| The Art of Visual
Storytelling: The 1st Annual Festival of Cinematography Co-presented with the American Society of
Cinematographers (ASC)
"Cinematography is an infinitely subtle language…even
more so than music or words…contrast is what makes moving images interesting, and the
possibilities for creating shades of light and darkness are endless…I light through
the lens the way painters work. I start each day with a clean slate, and build each scene
one element at a time. There are no masters, only good learners, because every picture is
different. It's difficult explaining how I feel with words. I want my work to speak for
me." -- Conrad L. Hall, ASC
Artful cinematography defies description. It's like trying to describe the wind. It can be
stunning images that take your breath away, or a subtle nuance, a twinkle in someone's
eye, a fleeting shadow that temporarily conceals something beautiful or frightening.
Cinematography is a language expressed with images rather than words. Maybe a texture
gives you a tactile sense of a mood, or a subtle, indescribable use of colors or contrast
that defines a sense of time and place. Mark Twain wrote that the difference between the
right word and almost the right word is like the difference between lightning and a
lightning bug. It's the same with cinematography. It's not just what you see…it's
what the images makes you feel.
The 1st Annual Festival of Cinematography, a
collaboration between the American Cinematheque and the American Society of
Cinematographers (ASC), is a rare opportunity to see beautiful 35 mm. film prints of some
of the most visually stunning and influential films of the modern era, followed by
in-depth conversation with the cinematographers who helped create them. The Festival leads
off with a special Memorial Tribute to the late Conrad Hall, a screening of one of
his most acclaimed films, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. We’re thrilled to
welcome as our in-person guests for the first year’s Festival, master
cinematographers Michael Chapman, William Fraker, Laszlo Kovacs, Ed Lachman, Haskell
Wexler and Vilmos Zsigmond - !
Friday, April 18 – 7:00 PM
Tribute to Conrad Hall, ASC:
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, 1969,
20th Century Fox, 110 min. "Think ya used enough dynamite there,
Butch?" drawls blue-eyed, laid back train robber Robert Redford to his equally
charming partner-in-crime Paul Newman, in director George Roy Hill’s
soulful, hilarious and wildly romantic look at the infamous Hole in the Wall gang.
Brilliantly scripted by William Goldman, and photographed in luminous, painterly beauty by
the late, great master Conrad Hall (COOL HAND LUKE, AMERICAN BEAUTY, ROAD TO
PERDITION), recipient of the 1993 ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. Posthumously he won the
Oscar for Best Cinematography for THE ROAD TO PERDITION.
Friday, April 18 – 9:45 PM
Tribute to William Fraker, ASC and Laszlo Kovacs,
ASC:
A REFLECTION OF FEAR, 1973,
Columbia, 89 min. A true rarity for fans of great cinematography, A REFLECTION OF FEAR was
directed by legendary d.p. William Fraker (who shot ROSEMARY’S BABY and HEAVEN
CAN WAIT, and won the 1999 ASC Lifetime Achivement Award), and photographed by the
equally-legendary Laszlo Kovacs (EASY RIDER, FIVE EASY PIECES, SHAMPOO, and winner
of the 2001 ASC Lifetime Achievement Award). Disturbed teen Marguerite (Sondra Locke),
looked after by a protective mom (Mary Ure) and grandmother (Signe Hasso), is sent over
the edge when her estranged father, Michael (Robert Shaw) returns with new love,
Anne (Sally Kellerman) in tow. Genuinely chilling, with one of the most unexpected twists
in any 1970’s thriller. Discussion following with director
William Fraker and cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs (schedules permitting).
Saturday, April 19 – 5:00 PM
Tribute to Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC:
DELIVERANCE, 1972, Warner Bros.,
109 min. Director John Boorman fashions an indescribable odyssey of unexpected
violence, endurance and transcendence as Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and
Ned Beatty are stalked by a scruffy gang of backwoods neanderthals. The cinematography by Vilmos
Zsigmond (MCCABE & MRS. MILLER, THE LONG GOODBYE, and winner of the 1998 ASC
Lifetime Achievement Award) perfectly evokes an atmosphere of stark, pastoral beauty and
mounting terror from novelist James Dickey’s pitch perfect screenplay. Discussion following with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (schedule
permitting).
Saturday, April 19 – 8:15 PM
Tribute to Michael Chapman, ASC:
Brand New 35 mm. Print! TAXI DRIVER, 1976, Columbia, 113 min. Director Martin
Scorsese, ably abetted by cinematographer Michael Chapman’s (RAGING BULL,
THE LAST DETAIL) beautifully gritty, neon drenched nightscapes, fashions one of the most
disturbing neo-noir thrillers ever made. Robert DeNiro is mesmerizing as the loner
taxi driver on the verge of madness who becomes obsessed with rescuing teen hooker Jodie
Foster from sleazy pimp Harvey Keitel, even if it means slaughtering everyone
in his path. Discussion following with cinematographer Michael
Chapman (schedule permitting).
Sunday, April 20 – 4:30 PM
Tribute to Ed Lachman, ASC:
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, 1999,
Paramount Classics, 97 min. Director Sofia Coppola’s debut feature is an
intimate memory-piece about a group of teenaged boys who are mesmerized by the beauty of
five blonde sisters in their neighborhood – without ever realizing the loneliness and
despair behind the sisters’ seemingly-perfect lives. The cinematography by Ed
Lachman (FAR FROM HEAVEN, THE LIMEY) subtly evokes the isolation of the young girls
within the womb of 1970’s suburban America. With Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett,
James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito. Adapted from the novel by Jeffrey
Eugenides. Discussion following with cinematographer Ed Lachman
(schedule permitting).
Sunday, April 20 – 7:15 PM
Tribute to Haskell Wexler, ASC:
MATEWAN, 1987, IFC Films, 132 min.
Based on a true incident in the impoverished but coal-rich hills of West Virginia in the
1920’s, writer/director John Sayles’ masterpiece is an unforgettable
portrait of a community struggling to assert itself under the crushing dominance of
capitalist greed. Chris Cooper (ADAPTATION) turns in his finest performance as
labor organizer Joe Kenehan, with tremendous support from a cast that includes James Earl
Jones, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn and Sayles himself. The cinematography by Haskell
Wexler (WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST,
and winner of the 1992 ASC Lifetime Achievement Award) perfectly captures the haunted,
bone-weary desperation of the miners and their families. One of the great American movies
of the past two decades. Discussion following with
cinematographer Haskell Wexler (schedule permitting). |
