Overview
A satirical look at the absurdity of colonial warfare and misguided duty.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- absurd
- political film night
- arthouse afternoon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an entertaining and pointed anti-colonial comedy-drama, especially for its race and colonialism commentary.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
French colonists recruit African locals and attempt to manufacture proper soldiers for a war whose meaning they barely understand.
The colonists' bungled mobilization and theatrical military rituals turn wartime authority into comic spectacle.
The plot directly stages French and German colonial rivalry in Africa and the coercive arming of the local population.
Boots, rifles, uniforms, and military ceremony are deployed as props in an unstable colonial settlement.
Films like Black and White in Color, and why
M*A*S*H
shared anti-colonial satire, absurdist wartime comedy, and critique of European imperialism
Catch-22
shared darkly comic treatment of colonial violence, institutional absurdity, and war's moral disorientation
The Battle of Algiers
shared African colonial setting, European imperial critique, and morally corrosive political drama
How I Won the War
shared farcical war atmosphere and exposure of nationalist hypocrisy through comic disarray
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Jacques Annaud
- Release Date
- 1976-09-22
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (44)
Cast
- Jean Carmet
- Jacques Dufilho
- Catherine Rouvel
- Jacques Spiesser
- Dora Doll
- Maurice Barrier
- Benjamin Memel Atchory
- Peter Berling
- Marius Beugre Boignan
- Claude Legros
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black and White in Color about?
- A sharply comic colonial war satire in which European military pretensions collapse amid the coercive absurdity of an African conflict.
- What is Black and White in Color like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black and White in Color as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Black and White in Color violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Black and White in Color as mild.
- What did critics think of Black and White in Color?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an entertaining and pointed anti-colonial comedy-drama, especially for its race and colonialism commentary.
- Which films are like Black and White in Color?
- Films with a similar feel include M*A*S*H, Catch-22, The Battle of Algiers, and How I Won the War.
- How long is Black and White in Color?
- Black and White in Color runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black and White in Color?
- In United States, Black and White in Color streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
