mastering monochrome

creations b&w films, tv shows, photography, edits

[aquarines]

lestat thee lioncourt

[aaronstveit]

I need him like the ax needs the turkey.

BARBARA STANWYCK as JEAN HARRINGTON The Lady Eve (1941) dir. Preston Sturges

[ladybegood]

Marlene Dietrich photographed by John Engstead for Seven Sinners (1940)

[princessnamora]

Gene Tierney as Isabel Bradley in The Razor's Edge (1946)

[title]

I don’t need anything in the world, darling, but you and a toothbrush.

William Powell & Myrna Loy After the Thin Man (1936), directed by W.S. Van Dyke

[princessnamora]

Lilian Bond as Gladys Perkins in The Old Dark House (1932)

[bwmedia]

[dailyflicks]

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) dir. George Romero

[title]

Katharine Hepburn as Tess Harding Woman of the Year (1942), directed by George Stevens

[sugarpuss-oshea-deactivated2025]

James Stewart as Macaulay “Mike” Connor in The Philadelphia Story 1940 dir. George Cukor

[limeshade]

When producer Carl Laemmle first read Gaston Leroux’s classic gothic mystery, his vision of Universal’s next extravagant horror success was instantaneous—it was said that he had known instantly who would be his Phantom. Character actor Lon Chaney, by then renowned for dramatic and demanding physical transformations, was given total creative control over his make-up for the Phantom, and personally dictated that any previews of his work be withheld from the press until the film’s release. The final cut of The Phantom of the Opera premiered September 6th, 1925—and throughout its run, audience members were alleged to have screamed and even fainted at the startling moment when Christine seizes the mask of the Phantom, revealing Erik’s monstrous visage to the world. As with many films of its time, any original prints of Chaney’s iconic silent horror are long lost; because of its superior quality, an assemblage of outtakes and alternate angles is the Phantom of the Opera most familiar to audiences today. Less often seen, a fuzzy, badly damaged reconstruction is all that remains of the theatrical release which thrilled and terrified audiences a century ago.

Mary Philbin as Christine Daaé and Lon Chaney as Erik, the Phantom

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Premiered September 6th, 1925 Directed by Rupert Julian et al. Shot by Charles Van Enger

[thevelvetgoldmine]

The Night of the Hunter (1955) dir. Charles Laughton

[thevelvetgoldmine]

Dream sequence designed by Salvador Dalí

SPELLBOUND (1945) dir. Alfred Hitchcock

[thevelvetgoldmine]

SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) dir. Billy Wilder

[thevelvetgoldmine]

PSYCHO (1960) dir. Alfred Hitchcock

[thevelvetgoldmine]

SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) dir. Billy Wilder

[thevelvetgoldmine]

And thus, as history has proved, love is eternal. It has been the strongest motivation for human actions throughout centuries. Love is stronger than life. It reaches beyond the dark shadow of death.

Laura (1944) dir. Otto Preminger