A few years ago the concept of showing successful box office films in black and white caught fire. The most notable ones were James Mangold's LOGAN and George Miller's MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. For whatever reason the fad faded away. Ah well, such is the fate of fickle film fans.
One director whose dream has been to helm a film in black and white is noted South Korean director Bong Joon Ho. The acclaimed director of THE HOST and SNOWPIERCER released arguably his best and most provocative film this past year with 2019's PARASITE. The film follows a poor South Korean family as they scheme to become employees of a wealthy one. PARASITE holds an astonishing 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been a smash both critically and commercially. A shower of Oscar nominations is also expected for the film come January 13.
Well while Ho waits for the opportunity to direct a film exclusively in black and white, he's not hesitating to present his latest magnum opus in that format. If you're a fan of Ho's PARASITE you will have the opportunity to soon catch the film in black and white…as long as you don't mind a trip to Holland. Bong Joon Ho is bringing PARASITE to the International Film Festival Rotterdam next month and will present the movie exclusively in black and white. So come for the pea soup and huzarensalade, stay for the film about wealth inequality!
In all seriousness though, I think it's pretty awesome when directors do something like this. LOGAN NOIR is pretty damn cool and I've no doubt Ho's version of PARASITE will be just as intriguing. Interestingly enough, this is not the first time Bong Joon Ho has done something like this. Ho presented a black and white version of his 2009 film MOTHER at the 2013 Mar Del Plata International film festival. Ho attributed his new version to F.W. Murnau's 1922 classic NOSFERATU.
So what do you guys think about releasing black and white versions of films? Is it something you like or do you feel it's a fad? Have you seen PARASITE yet? If so what did you think? Let us know in the comments below.
PARASITE releases on home video January 28.