The Film Experience

by Cláudio Alves

I don't know about you, but I love how démodé film styles are slowly making a comeback. Black-and-white cinematography and Academy aspect ratio, for instance, have become something of a fad. I'd love for it to persist until the techniques go beyond boutique indie distributors and prestige awards bait, returning, at long last, to the forefront of mainstream moviemaking. Sure, it's a bit of a pipe dream, but one can hope. At the very least, AMPAS is enamored by the trend. Their last Best Cinematography winner, Mank, was in silvery monochrome and, for the past three years, there's been at least one black-and-white film nominated in the category. Considering the prominent contenders of the season, this year will surely prolong the tendency.

Indeed, we might even have a majority of black-and-white movies in the Best Cinematography lineup. Don't believe it? Check this out…

While a roster of nominees made up exclusively of black-and-white or partially black-and-white movies is nearly impossible with productions like Dune in the race, there are enough strong contenders this year to justify such an anomaly. Indeed, reading the early reactions to a bunch of prestige adjacent flicks, one notices an overwhelming love for their lensing. We'll see if that adoration continues as the films are seen by wider audiences, starting this month with the releases of The French Dispatch, Passing, Belfast, and C'mon C'mon. Later in December, there's also The Tragedy of Macbeth. Right now, the Branagh and Coen films appear to be the likeliest nominees, but the others are true possibilities. What an exciting year for those of us who love black-and-white.

Here's a sample of these contenders' beauty: