Cinematographer Style

Cinematographer Style is not the definitive documentary on the art of cinematography—that honor still belongs to the 1993 nonfiction classic Visions of Light—but filmmaker Jon Fauer's (himself a cinematographer) film does take a more unconventional approach to honoring the most venerated practitioners of his chosen profession. Cinematographer Style begins with an extensive roster of 110 legendary cinematographers introducing themselves in a rapid-fire montage—after which none are again identified onscreen, signaling Fauer's intention to emphasize the purely visual aspect of the cinematographer's art. With great humor, sense of purpose, philosophical insight, and an abundance of anecdotal autobiography, these highly accomplished cinematographers (representing a virtual who's who in their field) share the passions that drove them to the peak of their profession. The range and diversity here are truly impressive: from Vittorio Storaro's deeply metaphysical appreciation of color and form to Gordon Willis' legendarily excessive use of pitch-black shadows in the Godfather trilogy, Cinematographer Style charts the constant evolution of technique and technology, combined with the personal idiosyncrasies that distinguish each cinematographer's work, including celebrated artists such as Vilmos Zsigmond (and fellow Hungarian Laszlo Kovacs), John Bailey, Haskell Wexler, Roger Deakins, and many others. DVD extras include the complete interviews with Storaro and Willis. Offering an insider's tribute to the cinematographer's art, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)