So the first black-and-white movie I ever really sat down to watch was Nagin (1954).
And funny enough, the only reason I even gave it a chance was because of the later versions. You know that one remake where the snake literally kills everybody except that guy with the child? Yeah, that one. The scene where the snake was crawling across a rope… God. I was so small but I remember watching that like it was yesterday. I even memorized the song they used. Can’t remember my secondary school maths formulas to save my life but that song? Still in my head.
When I saw the original Nagin years later, it hit so different. No colour, no extra effects. Just plain black-and-white film. And I don’t know why but that made it scarier in a way? Like when she cried for her husband, it wasn’t just a movie cry, it looked real, raw. No costume glitter to distract you. Just her face, shadows, her grief. I remember pausing at some point like, “wait, is this the same story I thought I knew?”
The later remakes I saw as a kid were more… dramatic. The snake transformations, the shouting, the over-the-top death scenes. And back then, of course, that was entertaining to me. But when I saw the black-and-white one, it felt heavier. Like, forget snakes and revenge, this was really about a woman’s pain and how love can turn into rage when you lose it.
And honestly, black-and-white makes you focus differently. You stop waiting for “special effects” and you just feel the emotions. I didn’t expect that.
Would it have been better in colour? Nope. I think colour would’ve ruined the mood. Sometimes colour makes it look too fake, too playful. This one worked because it was plain and raw.
I also learnt that the actors often paint themselves in colors so the contrast can be more effective on black and white.
Watching it pulled me back to being a child, sitting in front of the TV, not fully understanding everything but still scared and still humming that rope-crawling song like I was part of the movie. Lmao.
So yeah, Nagin is my pick. It’s strange because I came to it backwards, first the remakes, then the original. But I think that’s why I appreciate it more. It’s like seeing the roots of a story you grew up with and realising, “ohh, this is where it started.”
This is in response to Cine TV Contest #144 - Favorite Movie That's Black and White
