75 replies to this topic

[Matthew W. Phillips]

Not one honorary mention of "The Illusionist?" Good Lord, what's this forum coming too?

Also like to mention "Far from Heaven" which I don't believe anyone else mentioned.

[James Steven Beverly]

Apocalypse Now Redux
Lawrence Of Arabia
Days of Heaven
Black Narcissus
Excalibur
The Godfather
2001 a Space Odyssey
Star Wars
Citizen Kane
Sunrise:A Song of Two Humans

Next Ten:
Frankenstein (1931 version)
Birth Of a Nation
Gone With The Wind
Blade Runner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Barry Lyndon
Chinatown
Raging Bull
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

AND the NEXT 10
Raiders Of the Lost Ark
The Last Samurai
The Wizard of Oz
Ben Hur
Ran
Schindler's List
Saving Private Ryan
American Beauty
Taxi Driver
Gladiator

Now THAT'S Cinematography!

Edited by James Steven Beverly, 15 December 2012 - 10:54 PM.

[Jenna Sangwin]

Can't choose ten as there are just too many great examples of cinematography out there. I do think Bicycle Thieves, Raging Bull and Delicatessen are high up my list though!

[Paul Brenno]

Dean Semler (Dances with Wolves, Apocalypto)
Robert Richardson (JFK, A Few Good Men)
Roger Deakins (Shawshank Redemption)
Jack Green (Unforgiven)
Geoffrey Unsworth (2001 A Spacey Odyssey-Superman)
Caleb Deschanel (The Patriot, Passion of the Christ)
Wally Pfister (Inception)

[James Steven Beverly]

As for foreign films, I don't really have a top ten list though I'm actually partial to the Italians, particularly to Leone's Spaghetti Westerns and of course Fellini. I love the way the Leone used the techiscope camera. the juxtaposition between the extreme wide shots and the extreme tight shots as well as the warm lighting that actually make one "feel" the desert heat. As for Fellini's use of the camera, what can be said that hasn't been said before. The challenge of B&W in many of his films made it even more remarkable. Off the top of my head, I don't remember who their cinematographers were but they definitely helped to make these two men legendary.

[Peter Klopfenstein]

Off the top of my head... (In no particular order)

Three Colours Trilogy
Days of Heaven
Apocalypse Now
Night of the Hunter
Persona
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Barry Lyndon
Red Shoes
Once Upon a Time In The West
Touch of Evil

Honorable Mentions:
Z
Wages of Fear
French Connection
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Raging Bull
Badlands
Tree of Life
Thin Red Line
There Will be Blood
Boogie Nights
Blade Runner
Lawrence of Arabia
Godfather I & II
Black Narcissus
Road to Perdition
Black Swan
Seven Samurai
Ran
Rashomon
In the Mood for Love
Amelie
JFK
Hunger
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Shining
Dr. Strangelove
Rosemary's Baby
Citizen Kane
8 1/2
La Dolce Vita
Jules et Jim
Memories of Murder
Cries and Whispers

And anything by Ophuls

I'm sure I'll look at this in 5 minutes and think of 20 I should have wrote.

[Devindra Sooknanan]

these are based on how much i enjoy just watching these movies. I pretty much agree with all the other ones I've read on here as well.

"The Fall" - Colin Watkinson
"Sunshine" - Alwin H. Kuchler
"the Fountain" - Matthew Libatique
"Blade Runner" - Jordan Cronenweth
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." - Hoyte Van Hoytema
"Alien" - Derek Vanlint
"Children of Men" Emanuel Lubezki
"Prometheus" - Dariusz Wolski
"The Watchmen" -Larry Fong
"Hero" Christopher Doyle
"Legend" - Alex Thomson

[Varun Varier]

For me..
"Baraka" ,"Samsara" are the best..!! ever.>!!

Bachelor party(malayalam) is also a superb movie with new generation cinematography..!

[James Steven Beverly]

these are based on how much i enjoy just watching these movies. I pretty much agree with all the other ones I've read on here as well.

"The Fall" - Colin Watkinson
"Sunshine" - Alwin H. Kuchler
"the Fountain" - Matthew Libatique
"Blade Runner" - Jordan Cronenweth
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." - Hoyte Van Hoytema
"Alien" - Derek Vanlint
"Children of Men" Emanuel Lubezki
"Prometheus" - Dariusz Wolski
"The Watchmen" -Larry Fong
"Hero" Christopher Doyle
"Legend" - Alex Thomson

Legend!! How could I have possibly forgotten Legend! One of the most beautifully photographed films of all time! Though I do prefer the "Ultimate Edition" version by far. I also forgot One From the Heart.

[Sam Eilertsen]

Citizen Kane
Cranes are Flying
Seven Samurai
2001: a Space Odyssey
Tarkovsky's Solaris
Days of Heaven
Godfather 1 + 2
Blade Runner
American Beauty
Amelie

[James Steven Beverly]

AAAHHH The Cranes are Flying was shot on Konvas' There are some pics of Mikhail Kalatozov with them on set. I also agree it is a very well shot film and the fact that it's B&W makes it even more amazing

[fabio pirovano]

Quite impossible...

First Five all by Dante Spinotti A.S.C A.I.C


Then
Halloween by Dean Cundey A.S.C.
Shining by John Alcott B.S.C.
Excalibur by Alex Thomson B.S.C
The Cell Paul Laufer
Memoirs of a Geisha by Dion Beebe A.S.C A.C.S

[Joseph Konrad]

1. Blade Runner
2. The Godfather
3. The Godfather Part 2
4. Alien
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. Citizen Kane
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark
8. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
9. Laura
10. Psycho/Vertigo

There are lots more but those are some of my favorites.

[Hyun De Grande]

To name a few:

 

2046 (cinematography by: Christopher Doyle)

The visuals from this film are so unique in it's use of colors and lighting. Very unearthly visuals that stun me every time I watch it. Also, the framing is so meticulously work out in every shot. Hypnotizing movie throughout.

 

Il Conformista (cinematography by: Vittorio Storaro)

Great in every aspect of cinematography. The way Vittorio plays with his lighting is a pleasure not only to the eye, but also to the mind. Grandeur, yet simple and pure. Every frame could be a painting.

 

Vozvrashchenie (The Return) (cinematography by: Mikhail Krichman)

Very thoughtful filmmaking, portrayed in every frame. The images can grab you by your throat, until the end of the movie. Simple, pure and unsettling.

 

The Tree of Life (cinematography by: Emmanuel Lubezki)

Purely poetic in every aspect. Especially because of the way how the camera moves, in combination with a very naturalistic approach of lighting. I find this film to feel very 'naked' somehow, and at the same time creating a transcendental mood, as if the whole film is weightless.

 

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (cinematography by: Sacha Vierny)

Rich and unique way of using color. Somewhat theatrical approach in terms of camera placement (and set decorations), which remind me of baroque paintings. But this movie also feels more like a moving painting than a movie, in my opinion.

 

La Double Vie de Véronique (cinematography by: Slawomir Idziak)

Romantic portrayal of an otherwise soberly told story. The cinematography gives this movie a very expressive moody and dreamy tonality without becoming too distracting. Beautiful combinations of blue, green and yellow, of which I personally think it succeeded more than in Amélie Poulain.

 

The Godfather Trilogy (cinematography by: Gordon Willis)

Somehow also the godfather of the claire-obscure photography in movies. Largely set the tone on a greater scale for the use of warm overhead lighting, and dark, brown-orange color schemes.

 

Enter The Void (cinematography by: Benoit Debie)

Daring and unique use of colors and camera-movement to say the least, and should be mentioned here just because of its original approach in visual storytelling. Wether this is your cup of tea or not, the images succeed in evoking an certain unease and dizziness, that are essential in telling this story, mainly told through the point of view from our main charachter.

 

Taxidermia (cinematography by: Gergely Poharnok)

Absurdity, comedy and surrealism combined. Nice use of wide-angles lenses and some original camera-tricks. Weird, yes. Visually fascinating, absolutely.

 

The Turin Horse (cinematography by: Fred Kelemen)

One of the most beautifully photographed black & white films in my taste, reminiscent of the photojournalism from the early 20th century. Very minimalistic, yet stylized and narratively strong imagery. Also very mesmerizing because of the use of long-takes (this film contains only 30 shots). This effect results in you, the viewer, getting grasped into the movie both visually and subconsciously. It takes you into a deeper layer of the film, which is of course the essence of storytelling.

[Vijeta Dahiya]

Here is my list :

 

1. Persona (Sven Nykvist) - the single-point lighting and the unique way of capturing close-ups of faces

 

2. Fanny and Alexander (Sven Nykvist) - organic, logical, naturalistic lighting at its best. Complimented by the great art direction.

 

3. Red Desert (Carlo Di Palma) - unique use of colour (which is not saturated, which is not glossy). the colour depicts the mood.

 

4. 3-iron (Jang Seung-Beck) - the abstract story expressed through abstract angles and soft lighting...

 

5. Chungking Express, Away with words (Christopher Doyle) - highly stylish. The compositions, a daze of colour, camera movements of the hand-held cam that will show you more than can be seen by naked eye. Integral with the poetic tone of the film

 

6. Amelie (Bruno Delbonnel) - Highly eloquent. this fairy tale has each and every shot carefully crafted like a painter's work.

 

7. Turtles can fly (Shahriar Assadi) - haunting compositions and lighting. unsettling frontal shots to depict the micro-effects of a war

 

8. Melancholia (Manuel Alberto Claro) - the grand compositions, the colour, organic camera movement, shows the melancholy of a nice world in this apocalyptic drama.

 

9. Jalsaghar (Subrata Mitra) - The declining legacy of a landlord. Wonderful naturalistic lighting, simplistic compositions, minimalistic sets, how objects enter and leave the frame. Great chemistry between a film-maker and cinematographer.

 

10. Requiem for a dream (Matthew Libatique) - unconventioned narrative of this ensemble well supported by the cut-crisp cinematography will have a long-lasting impact on you

 

11. Go go second time virgin (Hideo Ito) - one of the most unsettling movies ever. the casual, informal camera work

 

12. Pieta (Cho Yeong-Jik) - dark, sinewy. Not just the light, but also the shadow is important in cinematography.

 

13. La Dolce Vita (Ortello Martelli) - Cinema is resemblance of life, but gets more real than life itself. Grand, highly organic.

 

I won't say that these are the greatest, but my favourites and the ones I remember right now.

[Vijeta Dahiya]

Here is my list :

 

1. Persona (Sven Nykvist) - the single-point lighting and the unique way of capturing close-ups of faces

 

2. Fanny and Alexander (Sven Nykvist) - organic, logical, naturalistic lighting at its best. Complimented by the great art direction.

 

3. Red Desert (Carlo Di Palma) - unique use of colour (which is not saturated, which is not glossy). the colour depicts the mood.

 

4. 3-iron (Jang Seung-Beck) - the abstract story expressed through abstract angles and soft lighting...

 

5. Chungking Express, Away with words (Christopher Doyle) - highly stylish. The compositions, a daze of colour, camera movements of the hand-held cam that will show you more than can be seen by naked eye. Integral with the poetic tone of the film

 

6. Amelie (Bruno Delbonnel) - Highly eloquent. this fairy tale has each and every shot carefully crafted like a painter's work.

 

7. Turtles can fly (Shahriar Assadi) - haunting compositions and lighting. unsettling frontal shots to depict the micro-effects of a war

 

8. Melancholia (Manuel Alberto Claro) - the grand compositions, the colour, organic camera movement, shows the melancholy of a nice world in this apocalyptic drama.

 

9. Jalsaghar (Subrata Mitra) - The declining legacy of a landlord. Wonderful naturalistic lighting, simplistic compositions, minimalistic sets, how objects enter and leave the frame. Great chemistry between a film-maker and cinematographer.

 

10. Requiem for a dream (Matthew Libatique) - unconventioned narrative of this ensemble well supported by the cut-crisp cinematography will have a long-lasting impact on you

 

11. Go go second time virgin (Hideo Ito) - one of the most unsettling movies ever. the casual, informal camera work

 

12. Pieta (Cho Yeong-Jik) - dark, sinewy. Not just the light, but also the shadow is important in cinematography.

 

13. La Dolce Vita (Ortello Martelli) - Cinema is resemblance of life, but gets more real than life itself. Grand, highly organic.

 

I won't say that these are the greatest, but my favourites and the ones I remember right now.