Top Ten Cinematography Masterpieces?

[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.