Is
this the movie?
The Goddess is a 1934 Chinese silent film directed by Wu Yonggang, featuring Ruan Lingyu in one of her most notable roles. It tells the poignant story of a...
archive.org
it is! I was so focused on everyone posting Youtube that I didn't consider looking elsewhere. Thought it didn't fit the theme or something. Hopefully you get something out of it if you end up trying it out! I've seen a lot of black and white movies during my life, honestly wasn't sure what would be a good fit, but I'll just post some random ones I enjoy. I'm going to assume modern black and white is out.
My dear mom always wanted me to get into John Wayne films because she grew up on them but honestly this might be the only one that's done a whole lot for me. Really entertaining ensemble film that has some stellar shots and creative editing. Surprisngly really funny at times too! Highly recommend.
https://archive.org/details/the-third-man-1949_202511
Probably one of my absolute favorite visual films ever, and I'm definitely not alone in that assessment! A noir staple really, and a film that I think utilizes the black and white format to perfection. The ending section of this leaves me breathless everytime I watch it.
https://archive.org/details/wild-strawberries
My absolute favorite film without question. Might be a bit on the nose about no being modern black and white, and its definitely on the slower arthouse side. This won't be for everyone, but it's the most life affirming quietly beautiful psychological portrait I've ever watched. I still think about the hike I took with my family after I watched this and how at peace I was with everything.
https://archive.org/details/the-life-of-oharu
Another arthouse film, this time a Japanese one and one I actually own. Incredibly depressing, but very empathetic. Mizoguchi is legit a master, figured I'd pay respects.
This one's also an infamously dark one as it's about an entire city trying to track down and deal with a child murderer, so be wary of that. Peter Lorre is absolutely fantastic in this role, and the film manages to balance asking incredibly tough questions while being an incredibly entertaining noir/thriller. Definitely a thought provoking movie, as pretentious as that might initially come across.
https://archive.org/details/the-invisible-man-1933_202105
True patrician's choice. Goofy over the top halloween classic. Not much else to say. The dude has killer sunglasses.
Hopefully you guys find something here you can get behind. Take it easy out there.
