Some useful information on dynamic range or latitude of the film (or digital chip) is presented in the article Dynamic Range Explained.
Reading various books and articles I learned that

• Black&White Film Negative is about 9 f-stops
• Color Film Negative is about 7 f-stops
• Color Film Positive (slides) is about 3-5 f-stops
• Canon 1D Mark II has about 9 f-stop range

So the article mostly confirms the information I've learned and states that the digital cameras (professional grade) have equal or better latitute than traditional film. And the only battle to win is the resolution, because the grain/noise battle has already been won by digital cameras.