Re: Best Cinematography 1981
Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:39 pm
I'm not full revisionist on Heaven's Gate -- I think the narrative can be sluggish, and it's just simply too long (at least the extended Criterion Collection cut). But it's nonetheless admirable for its clear ambition and impressive technical craft, and I'd have to single out the cinematography's gorgeous portrait of the American West as being worthy of citation here.
I also love the playful pastiche of the images in Pennies From Heaven, and agree that Chariots of Fire would have been a worthy part of this conversation as well.
On Golden Pond was presumably cited for those sun-dappled, shimmery shots of the lake, which at least give the movie some visual breathing room. But most of it is in filmed play territory, and it's the easiest nominee to brush past.
Excalibur's self-seriousness definitely lurches into silliness a lot of the time, but the movie is photographed with enough flash that this random nomination isn't inexplicable. The earthy realism of the film's look is certainly more artful than the antiseptic gloss of Camelot, but I'm a bit surprised it's our runner-up here. For me, the movie is too much of a chaotic jumble to feel like a cohesive aesthetic vision.
Ragtime has beautifully lit images, beginning with that entrancing, out of context waltz that opens the film, and continuing throughout a series of storylines that cover quite a bit of geographic ground. I don't think the visuals ever tip into territory that's truly inventive, but this is a handsome-looking period piece across the board, and a solid nominee in this category.
I'll stick up a bit for Raiders of the Lost Ark here, because I think it's a pretty dynamically shot film. The action sequences -- probably some of the best committed to film -- wouldn't have worked without the nimble grace of the camera moves, and the lighting of individual moments (Indy coming upon the idol, the boulder escape, the rope climb out of the torch-lit snake trap, and of course the opening of the ark) is part of what makes so many of those beats iconic.
But in the end, I concur with Oscar and our majority here -- Reds is the best choice. The lighting here is often striking, from the low-lit Communist meeting scenes, to the harsh streams that illuminate the nighttime moments of revolution. And the compositions often do an excellent job of filling the frame with hustle and bustle while capturing the details of crucial emotional beats, as in one of my favorite moments in the film, when John and Louise stumble upon one another at the train station, and the images take us from busy long-shots to tightly focused close-ups for maximum dramatic impact. And the last shot is heart-wrenching -- perfectly lit and framed. This is the most ambitious and beautiful work on the ballot, and my easy winner.
I also love the playful pastiche of the images in Pennies From Heaven, and agree that Chariots of Fire would have been a worthy part of this conversation as well.
On Golden Pond was presumably cited for those sun-dappled, shimmery shots of the lake, which at least give the movie some visual breathing room. But most of it is in filmed play territory, and it's the easiest nominee to brush past.
Excalibur's self-seriousness definitely lurches into silliness a lot of the time, but the movie is photographed with enough flash that this random nomination isn't inexplicable. The earthy realism of the film's look is certainly more artful than the antiseptic gloss of Camelot, but I'm a bit surprised it's our runner-up here. For me, the movie is too much of a chaotic jumble to feel like a cohesive aesthetic vision.
Ragtime has beautifully lit images, beginning with that entrancing, out of context waltz that opens the film, and continuing throughout a series of storylines that cover quite a bit of geographic ground. I don't think the visuals ever tip into territory that's truly inventive, but this is a handsome-looking period piece across the board, and a solid nominee in this category.
I'll stick up a bit for Raiders of the Lost Ark here, because I think it's a pretty dynamically shot film. The action sequences -- probably some of the best committed to film -- wouldn't have worked without the nimble grace of the camera moves, and the lighting of individual moments (Indy coming upon the idol, the boulder escape, the rope climb out of the torch-lit snake trap, and of course the opening of the ark) is part of what makes so many of those beats iconic.
But in the end, I concur with Oscar and our majority here -- Reds is the best choice. The lighting here is often striking, from the low-lit Communist meeting scenes, to the harsh streams that illuminate the nighttime moments of revolution. And the compositions often do an excellent job of filling the frame with hustle and bustle while capturing the details of crucial emotional beats, as in one of my favorite moments in the film, when John and Louise stumble upon one another at the train station, and the images take us from busy long-shots to tightly focused close-ups for maximum dramatic impact. And the last shot is heart-wrenching -- perfectly lit and framed. This is the most ambitious and beautiful work on the ballot, and my easy winner.