Top Ten Cinematography Masterpieces?

[Tom Lowe]

Alright, let's get some serious discussion going here.

Name what you think are the Top Ten cinematography masterpieces.

Here goes my list:

1. The New World - Malick, Lubezki
2. The Thin Red Line - Malick, Toll
3. Days of Heaven - Malick, Almendros
4. Barry Lyndon - Kubrick, Alcott
5. Legends of the Fall - Zwick, Toll
6. Baraka - Fricke
7. Braveheart - Gibson, Toll
8. In the Mood for Love - Wong, Doyle
9. Citizen Kane - Welles, Toland
10. 2046 - Wong, Doyle

[Mark L. Pederson]

The Conformist
Ran
Apocalypse Now
The French Connection
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Raging Bull

still thinking ....

[Tom Lowe]

The Conformist
Ran

Haven't seen The Conformist, YET.

Ran is in my cinematography Top 20.

[Blaine Golden]

Apocalypse Now!
Braveheart
The Wind and the Lion
The Last of the Mohicans
Body Heat
Cool Hand Luke
Blade Runner
L.A. Confidential
The Last Picture Show
Shindler's List

[Tom Lowe]

Blaine, i see no Malick in there??

[Ruairi Robinson]

Blaine, i see no Malick in there??

You forgot Badlands.

And Lawrence of Arabia.

And HEAT.

and Hero.

and Punch Drunk Love.

And Fuck it, I'll throw in Conan The Barbarian, and The Thing too, just to piss any snobs off...

R.

[P Andersson]

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171952173.jpg
stalker

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171952894.jpg
bladerunner

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171951958.jpg
8 1/2

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171952479.jpg
paris texas

[P Andersson]

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954788.jpg
apocalypse now

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954747.jpg
2046

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954854.jpg
the last emperor

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954890.jpg
a clockwork orange

[P Andersson]

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954974.jpg
wild strawberries

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171955265.jpg
chili peppers

[Blaine Golden]

Blaine, i see no Malick in there??I appreciate that you're a fan. I'm not. The only thing I really liked by Malick is Badlands. The New World was okay but I'm definitely not a fan of The Thin Red Line. They both looked nice, I just felt unsatisfied by the pacing and story, though I have to say I liked The New World better than The Thin Red Line. It's just a personal taste thing. But we should be talking about the cinematographers, not necessarily the director and even though I don't care for The Thin Red Line, John Toll is a hell of a cinematographer...as is Conrad Hall, though I don't necessarily care for all his movies, it's pretty hard to deny his brilliance as a cinematographer. Emanuel Lubezki, well, I think he's in love with unmotivated handheld photography. He shot one hell of a shot in Children of Men but there were many shots in the movie that he would have been better served putting his camera on stix or a Steadicam.

[Billy Summers]

I appreciate that you're a fan. I'm not. The only thing I really liked by Malick is Badlands. The New World was okay but I'm definitely not a fan of The Thin Red Line. They both looked nice, I just felt unsatisfied by the pacing and story, though I have to say I liked The New World better than The Thin Red Line. It's just a personal taste thing. But we should be talking about the cinematographers, not necessarily the director and even though I don't care for The Thin Red Line, John Toll is a hell of a cinematographer...as is Conrad Hall, though I don't necessarily care for all his movies, it's pretty hard to deny his brilliance as a cinematographer. Emanuel Lubezki, well, I think he's in love with unmotivated handheld photography. He shot one hell of a shot in Children of Men but there were many shots in the movie that he would have been better served putting his camera on stix or a Steadicam.

Yeah, all my gaffer/DP freinds were saying how amazing Children of Men was. When I saw it, the most amazing thing were the long shots and camera choreography. Not really the "Look" of the film in particular :meh:

[Ralph Oshiro]

Those are some of my very favorites, too!

1. Days of Heaven
2. The Conformist
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Blade Runner

[Robert Niessner]

I have to throw in the series "Six Feet Under" - great lighting and camera, loved it!

[PaulClements]

No one's included Psycho? There are some shots in that which are considered revolutionary.

And what about some of Akira Kurisawa's or Orson Welles Citizen Kane?

Admittedly much of the modern work has a cleaner aesthetic than much of the older stuff but at the end of the day most of the shots you see today were being invented by such pioneering directors and their dp's (They're all only able to shoot with what they have)... ought to be worth a shout for some of the oldens :)

I'd probably include the opening part of Saving Private Ryan because that was incredible (I hated the second half of the film, then again not for the cinematography so that's probably unfair :)).

Apocalypse Now and Blade Runner I think are a fair bet.

Heck I'd probably even throw in StarWars, because at the end of the day I don't think as many people have been stunned when turning up to a cinema as those who turned up to watch that when it first came out. And at the end of the day that's what good cinematography ought to do. It's a pretty simple story who's aesthetics really made it monumental - IF those opening scenes and the rest that follows had sucked there probably wouldn't be too many people who remember it as fondly.

Might come back later when I have more time.

[Clayton Harper]

Agwah,

What refined taste you have!

Uh, anybody on here ever heard of Conrad Hall?

http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/Films/InColdBlood2.jpg

Ruairi: LOL on Conan. I love to watch that movie with the commentary from John Milius and Arnold. ARNOLD: "Look at her. She's hypmotized."

Looking at this thread makes me realize I LOVE MOVIES!

[P Andersson]

thanks

yes, it was interesting to put together the list of ten movies, not only are they made up of great images more than anything else, but the love of the image runs as deep in the director as it does in the cinematographer

yes did hear of conrad hall, there is a great sample on a video about cinematography where that image from in cold blood is discussed, "visions of light" really really recommend it for all fans of cinematography

[Ruairi Robinson]

Agwah,

What refined taste you have!

Uh, anybody on here ever heard of Conrad Hall?

http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/Films/InColdBlood2.jpg

Ruairi: LOL on Conan. I love to watch that movie with the commentary from John Milius and Arnold. ARNOLD: "Look at her. She's hypmotized."

Looking at this thread makes me realize I LOVE MOVIES!


Hehe - It's obvious Schwarzenegger barely remembers the thing, and when Milius explains what's going on, and Arnie keeps going "EXACTLY"

disclaimer: Arnie fucking rocks.

Anyone ever see Electra Glide in Blue? That last shot is pretty amazing (Conrad Hall too)

[J. Bernard Vallon]

I think people are going to be talking about Sin City for a long time. The revolutionary artwork was really from the comic book, but no one has ever made a movie look like that before.

Also, some of the gizmos designed for camera movement in Children of Men are just crazy:

http://www.fxguide.com/article390.html

[PaulClements]

I wasn't overly keen on Sin City to be honest. I felt it relied on CG TOO much. One of the greatest mistakes made when using CG is doing shots that simply could or would not be done in real life. When this is done you get shots that look noticably fake, such as many of the car chases. If they had used the shots (Those made using CG) in a manner reflecting how those shots would be created in real life I would agree that it have had a very good look to it.

[Finner]

Hi Tom,

I see your number 5 is Legends of the fall. I worked on that film and even though it has some very beautiful photography I am not sure how well I feel it actually helps tell the story. The best film I ever worked on (one of my firsts) was Unforgiven and I feel the cinematography in it does a better job to tell the story then Legends.

I have struggled over the last few years as my mind is changing on what great cinematography is. For many many years I had always felt great cinematography was the film with the most beautiful lighting and pictures. The last few years though I have begun to feel that great cinematography is what style and pictures best tell the story. An exampleof this for me this year was Children of Men. There are lots of shots and lighting in it that simply look very poor, but yet its look, style and feel do an incredible job to help tell the story and pull you in.

Just a few thoughts I have had lately on cinematography. As I mention I have begun to question how to define it and have not yet come to any conclusions on it.

[P Andersson]

Hi Tom,

I see your number 5 is Legends of the fall. I worked on that film and even though it has some very beautiful photography I am not sure how well I feel it actually helps tell the story. The best film I ever worked on (one of my firsts) was Unforgiven and I feel the cinematography in it does a better job to tell the story then Legends.

I have struggled over the last few years as my mind is changing on what great cinematography is. For many many years I had always felt great cinematography was the film with the most beautiful lighting and pictures. The last few years though I have begun to feel that great cinematography is what style and pictures best tell the story. An exampleof this for me this year was Children of Men. There are lots of shots and lighting in it that simply look very poor, but yet its look, style and feel do an incredible job to help tell the story and pull you in.

Just a few thoughts I have had lately on cinematography. As I mention I have begun to question how to define it and have not yet come to any conclusions on it.

Finner,

I think it is true as you say it, for years the best cinematographers and directors did make films where every shot was looking incredible, so it is natural that you would favor this style during that time. But now something else is going on in our post punk environment. The most talented people are using images that are screwed around with and used in completely different ways, shaking camera, low fi, distorted colors etc. are part of the choices to make the story come through.

However as the topic list was "masterpieces" I couldn't make myself put down "the celebration", "inland empire" or "sin city" as they are pioneers into new ways of telling a story where the style is still evolving. There will be ways that digital will create a whole new mastery, and this is really interesting as well.

so to throw in a related image:
http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171988009.jpg
inland empire

[Phil Becque]

Hey Finner - You worked on Unforgiven!! That's one of my favourite movies. Come on man spill the beans what did you do exactly . . . . .brill

[Justin Kirchhoff]

BladeRunner, Road to Perdition, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, Blow, Traffic, etc, etc.

[Rogelio Salinas]

Some of my favs of the top of my head:
LOTR Trilogy
Hero
House of Flying Daggers
Last Samurai
Saving Private Ryan
Godfather
Casablanca
Shawshank Redemption
Man on Fire
Passion of the Christ
Usual Suspects
Seven

[Finner]

Hey Finner - You worked on Unforgiven!! That's one of my favourite movies. Come on man spill the beans what did you do exactly . . . . .brill

Nothing very exciting, just loaded in the dark room and laid marks got coffee's for the big guys. What I can say is Clint is an amazing man and deserves all the respect he gets as he gives respect to evn the lowest person on the crew.

[Phil Becque]

Nothing very exciting, just loaded in the dark room and laid marks got coffee's for the big guys. What I can say is Clint is an amazing man and deserves all the respect he gets as he gives respect to evn the lowest person on the crew.

Well good for you - I'd have paid to make coffee on that film! I'm a big Clint fan - ever since the Raw Hide days - He just gets better and better. Nice to hear that he treats everyone well - that's quite a feat when you're a living legend.

Thanks for letting me know. That's made my day!! If you're going to NAB I'll have to get you a pint of beer or what ever you fancy!

Let me know.

All the best, Phil

[Jaime Vallés]

I felt that the Lord of the Rings trilogy was some of the most breathtaking photography I've ever seen in a film. The Abyss also has a great look.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Looking through this thread I'm seeing that I have a lot of films in my top list that others do... But a couple mentioned here confuse me.

Blade Runner? Really? I kinda liked the movie. I'm a real sci-fi nut, but it didn't do it for me. I found it to be contrived, dry and somewhat forced in its satirical view of a possible future. If we're going to mention Blade Runner, why not Dune? I don't see where the cinematography in Blade Runner was anything special. Then again, I also feel that Hollywood still has yet to grasp what good sci-fi truly is. Most Hollywood attempts degenerate into social satire and are often cynical in nature. Or they're complete fantasy with little or no basis on reality. Or they're dumbed-down to the point where my dog could comprehend the story if he had another 20 words in his vocabulary, in order to cater to a broad audience.

Some of Hollywood's biggest disasters often fall into the realm of sci-fi -- and even more fitting, disaster movies. ;)

I agree with Finner on Legends... Some beautiful shots in that film, great photography overall. I thought the script and cast were overly ambitious for the actual story being told. The whole movie just didn't feel right is the best way I can put it. Almost like it was trying too hard to be more than it was.

I'm still thinking about what would be in my top 10 list. My take on a lot of it is that great cinematography should be more than just pretty photography, it must immerse the audience within the story.

[Policar]

1. Days of Heaven
2. Citizen Kane/Best Years of Our Lives (two sides of Tolland)

Not sure anything else really matters. These are the standards by which I judge everything else. (And, tellingly, beauty is above function and innovation.)

I'm surprised there are so few commercial/popular directors here.

What about Spielberg/Kaminski, Bay, and Bill Pope? Even Richardson should get more mention, imo.

[Steve Gibby]

My very uncomplicated view of the concept of "best" cinematography is simply this:

Giving all due respect to high-standard production values in footage, I believe that there is no universal "best" cinematography - but only a "best" cinematography choice to most effectively tell the story of each individual production.

Beyond that definition, I believe all else is merely subjective comparison...

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I gave it some more thought and I've got a top 10... Actually, I'm still flip-flopping on a couple of them, even ones I don't have listed, but here goes. And not necessarily in any sort of order, just alphabetical.

Apocalypse Now
Braveheart
Citizen Kane
Dances With Wolves
Forest Gump
Lawrence of Arabia
Road to Perdition
Saving Private Ryan
The Shawshank Redemption
Shindler's List

Honorable mention:
Around the World in 80 Days
Ben-Hur
Far and Away
The Last Samurai
LOTR Trilogy
O' Brother Where Art Thou?
Titanic
Unforgiven

...Others that have been mentioned that I really liked for their pioneering style or flair of sorts are Seven and Man on Fire. And I know we're crossing into the realm of Animation, but I thought Tim Burton did an amazing job with The Corpse Bride. It's a fun little film that does such a great job of telling the story, great use of color, lighting, and the shot/set/character design were perfect.

[chuck colburn]

Repulsion
Chinatown
Oh what the heck, anything done by Polanski

[Michael Struthers]

We don't care about "best", but "favorites" is a better word since everyone has those...

For pure cinematography -

Old Skool Style -
L' Avventura
Lawrence of Arabia
2001


New Skool Style
Requiem for a Dream
Traffic
Irreversible


Man, just too many to list...

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Oh what the heck, anything done by Polanski

Oliver Twist? ;)

...I'll give a thumbs up for Repulsion, though!

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Man, just too many to list...

Got that right...

[P Andersson]

Man, just too many to list...

absolutely l'avventura and irreversible, keep going, you made six what are the other four

[chuck colburn]

Oliver Twist? ;)

...I'll give a thumbs up for Repulsion, though!

I liked his Oliver Twist, starts off pretty standard but towards the end it gets odder and odder. Might be worth a rewatch if you weren't to impressed on first viewing.
I can live without The Fearless Vampire Killers though!

[Sanjin Jukic]

1. Citizen Kane / Welles
2. Battleship Potemkin / Eisenstein
3. 8 1/2 / Fellini
4. Stalker / Tarkovski
5. Vertigo / Hitchcock
6. L'Avventura / Antonioni
7. Red / Beatty
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey / Kubrick
9. Seven Samurai / Kurosawa
10. The Godfather / Coppola

[GlennChan]

Sanjin: Why not list the cinematographers for those films? ;)

I really like the lighting in Godfather 1 & 2 though. I didn't like the lighting in 3 at all... it felt way too much like a Hollywood blockbuster movie.

2- Perhaps lighting is like the visual counterpart to music + sound design. It sets the mood and feeling of the story. And like music, it's more important in some genres than others... i.e. horror. Although you could argue that for film noir, lighting is important but music not terribly so.

[Alexander Nikishin]

#1 - Apocalypse Now Redux - Vittorio Storaro
#2 - The Element of Crime - Tom Elling
#3 - A Space Odyssey 2001 - Geoffrey Unsworth
#4 - Stalker - Aleksandr Knyazhinsky, Georgi Rerberg
#5 - Saving Private Ryan - Janusz Kaminski
#6 - Blade Runner - Jordan Cronenweth
#7 - Blood Simple - Barry Sonnenfeld
#8 - Kill Bill Vol. 2 - Robert Richardson
#9 - Requiem For a Dream - Matthew Libatique
#10 - Evil Dead 2 - Peter Deming

[Tom Lowe]

I appreciate that you're a fan. I'm not. The only thing I really liked by Malick is Badlands. The New World was okay but I'm definitely not a fan of The Thin Red Line. They both looked nice, I just felt unsatisfied by the pacing and story, though I have to say I liked The New World better than The Thin Red Line.

Yeah but this is a cinematography top ten, not a top ten picture list. We're really just talking about visuals here.

[Tom Lowe]

Hi Tom,

I see your number 5 is Legends of the fall. I worked on that film and even though it has some very beautiful photography I am not sure how well I feel it actually helps tell the story. The best film I ever worked on (one of my firsts) was Unforgiven and I feel the cinematography in it does a better job to tell the story then Legends.

I have struggled over the last few years as my mind is changing on what great cinematography is. For many many years I had always felt great cinematography was the film with the most beautiful lighting and pictures. The last few years though I have begun to feel that great cinematography is what style and pictures best tell the story. An exampleof this for me this year was Children of Men. There are lots of shots and lighting in it that simply look very poor, but yet its look, style and feel do an incredible job to help tell the story and pull you in.

Just a few thoughts I have had lately on cinematography. As I mention I have begun to question how to define it and have not yet come to any conclusions on it.

Wow, that's interesting. Can I ask what you did on Legends and the Unforgiven? What are your thoughts on John Toll? I'm wondering why he is not really at the top of the cinematography game anymore like he was in the 90s. Samurai was good, but there was a time when basically everything he shot got at least an Oscar nod.

Yeah, Children of Men is probably my #11. I love it, and worship Lubezki. It's not pretty, but as you say, it's photography serves the story perfectly.

I have never seen Road to Perdition yet, or my guess is that it would be in my top 10. American Beauty is in my top #15 for cinematography. Never seen Lawrence of Arabia either (i've been hoping to catch it in 70mm).

[Bruce Allen]

We've gotten this far and no mention of Greenaway films yet? Storaro's work in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover rocked. Prospero's Books, though almost unwatchable as a story, was visually amazing too... I think Greenaway will one day be understood as a true pioneer of DI with that film. Of course the production design for Greenaway films is always fantastic... which helps ;)

Otherwise, I agree with pretty much everything said above... what else can I add? Taxi Driver.... Andrei Rublev... maybe even some Bollywood films.

I'd also nominate Fight Club... although then we'd have to include the CG as part of the cinematography because half of my favorite shots from both a storytelling and beauty perspective are CG. Of course you could say the same for Master & Commander, which won the Oscar but which was rumored to have had sky replacements done on 90% of the shots that featured a sky... same for LoTR, Amelie...

Interesting!

Anyone know where I can find some behind-the-scenes articles on these films? It's pretty easy to find out about making of Barry Lyndon, but as for the others... any suggestions?

[Tom Lowe]

American Cinematographer has a lot of articles online for free and you can back-order issues with movies you are interested in. major university libraries often carry AC back to the 80s and beyond.

[PaulClements]

My very uncomplicated view of the concept of "best" cinematography is simply this:

Giving all due respect to high-standard production values in footage, I believe that there is no universal "best" cinematography - but only a "best" cinematography choice to most effectively tell the story of each individual production.

Beyond that definition, I believe all else is merely subjective comparison...

Come on Steve, that's just clever talk for "sitting on the fence" ;)

[Sanjin Jukic]

Sanjin: Why not list the cinematographers for those films? ;)

I really like the lighting in Godfather 1 & 2 though. I didn't like the lighting in 3 at all... it felt way too much like a Hollywood blockbuster movie.

2- Perhaps lighting is like the visual counterpart to music + sound design. It sets the mood and feeling of the story. And like music, it's more important in some genres than others... i.e. horror. Although you could argue that for film noir, lighting is important but music not terribly so.

Cinematography is just part of a movie composition. You can have a great cinematography in such a weak movie. It happens so often. Sorry. I like when a great cinematography is a part of movie as a masterpiece.

[Phil Becque]

OK, OK so I can't count :

Sergio Leone, A Fistful of Dollars

John L. Russell, Psycho

Ridley Scott, Alien

Jordan Cronenweth, Blade Runner

Kazuo Miyagawa, Yojimbo

Arthur Edeson, Casablanca

Russell Metty, Touch of Evil

Robert Surtees, The Last Picture Show

John Alcott, Barry Lyndon

Geoffry Unsworth & John Alcott, 2001; A Space Oddessy

Gilbert Taylor, Star Wars IV

John A. Alonzo, Chinatown

Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor, Gandhi

Chris Menges, The Killing Fields

Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda and Asakazu Nakai, Ran

Jack N. Green, Unforgiven

Roger Deakins, The Shawshank Redemption

Bruno Delbonnel, Amélie

John Mathieson, Gladiator

Yamada Yoji, The Twilight Samurai

I've credited the Director with the cinematography where I couldn't find a credit.

Sorry it's more than ten - take your pick - he he

All the best, Phil

[Michael Struthers]

Anyone see "House of Sand and Fog"? Deakins is operating at a very, very high level. I love this guy.


Never seen Lawrence of Arabia either (i've been hoping to catch it in 70mm).

It's a visual bombastic treat in 70mm. I think I muttered "Holy S***" about six times...

[Adam C Lubkin]

I don't think it's possible to seperate the cinematography from the storytelling and art direction, at least when a film is well executed.

I wouldn't even know where to start with a top ten, but perhaps my current favorite is Salvatore Giuliano, cinematography by Gianni Di Venanzo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055399/

[Alex Wengert]

Emanuel Lubezki just received the ASC award for best cinematography in a motion picture for Children of Men Sunday night. An award bestowed by his peers. I think that he did a good job, and so did they.

[Steve Gibby]

Come on Steve, that's just clever talk for "sitting on the fence" ;)

LOL...actually its not! I function each year as a judge for the National Emmy Awards and some film festivals. When I judge camera work, it is always in the context of how effectively the camera work tells the story. I often see camera work that is loaded with production values that seem to be thrown in to impress peers, rather than effectively illustrating storylines.

What I said isn't rhetoric...I operate that way in my own approach to shooting...first asking myself "What style and production values in this footage will most effectively tell this story?” That approach as a director/cinematographer has worked well for me. It's generated a wall full of awards for me (Emmys, Tellys, etc.).

Sidelight: I do have favorite styles, and some of my favorite narrative cinematography projects have been noted in this thread. That said, virtually every example in this thread is narrative cinema. The thread asked for cinematography masterpieces, and yet nobody has mentioned any non-narrative cinematography masterpieces, such as "Winged Migration" (Oscar winner), "March of the Penguins" (Oscar winner), or "Blue Planet" (Emmy winner). The cinematography in those productions, and the technical obstacles they had to overcome in extreme environments and mobile conditions, is simply amazing.

[Finner]

Couldn't agree more Gibby.

Excellent cinematography begins with holding true to what best tells the story.

As an example of how true this can be is a movie like Blair Witch Project. The cinematography in this movie was terrible but it was the right choice for this movie and worked very very well. Story needs to take presidence over everything else.

[Finner]

Wow, that's interesting. Can I ask what you did on Legends and the Unforgiven?


I was an AC

[Ruairi Robinson]

LOL...actually its not! I function each year as a judge for the National Emmy Awards and some film festivals. When I judge camera work, it is always in the context of how effectively the camera work tells the story. I often see camera work that is loaded with production values that seem to be thrown in to impress peers, rather than effectively illustrating storylines.

What I said isn't rhetoric...I operate that way in my own approach to shooting...first asking myself "What style and production values in this footage will most effectively tell this story?” That approach as a director/cinematographer has worked well for me. It's generated a wall full of awards for me (Emmys, Tellys, etc.).

Sidelight: I do have favorite styles, and some of my favorite narrative cinematography projects have been noted in this thread. That said, virtually every example in this thread is narrative cinema. The thread asked for cinematography masterpieces, and yet nobody has mentioned any non-narrative cinematography masterpieces, such as "Winged Migration" (Oscar winner), "March of the Penguins" (Oscar winner), or "Blue Planet" (Emmy winner). The cinematography in those productions, and the technical obstacles they had to overcome in extreme environments and mobile conditions, is simply amazing.


Baraka has been mentioned already.

That's probably my vote for greatest cinematography of all time...

[Steve Gibby]

Oh yeah, Baraka was fantastic!

The number of setups and locations, and style of camera work, were exceptional...

I feel that Baraka is an excellent example of making precisely the right choice of production values for the statement the production was trying to make. Music was the only addition needed..and the music was artfully mated with the visuals.

[Tom Lowe]

Yes, Baraka is in my top ten - I named Fricke. He has been off shooting around the world for like 6 years now on his highly anticipated follow up to Baraka, titled Samsara. When that volcano in Italy erupted a couple years ago, Fricke happened to be in the area with his 70mm cameras so he was able to shoot some lava footage for George Lucas's Revenge of the Sith. It seems like Fricke is going all out to top Baraka, so we can only imagine the treat we are in for when he finally gets it all put together.

What great news to hear that Lubezki took home top honors from the ASC! He deserved it!

[Blaine Golden]

Okay, I'm going to put this back up with the Cinematographers attached:

Apocalypse Now! - Vittorio Storaro
Braveheart - John Toll
The Wind and the Lion - Billy Williams
The Last of the Mohicans - Dante Spinoti
Body Heat - Robert H. Kline
Cool Hand Luke - Conrad Hall
Blade Runner - Jordan Cronenweth
L.A. Confidential - Dante Spinoti
The Last Picture Show - Robert Surtees
Shindler's List - Janusz Kaminski

[Ken Corben]

No doubt JT (John Toll) brought the art of cinematography back home since the Oscar kept going to foreign DOP's for some time - and rightly so on both counts.

I gotta' say Gibby's points are also right on - the difference between total control of every photon on set to the amazing "pushing the envelope" cinematography of Winged Migration et al is both humbling and inspiring.

[Ruairi Robinson]

This is a great thread!

I must say, I have a soft spot for the way THE CONVERSATION is shot. It's not "pretty", but it's perfect for the story...

Also Once Upon a Time in the West, or any Sergio Leone movie - They are a framing masterclass imho...

Mad Max 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Amadeus, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind all deserve a mention too, if they haven't come up already...

[Tom Lowe]

Also Once Upon a Time in the West, or any Sergio Leone movie - They are a framing masterclass imho...


Leone was a cinema god. If you're interested in really great framing, and if you have not seen them already, I cannot recommend In The Mood for Love or 2046 highly enough. The are masterpieces in terms of framing.

[Cail Young]

nobody has mentioned any non-narrative cinematography masterpieces, such as "Winged Migration" (Oscar winner), "March of the Penguins" (Oscar winner), or "Blue Planet" (Emmy winner). The cinematography in those productions, and the technical obstacles they had to overcome in extreme environments and mobile conditions, is simply amazing.

Have you seen the latest BBC/Attenborough series, Planet Earth? Incredible.

[Rob Lohman]

That (new) Planet Earth series is incredible indeed. Bought the 5-disc DVD. Hope to get it in HD one day. That documentary can only be described as stunning!

[PaulClements]

Agreed, I got a limited edition Amazon box set with both blueplanet and planet earth in. I think they will always have fans such as us since they actually show how they filmed the sequences at the end of each show, I find that as interesting as the actual footage.

[Clayton Harper]

Anyone ever see Electra Glide in Blue? That last shot is pretty amazing (Conrad Hall too)

Ruairi, you kick ass. I am such a huge fan of Electra Glide. It's like the conservative Easy Rider.

The Conversation is pretty nice, too. I like how all the stuff with the hooker/girlfriend in the basement apartment is really underlit and shadowy. It's like its Harry Caul's place to hide.

[Steve Gibby]

Have you seen the latest BBC/Attenborough series, Planet Earth? Incredible.

Not yet...but I definitely look forward to see it! I've read a lot about their 5-year shooting forays around the world: 70 producers and camera operators, and 200 locations. Imagine the budget they had to work with! Would be nice...

The series airs in the USA, on Discovery HD and Discovery, from 3/25 to 4/22. I want to check out the footage from their helicopter-mounted Cineflex gimbal Sony HDC-950 cameras. Most of the rest of the footage was shot with Sony HDW-750 cameras, although some remote footage was shot with Z1s and other cameras. The whole series was captured in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. Imagine how it would look if it could have been captured in 4k and 2k with RED One cameras...

I think when I watch the series, I'll have two tracks running in my mind: 1) how well done and aesthetically pleasing their production is 2) improvements in the production if RED One cameras could have been used in 4k and 2k.

BBC definitely sets a high standard in nature and adventure travel production. I've always enjoyed their programs...

[Phil Becque]

"Not yet...but I definitely look forward to see it! I've read a lot about their 5-year shooting forays around the world: 70 producers and camera operators, and 200 locations. Imagine the budget they had to work with! Would be nice..."


Hi Steve,

I've seen almost all the Planet Earth series and it looks fabulous. They have a 5 minutes 'diary' section at the end of each program which someone already mentioned on this thread; which shows the problems they had getting their shots.

The 'Planet Earth' team got special permission and were let into an immense cave system which had all these amazing crystals growing out of the walls and ceiling - unbelievable !! They have to get all their grip gear in through very confined spaces without touching the precious crystals !! Those were my favorite shots of the whole series.

Like you say - what a budget - but then you still have to deliver something spectacular and they certainly did that. I think we're spoiled a bit by the BBC because they do set a high bar on production values. But again - what if had been shot in 4K with a RED camera . . . . . .

All the best, Phil

[Ace]

Not film related but as far as television goes:

BBC - Top Gear, Don't know who.

[Kyle Mallory]

I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen on anyones lists the following:

Empire of the Sun: Allen Daviau
Frida: Rodrigo Prieto
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): Guillermo Navarro

Not sure where I would rate them, haven't thought much about it, but they would be in my Top 10 - along with Blade Runner, Last Samari, and a few others.

Kyle

[Phil Becque]

Not film related but as far as television goes:

BBC - Top Gear, Don't know who.

Hi Ace - I'm a huge Top Gear fan and have been for years. I think the photography and post work has really become a lot more stylish and slicker - along with the cars you might say.

I'm not sure they would get plaudits for cinematography though? I do think their areodrome shots of the really powerful cars are very much in keeping with the subject matter - powerful and expressive - They certainly lead the field of car shows, in the UK at any rate, by a huge margin in style and content. I wonder if the production team have won any awards?

I'll have to check on that?

All the best, Phil

[Ruairi Robinson]

Thought I'd add Catch 22 and The Graduate to the list.

The Graduate being the definitive example of a movie that proves widescreen cinemascope cinematography isn't just for shooting "funerals and snakes"... and pretty landscapes...

[Ken Corben]

Didn't the Brits invent the documentary?

Must have been a post production nightmare with all the formats...looking forward to the RED solution to this challenge.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Empire of the Sun: Allen Daviau

I almost put that on my list. Although, I just watched it recently on HBO HD and it didn't seem as great as I used to think it was. But then again, it's a film that definitely shows its age as it's got to be nearly 20 years old now. But even with that, it was shot very well.


El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): Guillermo Navarro

I still need to see this one.

One that I've seen mentioned on the forums too that hasn't come up in this thread is The Cell. ...Just a so-so movie really, ho-hum story, J-Lo, I thought the scoring could have been a lot better. But great FX work, good use of color and set design, overcranking, some nice FX work.

[Rob Lohman]

Gibby: I highly highly recommend watching it! (long sit though)

[PaulClements]

Whilst I love the BBC's tradition and production values on documentaries alot of their production values for other programs and series don't live up to it and ITV and Channel 4 seem to be doing little else to secure well produced TV series either (I'm not griping about stories, just production). It pains me to see so many people having so much money handed to them and making poor looking productions when the american television series standards are of such a high quality (At least cinematography wise). It's only through collaberations with American companies such as HBO that the BBC make great cinematographic pieces (And that I dare say is probably down to the involvment of HBO in the production moreso than BBC!).

The only gripe I have about American series such as Lost, Heroes and so on, is that because they cost so much to make, the producers almost have to spin them out for a number of series in order to earn the revenue back through sales of the DVD boxsets. Lost is a good example of a great idea turning stale in my opinion, and all the cinematography and pretty people can't stop it from being annoyingly slow at getting to the point sometimes! If that had been just one series it would've been herald as a great.

But yeah Gibby, if you like any of the other BBC doc's then you ought to love the latest PlanetEarth.

[Phil Becque]

Didn't the Brits invent the documentary?

Must have been a post production nightmare with all the formats...looking forward to the RED solution to this challenge.

Not according to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Flaherty

All the best, Phil

[Zakaree Sandberg]

home alone 3
house guest (with sinbad.. best actor ever)
open water
glitter (with mariah carey.. another fantastic actress)
gigli

ill think of more later

[Tom Lowe]

Hi Tom,

I see your number 5 is Legends of the fall. I worked on that film...

finner, by the way, can you tell us something about what it was like to work with John Toll? Do you know anyone who keeps up with him?

[Hrvoje Simic]

Not film related but as far as television goes:

BBC - Top Gear, Don't know who.


Best automotive Tv show I've ever seen.


Also, David Attenborough practically raised me.
BBC's documentaries have no match.

[chuck colburn]

home alone 3
house guest (with sinbad.. best actor ever)
open water
glitter (with mariah carey.. another fantastic actress)
gigli

ill think of more later

Zakaree,

Think back to your DARE classes and just say NO!

Chuck

[Marius V Graan]

An Angel at my Table
The Man with the Movie Camera
Battleship Potempkin
Far Away, So Close
Before the Rain
The Match Factory Girl
Time of the Gypsies
Spirit of the Beehive
The English Patient
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Piano
The Horse Whisperer (in fact, almost anything photographed by Robert Richardson)
Amorres Peros

In no particular order, there are too many to post, I'll think more and post again later.

[Tom Lowe]

BTW, what is John Toll doing DPing what looks like a cheesy direct-to-video movie like RISE: BLOOD HUNTER (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389328/)? :waaa:

To me, this guy is probably the greatest cinematographer of our age.

[Sam Druckerman]

BTW, what is John Toll doing DPing what looks like a cheesy direct-to-video movie like RISE: BLOOD HUNTER (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389328/)? :waaa:

To me, this guy is probably the greatest cinematographer of our age.

(Guess) Paying his rent?

As David Mullen was saying..... sometimes you can't afford to be picky.

Or maybe he's doing, or returning a friend a favor.

[Tom Lowe]

This guy won back-to-back Oscars in the 90s and has shot some of the greatest cinematography masterpieces of all times. I'm just confused how he got to this point? :umm:

[Joel Kaye]

The last few years though I have begun to feel that great cinematography is what style and pictures best tell the story. An exampleof this for me this year was Children of Men. There are lots of shots and lighting in it that simply look very poor, but yet its look, style and feel do an incredible job to help tell the story and pull you in.


Yeah - I'm with you that beautiful is one thing and using the camera to help tell the story is another thing. I think Children of Men was far better because of the camera work, but I still felt some of the long shots would not have suffered if they were edited sequences instead. I do love long takes with cool camera work - ROPE being one of my favorites because the camera literally becomes one of the players and really helps tell the story. It's not a stunt camera, but it's a very tasteful, subtle camera that works on the viewer invisibly.

[Tom Lowe]

I agree. Children of Men is easily the best cinematography of 2006, beating out The Fountain and Pan's by a longshot, even though I really love those films as well. It's not always about the beauty of the photography. It's about the story. And that is something you really learn from experience, and by listening to the masters. Really great cinematographers focus on how the images will aid the story.

[Miko Meloni]

Il buono il brutto il cattivo (The good the bad and the ugly) Sergio Leone
Dai yat lui ying aau him/Di yi lei xing wei xian (Dangerous Encounter:1st kind) Tsui Hark
Idi i smotri/Иди и смотри (Come and see) Elem Klimov
Dovidenia v pekle priatelia (See you in hell friends) Jurai Jakubisko
Dwaj ludzie z szafa (Two men and a wardrobe) Roman Polanski
La verifica incerta Alberto Grifi
Wandâfuru raifu (After Life) Hirozaku Kore-eda
Angst Gerald Kargl (but shooted by Rybczynski)
O bandido da luz vermelha (The red light bandit) Rogerio Sganzerla
La nacion clandestina Jorge Sanjines

The firsts ten I think.Not the bests ten but I think important movies
for cinematography.
Of course masterpiece.

[Steven M. Bailey]

I agree. Children of Men is easily the best cinematography of 2006, beating out The Fountain and Pan's by a longshot, even though I really love those films as well. It's not always about the beauty of the photography. It's about the story. And that is something you really learn from experience, and by listening to the masters. Really great cinematographers focus on how the images will aid the story.

I just finished watching "The Fountain" for the first time and I think that I have to agree with you children of men was definitely the best of the three.

Although I found the pacing to be a bit slow for my taste.(The Fountain) My hat's off to the Cinematographer.

But then again I liked the spiral stair single shot, and the fire and water fight, from the Tony Jaa flick "The Protector",

oh and "House of Flying Daggers"

[Policar]

I agree. Children of Men is easily the best cinematography of 2006, beating out The Fountain and Pan's by a longshot, even though I really love those films as well. It's not always about the beauty of the photography. It's about the story. And that is something you really learn from experience, and by listening to the masters. Really great cinematographers focus on how the images will aid the story.

I disagree, but I see what you're saying. Children of Men has some amazing plan shots, but if you remove those, all you have is handheld, wide angle, natural lighting, etc... Its aesthetic is very functional for "realist sci-fi," but aside from a few brilliant shots, it's just not that pretty or varied.

Pan's Labyrinth looks great and I think its big achievement is that there are clearly very few sets and locations and yet the Del Toro and his DP achieve a really beautiful and varied look. The use of light and particularly color to differentiate between real and fantasy is nice, and the camera movement makes it very visually engaging. The Fountain is beautiful, too, but sometimes it just felt too strictly symmetrical and even static at times. I loved the organic look and blooming light, though, plus the cinematography definitely told the story well--the idea of approaching light and light as associated with death or whatever. In terms of pure aesthetics and technique, I'd say The Prestige was among the best of last year, but I only saw half of it... I loved the anamorphic flares and the very traditional yet very pretty and innovative look. The film itself was just okay...or at least what I saw of it was.

It's a matter of taste, though, obviously. I mean, you clearly prefer Malick and Lubiezki and the kind of beautiful yet realistic aesthetic where you stick mostly with natural light. (I like it, too, though; I just got my original 1978 poster for Days of Heaven in the mail...yay.) But...I prefer Kaminski or someone who's willing to filter the image to hell and even switch up between 20mm and 200mm lenses in the same scene. It's weird because this object versus presentation debate is the "dialectic" that dominated film theory from day one and it's still the major issue and divisive factor when it comes to taste in film, particularly cinematography.

[Tom Lowe]

Oh man, what does that Days of Heaven poster look like? Do you have a jpeg of it? A place to order it?

While The Fountain was my favorite movie of last year, I did think that some of the "jungle" scenes at "night" were overlit. It looked like something shot on a soundstage, not in a jungle. 99% of the picture was absolutely gorgeous work, though. The "bathtub" scene was not only a beautiful work of cinema photography, it was the best scene -- in terms of acting and emotional impact -- of anything I have seen in a long time.

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/5692/copyofvlcsnap139818zu6.png

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1614/vlcsnap141570yn0.png

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/3669/vlcsnap142861zc6.png

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/1944/vlcsnap143322du4.png

[Policar]

Nice screengrabs. I agree 100% about the soundstage look, but I'd blame this on the budget rather than the lighting, although the jungle scenes were my least favorite, too. The movie didn't hold up for me like it did for some of my friends, but I definitely liked it and really wanted to love it.

The poster's not too exciting, sadly; I'll post a picture once I frame it if you're curious, though. It was like $20 off ebay and it seems to be authentic, which is awesome, although the condition's not perfect. I don't normally buy full-priced DVDs (with HD around the corner), but the Criterion DoH release may find its way to my shelf....

[Tom Lowe]

The poster's not too exciting, sadly; I'll post a picture once I frame it if you're curious, though. It was like $20 off ebay and it seems to be authentic, which is awesome, although the condition's not perfect. I don't normally buy full-priced DVDs (with HD around the corner), but the Criterion DoH release may find its way to my shelf....

Exactly. i stopped buying DVDs about a year ago, knowing I would be getting an HD-DVD player. But yes, DoH from Criterion is going to be awesome. I wonder if the elusive Malick himself might even be caught on video? heh.

[Albert Cheng]

I seemed to have missed this thread. But my favorites go to:

The Conformist
Days of Heaven
Apocalpyse Now
Blade Runner

What??? Damn you Ralph, you stole my thunder.

[Tom Lowe]

I really need to see The Conformist. It's been in my netflix queue for a while now...

[Rudi Herbert]

Most directors claim to think visually, but some are better at it than others I suppose. You look at Ridley Scott's work, and everything he does is first and foremost composed for the camera, without feeling staged. He is a guy that imparts an incredible look to his films. Look at The Duellers, some candle light scenes rival Barry Lyndon in how exquisite and intimate they are, while Blade Runner is a masterpiece of asmotpheric moodiness. Everybody loves Alien, and how claustrophobic and neurotic it is, but I think the cinematography was the main factor for that achievement, rather than the set design, scene staging, etc. The camera is always angled and moves in ways that increase the uneasiness of every scene exponentially. Finally, though the story is weak and bit contrite and the cinematography pops out just on its own, Legends has some amazing images as well.
Other than that, besides all the classic work from Malick, Welles, Fellini, Antonioni, etc that has already been mentioned here, there are some other films which are already almost 30 years old and don't feel one bit dated to me, just because the cinematography was so incredibly suited to the story. Take The Road Warrior, if that's not the ultimate action extravaganza, I don't know what is. I still watch it once or twice a year. Or The Abyss, a masterpiece of technical achievement in underwater photography as well as low light interiors. Cameron can seem minimalistic in his approach to photography, but he also coaxes the best style out of his DP's to suit his films.

Just adding to the discussion,

Rudi Herbert

[Kenn Christenson]

How 'bout Caleb Deschanel’s "The Right Stuff" and "The Natural"

[Tom Lowe]

What do you guys know about Darius Khondji? He just shot Wong Kar Wai's MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS. Looking through his IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451787/), he's got some nice work in there, like Stealing Beauty (OMG at those scenes with Liv Tyler), The Interpreter and Wimbledon. Some really nice work, for sure, but I wonder what it was that made Wong choose him? It seems to me that after Doyle and Lee Pin Bing, WKW was in a position to get basically any DP on the planet. What causes directors to hook up with certain DPs is a fascinating issue for me.

[David Mullen ASC]

What do you guys know about Caleb Deschanel? He just shot Wong Kar Wai's MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS.

You mean Darius Khondji, don't you?

[Adrian Correia]

Tom - David's right about Khondji and Blueberry. Khondji also shot The Interpreter and Wimbledon.

[Tom Lowe]

Oh, yes, sorry about that. I was cutting and pasting.

BTW, while I've got you here David, have you had a chance to see much work from "Mark" Lee Ping Bin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0496742/)? I'm hoping I'm getting that name right. I watched Millennium Mambo and was really struck by the photography. I've Flowers of Shanghai coming up next.

[P Andersson]

just watched Rabbit Proof Fence

[Tom Lowe]

just watched Rabbit Proof Fence

Great movie, beautiful photography.

[David Mullen ASC]

Oh, yes, sorry about that. I was cutting and pasting.

BTW, while I've got you here David, have you had a chance to see much work from "Mark" Lee Ping Bin?

Not much other than "In the Mood for Love" -- I mean, looking at his imdb credits, I realized that I've seen his work in "Fong Sai Yuk 2" and "Wing Chun", which are really fun martial arts movies, but I didn't really think about the cinematography.

Have you ever seen "The Bride with White Hair" (1993) shot in anamorphic by Peter Pau? The DVD doesn't do justice to that movie, which is reminiscent of "Excalibur" in terms of its fantasy cinematography.

Some of my favorite Chinese movies for cinematography are "Raise the Red Lantern", "Red Sorghum", "Jou Dou".

[Tom Lowe]

The Bride with White Hair is also at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. I went ahead and added it to my netflix queue. I really need to up my number of discs with them, because my queue is like a mile long.

Millennium Mambo is slow in pace, but the thing I really love about it is Lee's stark and very artistic use of very basic equipment, locations, and moves. The camera lives on the tripod the whole picture and only comes off once or twice for steadicam-style shots, one of which opens the film -- an iconic shot a beautiful girl walking down a public hallway for like half a mile.

In Millennium, Lee was relying exclusively on his artistic talents and cinematography skills. There were no fancy moves, no great sets, no fancy anything. Just pure talent and instinct. And the results speak for themselves, IMO.

If you have netflix, this is one of the movies available in the new Watch Now section, where you can watch it online instantly. I actually watched your movie Northfork on Watch Now as well. If you've got a nice 20+" monitor, a comfortable chair, and decent sound on your computer, it works out pretty well.

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Millennium_Mambo/70002242

[pat@hpnc.com]

Now that everyone has the common ones out of the way. What about something more obscure you thought was just wonderfull but just not in the top 10 of all time. For example Dai-bosatsu tôge - (Sword of Doom in the US) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060277/

[RayFrisby]

Hey guys what about Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror; (sublime) or Nostalgia even Bela Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies. I also loved Barry Lyndon (some of it was shot not far from my home here in Ireland).
For me however cinematography is as closley linked with the ideas expressed as the actual image in the viewfinder. The composition, framing, mise en scene, script, acting everything combines to make a memorable film. If we only concentrate on the image what we have is a beautyful shot; together we have a beautyful film.

[Stephen Pruitt]

"Citizen Kane". . . need I say more? One film to rule them all. . .

Stephen

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

This ones really tricky, Mostly because I have to remember the looks of all those films I've seen and decide on the best ones.
In no specific order.....

- Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- Minority Report
- The New World
- Deja Vu
- Saving private Ryan
- Big Fish
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Spy Game
- The Prestige

[Adrian T.]

This ones really tricky, Mostly because I have to remember the looks of all those films I've seen and decide on the best ones.
In no specific order.....

- Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- Minority Report
- The New World
- Deja Vu
- Saving private Ryan
- Big Fish
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Spy Game
- The Prestige

How old (or better how young) are you? The oldest movie in your list is Saving Private Ryan (1998). :wink:

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

How old (or better how young) are you? The oldest movie in your list is Saving Private Ryan (1998). :wink:

22, Mostly it's just what came off the top of my head. I could probably come up with a more classic list as well.

[Tom Lowe]

Even worse, he listed Private Ryan and not The Thin Red Line!

jk :)

[filip kovcin]

"Andrei Rublev" - Tarkovsky / Cinematography: Vadim Yusov
"Nazarin" - Bunuel / Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa
"Fanny and Alexander" - Bergman / Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
"The heart of glass" - Herzog / Cinematography: Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein
"The shop on main street" - Klos & Kadar / Cinematography: Vladimir Novotny
"Adrift" a.k.a "Desire called Anada" - Klos & Kadar / Cinematography: Vladimir Novotny
"The virgin spring" - Bergman / Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
"Cul-de-sac" - Polanski / Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
"The last emperor" - Bertolucci / Cinematography: Vittorio Storaro
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928!) - Carl Theodor Dreyer / Cinematogaphy: Rudolph Mate

and - as 11th:

"Rashomon" - Kurosawa / Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa

filip

[Häakon]

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/251_1171954788.jpg
apocalypse now
It's amazing how important context is in art.

That shot is totally appropriate for that film, but just imagine if it had been shot on RED and posted as a still for the world to see. There would be riots of "blown highlights" and "poor latitude" across the internet!

[Shawn Nelson]

It's amazing how important context is in art.

That shot is totally appropriate for that film, but just imagine if it had been shot on RED and posted as a still for the world to see. There would be riots of "blown highlights" and "poor latitude" across the internet!

Lol, so true!

[Tom Lowe]

http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/anwillard.jpg

35mm FTW!

jk :)

[Gavin Greenwalt]

It's amazing how important context is in art.

That shot is totally appropriate for that film, but just imagine if it had been shot on RED and posted as a still for the world to see. There would be riots of "blown highlights" and "poor latitude" across the internet!

If that was the quality of the theatrical print I would agree. However. That's a terrrrrrribly compressed god awful transfer that looks like it was captured with a cell phone. Show me a 4k transfer of the IP and then we can talk about quality.

----
Apocalypse Now
Full Metal Jacket
Schindler's List
Fellowship of the Ring
War of the Worlds
Minority Report
Kingdom of Heaven (or actually any movie with 'Ridley Fluff'. I love the Ridley Fluff. I would say Legend but then I would get shot.)
Citizen Kane (Hate the movie but it looks fantastic)
The 300 *locks door*
Empire of the Sun


Ahh crap.. and I haven't even gotten into any of the films directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Or any of the 70mm 'scope' epics... I suppose that's my top 10 Spielberg directed biased cinematography choices. Chronicles of Riddick has a special place in my heart visually. Rennaisance I think shows what the future holds for what can be done visually. I also feel this unexplainable need to give a submarine movie some sort of recognition which I suppose means Das Boot.

[James T Mather]

for me it's a toss up between Andrei Tarkovski's Stalker and Peter sagals "nutty professor 2: The Klumps". neck in neck really.

It's funny to me how many people love certain photography because the film has got a mountian in the background. I heard a story told by AC's I know who worked with John Toll on braveheart who, when asked about his oscar for legends of the fall, apprently (and wonderfully self-depricatingly) said "Come on, it's montana at sunrise, stick up the camera and roll - you'd want to be a f*cking moron not to pick up an oscar" (quoted verbatim as I heard it for the language police).

My point is this - as a cameraman I'm not terribly impressed by "landscape" movies but rather love work where cameramen have done some lighting - the most influential films visually are often overlooked by the academy because to most people photography=mountians and sunrise silhouettes.

the fact that Blade runner and Se7en (films that hugely influenced the decades that came after them) didn't even get nominated for photography for cinematography oscars says a lot in terms of general understanding of the DP's job.

And "nutty professor 2: The Klumps" was cruelly overlooked at the golden globes too. outrage.

[Ace]

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/nutty_professor_ii__the_klumps/eddie_murphy/nutty8.jpg

[James T Mather]

ha ha. beautiful.:biggrin:

[Seung Han]

Red Beard - Kurosawa
Blue (first part of Three Colors) - Kieslowski
My Life to Live - Godard
City of God - Meirelles
Ju Dou - Zhang
The Last Emperor and The Conformist - Bertolucci
Dolls - Kitano
I Stand Alone - Noe
La Dolce Vita - Fellini
Rififi - Dassin
Wild Strawberries - Bergman
400 Blows - Truffaut

Some of these don't have beautiful photography, but I think they are perfect for their stories.

[Friedrich Moser]

1. Apocalypse Now
2. Fight Club
3. Traffic
4. Kafka
5. North by Northwest
...and many many more

Cheers, Friedrich

[Michael Brennan]

The series airs in the USA, on Discovery HD and Discovery, from 3/25 to 4/22. I want to check out the footage from their helicopter-mounted Cineflex gimbal Sony HDC-950 cameras. Most of the rest of the footage was shot with Sony HDW-750 cameras, although some remote footage was shot with Z1s and other cameras.

I think when I watch the series, I'll have two tracks running in my mind: 1) how well done and aesthetically pleasing their production is 2) improvements in the production if RED One cameras could have been used in 4k and 2k.

BBC definitely sets a high standard in nature and adventure travel production. I've always enjoyed their programs...

Planet Earth is a great programme to reliably compare formats.

Approximate % figures
95% of aerials 29.97p on HDCAM
75% of ground on Varicam, 25% film (notably snow leopard at 125fps)
90% of underwater HDW750s.

Note the softness of other formats compared to the aerials and consider the aerials could be better using 10bit 1920x1080 recording.


RED has both potential and pitfalls for Natural History work but that's another thread:)


Mike Brennan

[Henk van den Doel]

I thought 'Amelie' was simply stunning. Beautiful looks and amazing lighting, it was so good I could not sleep after watching that.

Lot of great mentions here, however I disagree with 'The New World'. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I did not believe one single second of it and thought the movie was pretty preeetty bad. Whether that was only due to cinematography I am not sure of, but it probably has something to do with it (it can't be the story or the leading actor, right?). If I recall correctly there was a scene where they were setting up these huge wooden fences for example. I could simply feel that that was set up somewhere in our present time. Braveheart on the other hand, takes me back into time.

[David Mullen ASC]

Having just read an article by Jack Fisk, the production designer of "There Will Be Blood" and "The New World"... he talks about the inherent problem of a period movie where characters build a new settlement or, in that case, oil rigs and mining colony -- that all that fresh lumber makes things look, well, new, since they were new to those characters.

So often art directors cheat with some selective aging and roughing up of the lumber to take down the sense of "newness" but the reality was probably these new constructions did look rather out-of-place and brand-new -- almost like movie sets -- when originally set-up by the inhabitants.

Anyway, I had no problem with the authenticity of the art direction in "The New World" -- Jack Fisk is a great production designer.

[Ash Bolland]

Having just read an article by Jack Fisk, the production designer of "There Will Be Blood" and "The New World"... he talks about the inherent problem of a period movie where characters build a new settlement or, in that case, oil rigs and mining colony -- that all that fresh lumber makes things look, well, new, since they were new to those characters.

So often art directors cheat with some selective aging and roughing up of the lumber to take down the sense of "newness" but the reality was probably these new constructions did look rather out-of-place and brand-new -- almost like movie sets -- when originally set-up by the inhabitants.

Anyway, I had no problem with the authenticity of the art direction in "The New World" -- Jack Fisk is a great production designer.


- I love how they solved this in Deadwood - When they used fresh lumber for the building of the town with contrasting shots of boots stepping in deep mud pathways -

[mezmo]

A few goodies for cinematrography,
The Conformist
The Trial & Third man
Days of Heaven
Amacord
Dr Strangelove
Space Odessey
Orlando
The Piano
Last Tango
Empire of the Sun
Amelie
Alein #1
& Blade Runner
Lawrence of Arabia
Hero
Bullet
The Good the Bad
Dont Look Now
Easy Rider
Oh Brother
Paris Texas
Deer Hunter...............................

[J Clark]

In No particular order - these films stimulate my taste buds with light, composition and color.

Fly Away Home
Heat(Fav)
Last of The Mohicans
Black Stallion
Never Cry Wolf
Barry Lyndon
The Piano
Paranoid Park
Snow Falling on Cedars
Dead Man
Empire of the Sun
Twin Falls Idaho
...

We love Oh Brother, but it's look is so post dependent.

[Lachlan Ward]

Alphaville (Couldn't have been any tackier. 10/10)

Inland Empire.
Very cool cinematography concept + execution. Took my brain a bit of time to cotton onto what was really going on but once I figured it out, totally and utterly off the hook.

O'brother where art thou.

No Country for Old Men.

Johnny Got His Gun. Its not the best lighting, or camera work. What it does so damn well is tell the story and suck you in and push you around.

Russian Ark.




Anyway, I had no problem with the authenticity of the art direction in "The New World" -- Jack Fisk is a great production designer.

He is indeed Ace.

[MAXHOFFMAN]

Requiem for a Dream is also worth mentioning

[subfreq]

For non narrative I would go with 'The Private Life of Plants' a David Attenbrough documentary.

Otherwise it's good to see Stalker getting a mention as it is one of my favorite films.

Others I think a fantastic achievements in photography/cinematography are;

Star Wars IV (A New Hope)
The Wizard of Oz
Raging Bull
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
Lawrence of Arabia
Jason and the Argonauts
Orsen Welles

[Priyesh P.]

Fight Club - Fincher, Cronenweth (Jeff)
Seven - Fincher, Khondji
O Brother, where art thou? - Coen, Deakins
Children of Men - Cuarón, Lubezki
Sleepy Hollow - Burton, Lubezki
The Green Mile - Darabont, Tattersall
Shawshank Redemption - Darabont, Deakins
City of God - Mereilles, Charlone
Alien 4 - Jeunet, Khondji
Amelie - Jeunet - Delbonnel

[Cüneyt Kaya]

fight club
once upon a time in the west
carlitos way
8 1/2
curse of the golden flower
casino
ran
raging bull
shining
amadeus

[Christopher Grant Harvey]

Blade Runner should be Number 1!

Although this type of thread is clearly subjective. I very rarely see a movie and feel the cinematography did not aid the story, very rare.

My favourites are my favourites because visually there is something that attracts me to the image itself. I personally don't give a hoot about underexposure or overexposure.

Any Leone movie
Any Spielberg film
Any R.Scott film
Any J.Cameron film
Any Kubrick film

The Man Who Wasn't There
Dirty Harrry
Stargate
Ed Wood
Abyss
Duel

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

Looking at my DVD collection, Oldboy and Michael Mann's Heat are the ones that catch my eye.

Of course Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka are great, but these are pure visual experiments, another class If you ask me.

[J.R. Hud]

Tough list to make

Apacalypse Now
The Godfather
Schindler's List
The Thin Red Line
Barry Lyndon
Titanic
Lawrence of Arabia
Blade Runner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
American Beauty

[Astermouth]

1: Bladerunner
2: Se7en
3: Batman Begins
4: Man On Fire
5: There Will Be Blood
6: Delicatessen
7: Saving Private Ryan
8: Pans Labrynth
9: Gladiator
10: Team America World Police
11: A2M 2

[J.R. Hud]

Se7en and Gladiator just barely missed the cut for me.

[James T Mather]

Blue by Derek Jarman - lovely use of warm tones.

[Andrew Hewlett]

Apocalypse Now
Blade Runner
Seven
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[Roberto B]

My very uncomplicated view of the concept of "best" cinematography is simply this:

Giving all due respect to high-standard production values in footage, I believe that there is no universal "best" cinematography - but only a "best" cinematography choice to most effectively tell the story of each individual production.

Beyond that definition, I believe all else is merely subjective comparison...tired of so much BS, humm mr. gibby?.. :wink: well said, Sir.. well said..

[Chris Parker]

withnail and i. oh wait, it is the writing in that that i loved so much. well everything about it really.

[Colin C]

I just finished a war genre marathon so my thoughts are skewed right now :) but for all the Saving Private Ryans theres no mention of the series Band of Brothers?
I wouldn't list it as a top ten, but that one aerial shot of the French troops retaking the town (towards the end) from The Longest Day, just wow's everytime.