Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba
You’re allowed to traverse and discover the locale in which we’re inhabiting, however, in inhuman motions. Taken down an entire building all the way to a pool, though there’s no elevator there or anything, it’s easily one of the better aspects of the film.
Schanelec’s Passing Summer
No swooping or “expressive” camera work, however, lingering shots — at times excessive lingering — bring us in and allow to really know the characters in the film. Shots don’t end perfectly, they last a tad longer, just enough to make you uncomfortable, because you’re eavesdropping on these people’s lives, and the cinematography coupled with the editing give you that feeling.
Martel’s The Holy Girl
Easily one of my favorites in term of cinematography. Many times we never see the entire picture, people’s heads are cut off, it’s never perfectly in focus, and there are moments when actions are occurring in the background, and if you’re not paying attention you can glaze right over it. Your eyes are made to look at a certain part of the frame, however, you’re given leeway to roam, to discover what else is happening within the frame. It’s what made a good film a brilliant one.
Jesse M
I’m thinking about great photography and cinematography lately, and I’ve glanced at the topics on this subject. However, I’m trying to look at it in a little different light: what cinematography in cinema has been the most expressive, and has done the best job in supporting the mood and cohesion of the film as a whole?
I think The Thin Red Line is a great example of expressive cinematography. Malick and Toll’s insistence on keeping us close to the ground and close to the protagonists fostered a strong sense of identification with them. Crouching below the ridges, we’re made to feel like the space is restrictive and claustrophobic, despite the fact that it’s on an open hillside. The low angles and movement within the tall grass was critical to making us feel like these open areas are genuinely dangerous. However, the floating, disconnected editing of the moving camera also contributed to the dreamlike quality that a lot of the film had.
I feel some of the other great masterpieces of cinematography had brilliant images, but not in a way that directly supported the content of the film. I think a good deal of Kubrick’s and Antonioni’s cinematography (particularly in 2001 and The Passenger) is formally beautiful, but tends to distance us from the action, rather than fostering a relationship with it. Of course, I know the “distancing” effect is itself a calculated technique, but for this particular topic, I’m looking for cinematography that speaks to the action and the characters, reinforces the emotional dynamics, and involves the viewer in the world of the film.
Does this make any sense? Anybody have any suggestions?