Many of the finest performances from the black-and-white era have echoed throughout film history, and they’re still just as captivating today. Older films had more of a reliance on movie stars, especially products of Old Hollywood, as studios structured their films around the strengths of their on-screen talent.
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These days, directors often use black-and-white photography as a tool to draw attention to their actors. The lack of color is one way of sharpening focus on what’s really important to a story, and the best actors can use this spotlight to deliver timeless performances.
You are watching: 10 Classic Black & White Movie Performances That Left Us Mesmerized
10
Anthony Perkins In Psycho (1960)
Perkins Brought One Of Film’s Greatest Villains To Life
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Psycho
R
Horror
Mystery
Thriller
10/10
13
8.9/10
Release Date
September 8, 1960
Runtime
109 minutes
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers
Joseph Stefano, Robert Bloch
Sequel(s)
Psycho 2
Cast
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-
Janet Leigh
-
Martin Balsam
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Psycho is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films, and it still inspires countless horror movies and thrillers today. In particular, Anthony Perkins’ spine-chilling performance as Norman Bates has been mimicked endlessly, but never bettered. He’s the absolute standout in a strong cast.
Anthony Perkins’ spine-chilling performance as Norman Bates has been mimicked endlessly.
Even before the big twist, it’s clear that Norman is a little unusual at the very best. The script offers a few breadcrumbs, but it’s Perkins’ performance that does most of the work. In Norman’s dinner scene with Marion Crane, for example, Hitchcock highlights the off-putting presence that Perkins brings to the character.
9
Shirley MacLaine In The Apartment (1960)
MacLaine Underpins The Movie’s Tonal Shifts
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The Apartment
Approved
Comedy
Drama
Romance
10/10
Release Date
June 15, 1960
Runtime
125 minutes
Director
Billy Wilder
Writers
Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
Cast
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-
Jack Lemmon
-
Shirley MacLaine
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On the spectrum of Billy Wilder movies, The Apartment sits somewhere between the rapturous joy of Some Like It Hot and the dark tragedy of Sunset Boulevard. While there are plenty of hilarious moments, there are also some deeply upsetting scenes. Shirley MacLaine is often the actor tasked with carrying the story through these emotional swings.
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MacLaine plays a plucky elevator operator who always puts a smile on her face at work, even though she is mostly objectified or ignored completely. As the story develops, she reveals more about her aspirations and her fears, her need for affection and her struggle to stand up for herself. MacLaine manages to make her character relatable and realistic enough to be funny when needed, but just as heartbreaking when the story calls for it.
8
Enzo Staiola In Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Staiola Summons Rare Power For A Child Actor
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Bicycle Thieves
Not Rated
Drama
Release Date
December 13, 1949
Runtime
89 Minutes
Director
Vittorio De Sica
Writers
Cesare Zavattini, Luigi Bartolini, Oreste Biancoli, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Vittorio De Sica, Adolfo Franci, Gherardo Gherardi, Gerardo Guerrieri
Cast
See All
-
Lamberto Maggiorani
Antonio
-
Enzo Staiola
Bruno
-
Lianella Carell
Maria
-
Elena Altieri
The Charitable Lady
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Simply put, Enzo Staiola’s performance in Bicycle Thieves is up there with the greatest child performances in film history. There isn’t a moment when he isn’t believable, but the depths of his emotional intensity all come from his character’s position of relative innocence and naivety.
As much as Bicycle Thieves is a story about a man desperately trying to provide for his family, it’s also a heartbreaking coming-of-age tale. Bruno loses his hero, and discovers that the world is much harsher and more complex than he had previously thought. Staiola communicates this revelation without the need for much dialogue at all.
7
Lauren Bacall In To Have And Have Not (1944)
Bacall Often Did Her Best Work With Humphrey Bogart
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To Have and Have Not
Approved
Adventure
Comedy
Film Noir
Release Date
January 20, 1945
Runtime
100 Minutes
Director
Howard Hawks
Writers
Ernest Hemingway, Jules Furthman, William Faulkner, Cleve F. Adams, Whitman Chambers
Cast
See All
-
Humphrey Bogart
Harry Morgan
-
Walter Brennan
Eddie
-
Lauren Bacall
Marie Browning
-
Dolores Moran
Mme. Hellene de Bursac
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Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart made four great movies together, and it’s often a toss-up between The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not to decide which is best. The duo always seemed to bring the best out of one another, but Bacall is particularly absorbing in To Have and Have Not.
Bacall and Bogart started an affair on the set of To Have and Have Not, and they were married a year later. Their chemistry hums throughout the film, lending an extra spark to many of their scenes together. Bacall handles the comedy, the romance and the intense drama of To Have and Have Not with ease, making an astonishing big-screen debut.
6
Peter Sellers In Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Sellers Plays Three Roles, Each Of Them Hilarious
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Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
PG
Comedy
10/10
10/10
Release Date
January 29, 1964
Runtime
95 minutes
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Writers
Terry Southern, Stanley Kubrick, Peter George
Cast
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-
George C. Scott
-
Slim Pickens
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Dr. Strangelove is one of Stanley Kubrick’s best movies, showcasing his mastery of different genres once again. His dark political satire revolves around a legendary comedic performance from Peter Sellers, who plays three different characters of three different nationalities trapped in a struggle with potentially apocalyptic consequences.
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Dr. Strangelove shows just how many ways Sellers can make his audience laugh. He’s a weedy milquetoast as Lionel Mandrake, an insecure huckster as Merkin Muffley and a psychotic warmonger as Strangelove. Somehow, he’s hilarious in all three roles, and the fact that he’s essentially arguing with himself enhances the farcical humor.
5
Renée Falconetti In The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
Falconetti’s Performance Was Unlike Anything That Came Before It
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The Passion Of Joan Of Arc
NR
Drama
History
Release Date
April 21, 1928
Runtime
82 Minutes
Director
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writers
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Joseph Delteil
Cast
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-
Maria Falconetti
Jeanne d’Arc
-
Eugène Silvain
Bishop Pierre Cauchon
-
André Berley
Jean d’Estivet
-
Maurice Schutz
Nicolas Loyseleur
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The Passion of Joan of Arc represented a huge leap forward in the history of film, not for any technical innovations but for its emotional power. Carl Theodor Dreyer zooms in to tell his story primarily with the faces of his actors, which places added emphasis on a superb performance by Renée Falconetti.
Falconetti draws out the insecurity and panic of Joan of Arc. She may be a titanic figure in European history, but The Passion of Joan of Arc highlights the fact that she was a young woman shouldering an immense burden. Falconetti shows glimpses into her fractured psyche, culminating in a gut-wrenching execution scene.
4
Marlon Brando In On The Waterfront (1954)
Brando’s First Oscar Win Was Worth The Wait
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On The Waterfront
NR
Crime
Drama
Romance
See more : Payton Pritchard Girlfriend 2023, Who is Emma MacDonald?
8.5/10
Release Date
June 22, 1954
Runtime
108 Minutes
Director
Elia Kazan
Writers
Budd Schulberg
Producers
Sam Spiegel
Cast
See All
-
Marlon Brando
Father Barry
-
Karl Malden
Terry Malloy
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Marlon Brando’s movie career got off to a flying start, as he was nominated for Oscars in four consecutive years. After missing out three years in a row, he finally took home the prize for his performance in On the Waterfront, a tense crime drama about a longshoreman who struggles with the decision to speak out against his corrupt union.
Brando is utterly spellbinding in On the Waterfront, bringing a quiet intensity to a character who lives so much of his life guarding his true emotions. When he lets these emotions out, like in the famous cab scene, the result is a performance that has the power to speak to the heart. Brando pioneered method acting techniques in On the Waterfront, and the results speak for themselves.
3
Elizabeth Taylor In Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Taylor Is Part Of A Legendary Cast
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Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Approved
Drama
Release Date
June 22, 1966
Runtime
131 Minutes
Director
Mike Nichols
Writers
Ernest Lehman, Edward Albee
Cast
See All
-
Elizabeth Taylor
Martha
-
Richard Burton
George
-
George Segal
Nick
-
Sandy Dennis
Honey
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Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was nominated for 13 Oscars, including nominations in all four acting categories. This means that the entire credited cast received nominations. While they all deserve admiration, it’s Elizabeth Taylor who often steals the show as Martha, the emotionally wounded alcoholic embroiled in a fiery war of words with her husband.
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Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were Hollywood’s hottest couple at the time they made Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? together. It’s easy to see why some people have likened their volatile on-screen relationship to their marriage in real life. Whether she was inspired by her real experiences with Burton or not is pure conjecture, but Taylor’s sheer emotional power is undeniable.
2
Katharine Hepburn In Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Hepburn Goes Toe-To-Toe With Cary Grant In Her First Comedy Movie
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Bringing Up Baby
Comedy
Release Date
February 18, 1938
Director
Howard Hawks
Cast
See All
-
Katharine Hepburn
-
Cary Grant
-
Walter Catlett
-
Barry Fitzgerald
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Katharine Hepburn had already won the first of her four Oscars by the time she made Bringing Up Baby, but it was her first comedy role, so it pushed her into unfamiliar territory. She stars opposite Cary Grant, who was one of the biggest comedy stars of his era. Still, Hepburn rises above the pressure to deliver an unforgettable performance.
Bringing Up Baby is one of the funniest Old Hollywood comedies, and it’s still just as hilarious today. Hepburn’s performance is key to this, as her fast-talking, flighty socialite character overflows with charm. She develops a wonderful chemistry with Grant, and she went on to star in plenty more comedies.
1
Orson Welles In The Third Man (1949)
Welles Steals The Show In A Classic Post-War Thriller
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The Third Man
Approved
Noir
Mystery
Thriller
10/10
7/10
Release Date
February 1, 1950
Runtime
93 Minutes
Director
Carol Reed
Writers
Graham Greene, Orson Welles, Alexander Korda
Cast
See All
-
Orson Welles
-
Joseph Cotten
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Orson Welles was one of Hollywood’s great multi-hyphenates. Movies like Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons show that he was a brilliant director and writer, but he also delivered several outstanding performances in other people’s movies. The Third Man is arguably his most memorable of these performances.
Carol Reed gives him the show-stopping introduction he deserves.
It takes a while for Welles to show up in The Third Man, but Carol Reed gives him the show-stopping introduction he deserves. From the moment his face appears lit up in a doorway, Welles changes the entire film, turning each of his lines into an unforgettable quote. The Third Man is one of Orson Welles’ best movies, even though he didn’t direct it.
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