I did this post already but I’ll answer it. Best minds think alike.
Jack Cardiff did an absolutely marvelous job on The Red Shoes, so did Geoffrey Unsworth on 2001, a space odyssey.
James Wong Howe’s turn on Seconds was ahead of it’s time, a film whose camerawork captured the story as exemplary as the best examples. Zodiac looked like shit compared to other Fincher films, and that’s due to the Viper Filmstream Camera. HD does not have the latitude, curves, density to capture pictures like film does. Compare the work on that picture to Se7en, no comparison. Harris Savides is hit or miss to me.
I thought american gangster was too dark, and didn’t like his work on Milk. I like films that are color timed traditionally, since everything these is overdone in post production. There’s a quality to timing photo chemically that gives a higher quality print than today’s tools do, movies look too overdone and only the best cinematographers working today retain quality control over their work. Many films are handed over to a colorist in post, who alterates and otherwise perfects many decisions made on the floor. Sometimes the tools are valuable, yet often result in films that look too “perfect”. A unified look was achieved traditionally, while modern tools offer more options the answer prints contain less resolution than a traditional film master does.
Nothing beats film. It’s worked 100 years, while digital is in it’s infancy and bond to get better.
Spirit of the Beehive – Luis Cuadrado
Before the Rain – Manuel Teran
Seven Samurai – Asakazu Nakai
The Third Man – Robert Krasker
Days of Heaven – Nester Almendros
Sansho the Bailiff – Kazuo Miyagawa
Paris, Texas – Robert Muller
Wings of Desire – Henri Alekan
Battle of Algiers- Marcello Gatti
Josef von Sternberg’s “Morocco” and “Shanghai Express” were both shot by Lee Garmes. I know that von Sternberg dictated everything on his sets but Garmes was a good student, and he brought a lot of knowledge with him.
Also see his work in “Zoo In Budapest” and Hawks’ “Scarface.”
Werckmeister Harmonies – Patrick de Ranter
Dead Man – Robby Müller
Paris, Texas – Robby Müller
Breaking the Waves – Robby Müller
The Lost Weekend – John F. Seitz
Rififi – Philippe Agostini
Au Hasard Balthazar – Ghislain Cloquet
Stroszek – Thomas Mauch
Ah! No one’s mentioned Stanley Cortez’s work in “The Night of the Hunter”. Particularly the shot of Shelley Winters underwater and the scene where John and Ruby are floating down the river and Ruby is singing.
Great stuff.
Seven Samurai-Asakazu Nakai
The Aviator-Robert Richardson
Rashamon-Kazuo Miyagawa
Last Emp – Storaro
Many many favorites already listed.
The Shining – John Alcott, with the indispensable work of Garrett Brown.
The Searchers – Winton C. Hoch. John Ford’s West never looked better than this.
There are many but here are the ones that weren’t mentioned yet.
The Seventh Seal – Gunnar Fischer
Knife In The Water – Jerzy Lipman
Il Gattopardo – Giuseppe Rotunno
Kwaidan – Yoshio Miyajima
Walkabout – Nicholas Roeg
I Am Curious – Peter Wester
Spirit of the Beehive – Luis de Pablo
Mirror – Georgi Rerberg
Koyaanisquaatsi – Ron Fricke
The Sacrifice – Sven Nykvyst
Chronos – Ron Fricke
Baraka – Ron Fricke
Three Colors: Red – Piotr Sobocinski
The Scent of Green Papaya – Benoît Delhomme
Heat – Dante Spinotti
CIty of the Lost Children – Darius Khondji
La Haine – Pierre Aïm
Run Lola Run – Frank Griebe
The Princess and The Warrior – Frank Griebe
In The Mood For Love – Christopher Doyle
Amelie – Bruno Delbonnel
The Return – Mikhail Krichman
Goodbye Lenin – Martin Kukula
Koktebel – Shandor Berkeshi
Russian Ark – Tilman Büttner
Lost In Translation – Lance Acord
Innocence – Benoît Debie
Collateral – Dion Deebe/Paul Cameron
13 Tzameti – Tariel Meliava
The New World – Emmanuel Lubezki
Ben X – Lou Berghmans
Cherry Blossoms – Hanami – Hanno Lentz
Last Emporer. Good choice Mchil
Some films that quickly come to mind are:
Fallen Angels-Christopher doyle
Stolen Kisses-Nestor Almendros
Audition-Hideo Yamamoto
Turkish Delight-Jan de Bont
Contempt-Raoul Coutard
Double life of Veronique-Slawomir Idziak
I tend to like cinematography that’s more spontaneous and not so, Citizen Cane-esque
What about Schindler’s List (Janusz Kaminski)? That movie was beautifully shot.
Basically anything done by Christopher Doyle, of course—Chungking Express, In the Mood For Love, Hero…but that goes without saying.
All of the films Robert Yeoman has collaborated on with Wes Anderson.
Some people have mentioned Children of Men, which I completely agree with; when I first saw those long tracking shots, I was blown away. Really made the movie for me.
Traffic- Peter Andrews (Soderbergh himself) — Never knew that Soderbergh himself shot Traffic
Also thanks SHOTZI and other who pointed out Paris, Texas
Some unmentioned stuff
- 300. I just thought some of the shots in this movie were genuis. Who cares if the film is destined to become a cheesetastic campy action movie classic?
- Alexander Nevsky
- Apocalypse Now
- Excalibur
- Deliverance
- Ivan the Terrible
- LA Confidential
- There Will Be Blood
- everything directed by Terrence Malick
Thin Red Line – John Toll
Assassination of Jesse James – Roger Deakins
The New World – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Prestige – Wally Pfister
Rosemary’s Baby – William Fraker
There Will Be Blood – Robert Elswitt
Blue – Slawomir Idziak
The Princess and The Warrior – Frank Griebe
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind – Ellen Kuras
Touch of Evil – Russell Metty
Pierrot Le Fou – Raoul Coutard
The Mirror – Georgi Rerberg
The Royal Tenenbaums – Robert Yeoman
The Constant Gardener – César Charlone
Jordan H, that scene with John and Ruby in the boat is one of my favorite scenes in film. Absolutely stunning! Good call.
Cutter and Bone- Jordan Cronenweth
Heat- Dante Spinotti
Paris, Texas- Robby Mueller
Bad Lieutenant- Ken Kelsch
Tenebre- Luciano Tavoli
Dead Ringers- Peter Suschitzky
Last Tango In Paris- Vittorio Storaro
Barry Lyndon- John Alcott
Nouvelle Vague- William Lubtchansky
Days Of Heaven- Nestor Almendros
Touch Of Evil- Russell Metty
The Addiction- Ken Kelsch
Betty Blue- Jean-François Robin
L’Humanite- Yves Cape
Man From London- Fred Kelemen
I also thought Robert Richardson did a bloody damn job on Natural Born Killers
Of recent I really liked The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Janusz Kaminski
I was recently very impressed (again) with Joseph MacDonald’s work on John Ford’s “My Darling Clementine”. Gorgeous black and white.
And at the other end of the spectrum (no pun intended), Vilmos Zsigmond for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.
Jules et Jim-Raoul Coutard
Taxi Driver-Michael Chapman
Kagemusha-Takao Saitô and Masaharu Ueda
Children of Men-Emmanuel “El Chivo” Lubezki
Apocalypse Now-Vittorio Storaro
Ando many more I cna’t think of now, I mean theres’ so many great cinematographers out there…
Zodiac? how bout the game, shot by harris savides?
Digital is a major handicap, never approaches the quality of film.
Dariuz Knondji is awesome, as well as Jordan Cronenweth.
In no particular order and avoiding what people have already posted…:
Piesiewicz: Dekalog, Blue
Nykvist: Persona, Cries and Whispers, Fanny and Alexander
Lynch: Inland Empire (kinda crazy choice…but I love it!)
Smith: Eyes Wide Shut
Knyazhinsky: Stalker
Michio: Hiroshima, Mon Amour (especially the opening montage)
“In the Mood for Love” – Christopher Doyle (This film in specific)
“Talk to Her” – Javier Aguirresarobe
“Army of Shadow” – Pierre Lhomme & Walter Wottitz
Will probably add to this, those are just a few off the top of my head.
Anybody mentioned Pin Bing Lee? He is one of the greatest cinematographer and defintely on par with Christopher Doyle imho. Especially his work with Hsiao-hsien Hou: Flowers of Shanghai, Goodbye South, Goodbye, Millennium Mambo (!), etc. He was also cinematographer on In the Mood for Love (Kar Wai Wong), and Vertical Ray of the Sun (Anh Hung Tran).
In the mood for Love ( Christopher Doyle)
SE7EN (Darius Khondji)
The Prestige (Wally Pfister)
NARC (Alex Nepomniaschy)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Robert Yeoman)
La Dolce Vita (Otello Martelli)
Le Samourai (Henri Decae)
The New World (Emmanuel Lubezki, move was shot with only available light, fuckin’ amazing cinematography)
A Bittersweet Life (Ji-yong Kim)
Old Boy (Chung-hoon Chung)
Lawrence of Arabia director David Lean Cinematography Freddie Young
The Wild Bunch- Lucien Ballard
The Godfather – Gordon Willis
The Last Emperor – Vittorio Storaro
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Conrad Hall
All the President’s Men – Gordon Willis
Elephant – Harris Savides
Children of Men – Emmanuel Lubezki
Blue Velvet – Fred Elmes
Raging Bull – Michael Chapman
Michael Clayton – Robert Elswit
Fargo – Roger Deakins
Sam Lim
Doyle – In the Mood For Love/Days of Being Wild/Happy Together.
Nestor Almendros – Days of Heaven.
Affonso Beato – All About My Mother.
Yang Wei-Han – Yi Yi.
And every Ozu I’ve seen.
The New World was also shot very beautifully.