10 Great Black & White Westerns You Need To See

The Western genre of filmmaking was full of so many incredible black-and-white movies that showcased the enthralling stories of cowboys, gunslingers, and outlaws. While many Western movies have utilized the power of color to showcase beautiful depictions of scenic landscapes as a highly picturesque view of America was presented onscreen, plenty more have traded color for the effective impact of black-and-white filmmaking. While this was a necessity in the early days of Hollywood, as color took over as the primary style of moviemaking, black-and-white films became a more intentional stylistic choice.

The best black-and-white Westerns were made by acclaimed directors like John Ford and featured iconic Western stars such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Glenn Ford. While most of the greatest black-and-white Westerns were released during the genre’s heyday from the 1930s to the 1950s, there were also some standout colorless releases in more recent times. Although black-and-white movies may look outdated to some, these films have all stood the test of time and ranked among the best Westerns ever produced.

10

3:10 To Yuma (1957)

Directed by Delmer Daves

A small-time rancher was hired to take out a big-shot outlaw in the black-and-white Western classic 3:10 Yuma. With Glenn Ford as the struggling everyman Dan Evans and Van Heflin as the notorious stagecoach-robbing gunslinger Ben Wade, 3:10 to Yuma was an intense Western shootout with beautiful cinematography. As Evans sought vengeance against the criminal who killed his two sons, the most striking thing about 3:10 to Yuma was how well it utilized its black-and-white imagery to create some truly spectacular mise-en-scène.

While 3:10 to Yuma was famously remade by director James Mangold with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, that adaptation lacked the sharp black-and-white cinematography of the original version and paled in comparison. With an engrossing story, compelling characters, and a truly impressive aesthetic, 3:10 to Yuma deserved to be ranked among the best Westerns of the 1950s. The film was also memorable for its theme song, “The 3:10 to Yuma,” which highlighted the movie’s themes of cowboys, outlaws, and the greater good in the Old West.

9

Fort Apache (1948)

Directed by John Ford

As just one of many collaborations between director John Ford and screen legend John Wayne, Fort Apache was a fantastic black-and-white Western that acted as one of the first in its genre to present a sympathetic view of Native Americans. Having previously been portrayed as one-dimensional savage villains, Fort Apache gave credence to indigenous cultures and presented them with previously unseen respect. Wayne was joined by a star-studded cast in Fort Apache that also included Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple in one of her final film roles.

With a story inspired by real-life Wild West conflicts like the Battle of Little Bigfoot and the Fetterman Fight, Fort Apache told a complex story about an honorable veteran in conflict with a prejudiced lieutenant colonel who held no respect for local tribes. The first in Ford’s ‘Cavalry Trilogy’, Fort Apache was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande. Fort Apache was a clever and nuanced Western that revealed hidden depth with every subsequent viewing.

8

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Directed by John Ford

As a film released in 1962, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was produced after color had taken over the film industry and was intentionally made in black-and-white to feed into its themes of mythmaking. With two legendary Western stars teaming up, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starred John Wayne and James Stewart in an expertly crafted deconstruction of the myth of the Old West. A statement on the glorification of bandits, gunslingers, and outlaws, the film was a stepping stone toward a more self-aware style of filmmaking in Hollywood.

While The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance leaned into many tropes and clichés of the Western genre, it did so in a self-aware way that highlighted how legends were made, and the way society bends the truth for the sake of a good story. A powerful representation of the complexities of heroes and villains, this John Ford Western traded the vibrant landscapes of movies like The Searchers for intense melodrama. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’s themes can be summed up well by its iconic quote: “This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

7

Blood On The Moon (1948)

Directed by Robert Wise

Blood on the Moon was a swift 88-minute Western that utilized its black-and-white style to present a fascinating, psychological, film noir Western. Directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Mitchum, this highly engrossing Old West story revolved around the unemployed cowhand Jim Garry, his dishonest friend Tate Riling, and a dispute between homesteaders and cattleman John Lufton. As a tight-drawn Western drama, Blood on the Moon was full of suspense and intrigue.

Blood on the Moon was based on the novel Gunman’s Cattle by Luke Short and was an interesting mishmash of genres that took the best from both Westerns and film noirs to deliver something truly unique. While the story of a noble man embroiled in intense conflict was nothing new, Blood on the Moon put a clever spin on a good gunfighter stepping in to end a dispute. Full of memorable scenes, such as the epic bar fight, Blood on the Moon was essential viewing for Western enthusiasts.

6

My Darling Clementine (1946)

Directed by John Ford

Over the years, there have been countless Western movies made about the outlaws Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, but one of the best has to be John Ford’s My Darling Clementine. Set during the lead-up to the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, My Darling Clementine was an enjoyable black-and-white Western and a classic dramatization of the Earp legend and his fast-shooting ways. With exceptional performances by Henry Fonda and Victor Mature, the appeal of My Darling Clementine has not lessened in the almost 80 years since its release.

As Earp and his crew tried to settle a score with the Clanton family, whom they believed stole their cattle and murdered their brother, My Darling Clementine was a fascinating document of the events surrounding Tombstone. The film was given extra relevance as Ford claimed to have known the real Earp (via Life in the 1800s), which gave his representation in My Darling Clementine a unique appeal. As an outlaw who was never recorded on video or audio, the fact that Ford made a movie about Earp made My Darling Clementine a unique and important historical document.

5

Dead Man (1995)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch

While many of the best black-and-white Western movies were made during the height of the genre from the 1930s to the 1950s, the American auteur Jim Jarmusch cast his unique vision on this style with his 1995 movie Dead Man. A highly unusual acid Western starring Johnny Depp, Dead Man took viewers on a journey through the Old West, the poetry of William Blake, and many allusions to 20th-century American culture. Described by Jarmusch as a “psychedelic Western” (via The Age), Dead Man was shot entirely in monochrome and featured a soundtrack by Neil Young.

Dead Man told the story of an accountant named William Blake who encountered a Native American spirit guide named Nobody who prepared him for his entry into the spiritual world. As an idiosyncratic exploration of colonialism, culture, and identity, Dead Man was very different from the black-and-white Westerns of the past. A profound revision of many Western tropes, Dead Man proved that there were still new avenues that could be explored within the genre.

4

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

Directed by William A. Wellman

The Ox-Bow Incident lost out on the Best Picture Academy Award to Casablanca and deserved to be remembered with the same reverence and honored with the same legacy as that classic romance picture. As a black-and-white classic and one of the earliest examples of a psychological Western, The Ox-Bow Incident was a dark drama that stood in stark contrast to the more upbeat Westerns that were popular at the time. The Ox-Bow Incident was an incredibly challenging movie that Western legend Clint Eastwood stated was his favorite film of all time.

Despite its trailblazing reputation, The Ox-Bow Incident was not a commercial hit at the time of its release, as its story about three men divided over whether to lynch a man was far too dark for mainstream contemporary audiences. However, the intense themes of The Ox-Bow Incident were also part of the reason it has stood the test of time. As a powerful statement deriding mob lynching, The Ox-Bow Incident was an unflinching look at the moralistic contradictions of society.

3

The Gunfighter (1950)

Directed by Henry King

Gregory Peck excelled as the notorious aging “fastest gun in the West” Jimmy Ringo in The Gunfighter, a classic black-and-white Western that featured themes of legacy, love, and violence. Peck played the gunslinger who came into town looking for his true love who wanted nothing to do with him, and, while he couldn’t get the girl, one thing he had no issue finding was trouble. With a reputation as a skilled outlaw, Ringo can’t help but become the target of every young cowboy seeking to make a name for themselves.

There was never a dull moment in The Gunfighter, as Peck powerfully portrayed a doomed man with no choice but to continuously kill or be killed. Much like its unfortunate lead character, the reputation of The Gunfighter has only continued to grow over the years as it stood as a clever and insightful statement on the nature of violence that felt incredibly modern for a movie from 1950. Reportedly, the studio hated Peck’s mustache, and after The Gunfighter underperformed at the box office, producer Spyros P. Skouras told him, “That mustache cost us millions” (via Golden Globes.)

2

Stagecoach (1939)

Directed by John Ford

Stagecoach was one of the greatest films by director John Ford that proved even a black-and-white Western can still be full of thematic color and intrigue. With Claire Trevor and John Wayne in the starring roles, Stagecoach was the film that cemented Wayne’s leading man status and contributed greatly to his legacy as a Western icon. While the story of Stagecoach, which involved a group of travelers threatened by Apache tribesmen, presented an outdated depiction of Native Americans as simplistic savages, it still stood as one of the most influential movies ever made.

Director Orson Welles described Stagecoach as the perfect textbook for filmmaking and claimed to have watched the movie 40 times in preparation for Citizen Kane (via Express.) With a mythic representation of America, interesting characters, and allegorical storytelling, Stagecoach transcended the Western genre to produce a highly intelligent film. While criticism of Stagecoach can be attributed to it being a product of its time, in other ways, it also felt incredibly modern for a movie from the 1930s.

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1

High Noon (1952)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann

At the time of its release, High Noon was mired in controversy due to its perceived political themes surrounding McCarthyism and blacklisting in Hollywood. However, in the years since its release, this black-and-white Western has earned a reputation as one of the greatest Western movies ever made. High Noon had a story that occurred in real-time that concerned a town marshal whose duty was tested after he had to decide whether to face a gang of killers alone or split town with his wife.

With Gary Cooper as Marsal Will Kane and Grace Kelly as his wife Amy Fowler, the characters in High Noon maintained a strong commitment to duty and the order of the law. These moralistic themes led to several U.S. presidents citing High Noon as among their favorite movies of all time (via Independent.) Although, not everybody was a fan, screen legend John Wayne rejected this classic Western and derided it as “the most un-American thing I’ve ever seen” due to its perceived communist ideals.

Sources: Life in the 1800s, The Age, Golden Globes, Express, Independent