Thread: Great Cinematographers

I love good cinematography, but I've never really delved into that world enough to retain the names of most of the "Great Cinematographers".

But the films of Hitchcock have always impressed me, partly due to the cinematography, especially the films he made after the mid-30s (starting with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)) and those after he moved to Hollywood (starting with Rebecca).

So that would be Bernard Knowles for most of the last English-made films, but once he settled in Hollywood in 1941, his cinematographers would come and go. Even when he was able to function as his own Producer for his films (1945), the cinematography was still a revolver door, until 1951 when Robert Burks worked with Hitch on Strangers On a Train. They worked together on some of Hitch's most notable films: Dial M For Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, and The Birds. They worked together exclusively (except for Psycho) until 1964s Marnie.

Marnie was actually quite the pivot for Hitchcock, as it would also be his last film with long time collaborators Bernard Hermann, and editor George Tomasini (who passed away after the film was completed).

Hitchcock only made four more films after that, each with different cinemtographers, composers, and editors.

FUN FACT: The score for Hitchcock's last film, the 1976 comedy thriller Family Plot, was composed by John Williams, fresh off his success with Jaws.

So, I'd say Bernard Knowles and Robert Burks

I'd like to bring up cinematographer Jaques Tati. He has made just handful of films. These considered comedies and are hilariously funny indeed however specially two go way deeper than make you laugh:
Mon Oncle (My Uncle) 1958 that illustrates the absurdity of emerging industrial/futuristic society and fighting to survive centuries old ways of living.
Playtime 1967 that is beautiful collage of modern environment of bureaucracy, human alienation, sterile space. The human interactions as messy and uncontrollable are compressed into small pockets that are allowed to exist in specially designed clean-space. However that gets often challenged and ruined by non complying individuals. Visually absolutely marvellous.

British cinematograher Jack Cardiff. Two films of his are significant for their lighting/cinematography. Here is the first, "The Red Shoes" - absolutely gorgeous production design (Heckroth) and superb mobile/canted framing and lighting. If you watch this ballet from the film you'll notice some prolonged shots where the camera is following Shearer; here Cardiff uses the stage spot light to keep his focus on the dancer. When you move your frame to such an extent in a single take this makes lighting extremely difficult, nigh impossible, since set-ups are usually made for specific shots; ergo, the spot light. Clever. And the spot isn't always there, which reveals the specific lighting for the shot compositions. In the second half of the ballet, where it becomes more frenetic and psychological, super-impositions are used (these, of course, occur during editing and in the laboratory). A film of the highest level of artistry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktv3-1JTspc

This is the second, "Black Narcissus"; in some ways a risible and improbable film, but it looks wonderful, thanks largely to production design and Cardiff. Here are some interesting comments on the film, which qualifies as 'cinema art':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SZNO74B5y0

And here is a documentary - in separate parts on U-Tube - with Cardiff talking about the film: he discusses lighting and the three-strip Technicolor process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqRmV9OMxo0

It should be noted that both of these films still technically conform to what is known as "classical Hollywood narrative film". In this aesthetic, the camera almost never draws attention to itself - never removes audiences from the concerns of the narrative. All is at the service of the illusion of film; its verisimilitude. The important caveat is that, in the instance of these two Powell and Pressburger films, they are inherently artistic, creative and often surreal. Ergo, artistry forms part of the narrative itself and is front and centre of the experience rather than subservient to it.

Originally Posted by Christabel

British cinematograher Jack Cardiff. Two films of his are significant for their lighting/cinematography. Here is the first, "The Red Shoes" - absolutely gorgeous production design (Heckroth) and superb mobile/canted framing and lighting. If you watch this ballet from the film you'll notice some prolonged shots where the camera is following Shearer; here Cardiff uses the stage spot light to keep his focus on the dancer. When you move your frame to such an extent in a single take this makes lighting extremely difficult, nigh impossible, since set-ups are usually made for specific shots; ergo, the spot light. Clever. And the spot isn't always there, which reveals the specific lighting for the shot compositions. In the second half of the ballet, where it becomes more frenetic and psychological, super-impositions are used (these, of course, occur during editing and in the laboratory). A film of the highest level of artistry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktv3-1JTspc

This is the second, "Black Narcissus"; in some ways a risible and improbable film, but it looks wonderful, thanks largely to production design and Cardiff. Here are some interesting comments on the film, which qualifies as 'cinema art':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SZNO74B5y0

And here is a documentary - in separate parts on U-Tube - with Cardiff talking about the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqRmV9OMxo0

It should be noted that both of these films still technically conform to what is known as "classical Hollywood narrative film". In this aesthetic, the camera almost never draws attention to itself - never removes audiences from the concerns of the narrative. All is at the service of the illusion of film; its verisimilitude. The important caveat is that, in the instance of these two Powell and Pressburger films, they are inherently artistic, creative and often surreal. Ergo, artistry forms part of the narrative itself and is front and centre of the experience rather than subservient to it.

I think that at least A matter of life and death and Pandora are as beautiful as the two mentioned.

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but in general his work is a joy for the eyes

Absolutely agree!! There was something very special about Technicolor, which is mentioned in one of those links I provided. That Technicolor "Process 4" system yielded some astonishing hues. The story of colour film is compelling and it speaks of really sophisticated cameras and processes. The main problem with those Process 3 and 4 systems was the size of the magazines/blimps - which carried up to 3 reels of films simultaneously. Today those films have been restored with remarkable results. But, in general, camera manufacturers worked with those systems, enabling them; eg. Mitchell cameras. (We used Mitchell 16mm when making documentary films for television in the 1970s; we had high-speed (variable speed) cameras - for slow motion - and, of course, standard speed.)

People think that the cinematographer's job is to set the lighting, turn on the camera and shoot. Directors like Hitchcock had pre-planned shooting scripts and storyboards but others did not and the discretion of the DP was important. A cinematographer has to have a comprehensive knowledge of films stocks, processes, filters and lenses when making decisions about the shooting of a film. This is a very complicated business and, in fact, Technicolor used its own specialist technicians/art directors (eg. Natalie Kalmus) in helping to make these films work!!

Here are filters used by Leon Shamroy for "South Pacific": one of his considerations would have been 'how do I keep the colour dimensions vivid but filtered?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXgmQDFhPjo

It's a fascinating topic and I became interested in film stock and cinematography when I worked as Continuity in documentary films for TV. (Some of those cinematographers went on to major careers, eg. John Seale, "The English Patient". Without naming any names - a few of them were absolute pigs!! I did not personally work with Seale.)

(I forget to mention that every DP has a small army of assistants from 'camera operator', 'focus puller' etc. Like screenwriting, it can be a team effort as well.)

I don't know to what extent that 'mystical' element via filters was called for by director Joshua Logan - who was essentially a Broadway director. (He also directed "Picnic", "Bus Stop", "Sayonara" and one or two others.) But I think Leon Shamroy was an exceptionally good cinematographer and he made a 'stagy' story like "South Pacific" look pretty grand on the wide screen. There's an awful lot of space to fill too, when you think about it. Of all the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals committed to film I think "South Pacific" is the least successful - primarily because it's inherently a theatre piece sans the dancing set pieces of the other works - and because the score is so eclectic. I didn't know if I was watching vaudeville ("Honey Bun"), romance ("Younger than Springtime"), social commentary ("You've got to be taught") or operetta ("Some Enchanted Evening"). Shamroy also worked on "The King and I".

But Leon Shamroy raised the film over and above those doubts with his incredible images. He let the actors shine on a visually splendid canvas.

This is another of his earlier achievements: I'm thinking this is maybe from the days of Process 3 Technicolor. This film is regarded as a 'color noir' (using the American spelling). It's soapy, but it sure looks good!! He won an oscar for his work on "Leave Her to Heaven".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR6p5HcfCpc

Another good discussion to have is about aspect ratios themselves, but that might become a bit esoteric!!

John Alcott is at or near the top for me. Barry Lyndon is amazing! All shot in natural light. Love the nature scenes, where they look like 18th century paintings. He also did 2001 and Clockwork Orange with Kubrick.

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