[jazman]

Originally Posted by Elder-Pirate

Why? There has been color film since the thirties ( actually around 1906 was the start http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1041889 ) but black & white was more popular at the time. I've some personal color photo's my dad took in 1944 at Guam. These are not my Dad's WWII films but check this site out: http://www.ww2incolor.com/chart1.html
I'm pretty sure the Japanese had color film at that time also.
In reality there is too much B&W film used today referring to older times. Maybe people that use B&W today trying to show older days do not realize everything was in color since we have known the planet was born.

This reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes strip (note: this is text only, use your imagination):

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1100879

CALVIN: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn't they have color film back then?

CALVIN'S DAD: Sure they did. In fact, those old photographs are in color. It's just the world was black and white then.

CALVIN: Really?

CALVIN'S DAD: Yep. The world didn't turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.

CALVIN: That's really weird.

CALVIN'S DAD: Well, truth is stranger than fiction.

CALVIN: But then why are old paintings in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn't artists have painted it that way?

CALVIN'S DAD: Not necessarily, a lot of great artists were insane.

CALVIN: But ... but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn't their paints have been shades of gray back then?

CALVIN'S DAD: Of course, but they turned colors like everything else in the '30s.

CALVIN: So why didn't old black and white photos turn color too?

CALVIN'S DAD: Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?

(CUT TO: EXT. Tree limb, Calvin talking with Hobbes)

CALVIN: The world is a complicated place, Hobbes.

HOBBES: Whenever it seems that way, I take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner.