I didn't exactly know how to title this list, but I really wanted to talk about some of my favourite cinematography in movies. And now I finally have an excuse to do so, because cinematographer Wally Pfister made his directorial debut in this week's movie
Transcendence.
Cinematography is always something I wanna see done right in movies; If you read my review of
Catching Fire you might see that one of the reasons I like it better than the first movie is because of it's grand improvement in cinematography. The camerawork in movies does have a huge effect on the feel of it; sometimes it's grand, sometimes it's sweeping, sometimes it's tonally condensed. Regardless, the art of motion picture photography is something that should definitely be appreciated when done right. These are movies that blew me away visually with the awesome cameraplay and how much it excelled a film (not judging the overall quality of these films, but a lot on this list are movies I really like!).
Honourable Mentions:
There's a lot of honourable mentions because there's so much I wanted to mention, so I included my favourite shot that displays the great cinematography in each of these films:
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Roger Deakins is the modern master of cinematography, he's been nomainated for I think 11 Oscars in that right, and
Assassination of Jesse James is what I believe to be his best. It's a Western about legendary Western outlaw Jesse James and his friendship with the measly Robert Ford who idolizes him. Deakins employed a new technique of cinematography for this movie and it plays off in such a stunning manner. The lighting with the fire is so great, and the loneliness of the American West is really displayed so well by the beautiful shots in this film; you don't just view it, you sort of feel it. There's great shots of nature, there's long takes, and there's specifically an opening scene where Jesse James is standing in the sunset and the field is on fire. The shots really look like paintings and Deakins's work in this film is essentially the best part of it.
4. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
It's a known fact that I love practically everything about The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the cinematography is no exception. I've singled out the first movie because it's the one that really gives you a taste of how huge and epic the world of Middle-Earth really is, and how epic the rest of the trilogy will play out. Specifically when the Fellowship departs from Rivendell and begins the actual quest, there are some of the most epic sweeping shots I've ever seen in movies, when the group is trekking across the huge beautiful landscapes.
Best Shot: the sweeping shots of the fellowship as they begin their quest
3. Road to Perdition (2002)
The most beautifully shot gangster movie is done by the late great Conrad Hall, who was awarded posthumous Oscar for his spectacular work in this film. He previously won an Oscar for his work in
American Beauty which clearly shows his versatility in cinematography as that film showcases confining shots of suburban living, whereas this film has wide shots of landscapes and cities. Almost every shot in this movie can be framed and put on a wall because it's all so picturesque and daunting. It also makes great use of tone, as the cinematography in the beginning conveys a cold atmosphere, and later evolves into a hopeful one. Yet it's always intense and is one of the main reasons I like this movie.
2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
A film that you'll later see on a list when I make a Top 5 Epics list is
Lawrence of Arabia, and one of the main aspects that makes it truly epic is that sweeping and widescale cinematography. This true story is about T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who aided the Arabians in gaining their indepedence from the Ottoman Empire and essentially is one of the most epic movies of all time. There's grand beautiful shots of the desert and expert camerawork in the battle scenes, and it always blends so perfectly with the epic musical score. The extremely wide cinemtography shots really conveys the hugeness and emptiness of the grand deserts, which really is a huge factor in the film.
1. Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men is one of my favourite movies of all time, and I can never find an excuse to talk about it... until now! It's directed by Alfonso Cuaron and shot by Emmanuel Lebezki, both of which won Oscars for their work in
Gravity this year. But I think this is truly their gem. On this list I've mostly been talking about beautiful wide shot cinematography, but this actually diverts from that. I love the cinematography in this movie that really helps in showing the grittiness of the world. Essentially the movie is about a not-too-distant future wherein the human race is now infertile and no one has been born in almost 20 years, but one girl actually gets pregnant so Clive Owen's character has to escort her to safety. The visual style of this movie is so gritty and actually feels like a very realistic post-apolocalyptic future. The film is famous for it's extensive use of long one-shot takes, which I absolutely love in movies. There are some single long takes that are around 10 minutes long, it's incredible especially because a lot of the time it's action happening in these long takes, not just dialogue. There's long takes through warzones and car chases, it's so crazy how it they can execute it so well. Especially when you think about it, because in most films they shoot the same scene from different angles over and over again and cut it every couple minutes if not seconds. But this movie's plethora of long takes require so much preparation, and they have to get the lighting and the perpesctives right at the right times, it's incredible how effecitvely and creatively that Lubezki executed this, playing a big role in why it's one of my favourite films.
The most beautifully shot gangster movie is done by the late great Conrad Hall, who was awarded posthumous Oscar for his spectacular work in this film. He previously won an Oscar for his work in American Beauty which clearly shows his versatility in cinematography as that film showcases confining shots of suburban living, whereas this film has wide shots of landscapes and cities. Almost every shot in this movie can be framed and put on a wall because it's all so picturesque and daunting. It also makes great use of tone, as the cinematography in the beginning conveys a cold atmosphere, and later evolves into a hopeful one. Yet it's always intense and is one of the main reasons I like this movie.
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