C.... more on Wikipedia18
21771Actors: Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey, Edward Everett Horton, Charles Lane
Directed by: Frank Capra
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American dark comedy film directed by Frank Capra, starring... more on Wikipedia19
18178Actors: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
Directed by: Elia Kazan
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption amongst... more on Wikipedia20
15875The Big Sleep
1946Actors: Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Dorothy Malone, Martha Vickers, Regis Toomey
Directed by: Howard Hawks
The Big Sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond... more on Wikipedia21
15381Actors: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Roland Young, Ruth Hussey
Directed by: George Cukor
The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by George Cukor,... more on Wikipedia22
10644Stagecoach
1939Actors: John Wayne, John Carradine, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell
Directed by: John Ford
Stagecoach is a 1939 American Western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and... more on Wikipedia23
10941Actors: Alfred Hitchcock, Farley Granger, Leo G. Carroll, Ruth Roman, Marion Lorne
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Strangers on a Train is a 1951 American psychological thriller film noir produced and directed... more on Wikipedia24
11555Actors: Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Virginia Mayo
Directed by: William Wyler
The Best Years of Our Lives is a 1946 American drama film directed by William Wyler and... more on Wikipedia25
18379Actors: Henry Fonda, John Carradine, John Qualen, Jane Darwell, Eddie Quillan
Directed by: John Ford
The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on John... more on Wikipedia
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