[drphoto]

I'm a still commercial photographer. As some of you know, I mostly do architecture and product.

But I love photography in general. Sometimes the work of great cinema photographers. Sure, they get the added element of elapsed time and movement (thinking here of the great, one take,  tracking shot in "Goodfellas")

but I'm more talking about people who can frame a shot and really know lighting.

 First film I saw that blew my mind like this was Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" and his subsequent "Thin Red Line") I think the photographer was a Nestor Almendros. We showed the 35mm print of that at the student center when I was in college and I was temped to snip a frame or two to print. Just beautiful stuff.

Something more recent was the BBC reboot of Sherlock. Danmn, there's some amazing camera work there. Just great choices on placement, composition and lighting. I woulda thought shot with a DSLR, but DP used an Arri Alexa. Ok, so a $16K camera, but it was the man's eye that made the images. There was a scene at a swimming pool, and I remember thinking, this is so cool on the way this is framed.

[thunderbrick]

To say nothing of Citizen Kane, and many of the 1940s film noir B&W movies.   

Lawrence of Arabia is another visual masterpiece.

[Folsom]

There Will Be Blood

The King's Speech

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Once Upon A Time In The West

[Tyson]

Pretty much any Kubrick movie.  Kubrick of course started out as a photographer. 

[brother love]

Roger Deakins. His body of work with the Coen brothers is phenomenal (esp. Barton Fink & Fargo).

[thunderbrick]

The King's Speech

+1!   

[Photon46]

Gotta say, Kubrick is still my favorite. As a pro photographer myself, Kubrick's way of seeing the world (as far as framing and composition) is rather similar to my instincts and has influenced me without a doubt. "Barry Lyndon" is one of the most beautifully filmed movies ever IMO. Roger Deakin's also fabulous. "No Country for Old Men" never loses its appeal in for me, in large part because of the cinematography. Kurosawa and Tarantino have great photographic styles as directors, high on my list for great visuals in all their movies. Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire, Rush, 127 Hours) is also a very good cinematographer who I appreciate a great deal. 

[syzygy]

Woody Allen's films are beautifully shot.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Yup, like some already mentioned here, Kubrick's stuffs are great.

   One movie that comes to mind is the 1981 French movie "Diva" An artsy film, I like the way it looks. And the story was good too also. If anyone have seen this yet, do look for it.

   Other that I like but more so for story line is, "Cinema Paradiso" great cinema photography on this one also to me... one of my favorite movie of all time, but do watch the "international cut" of which is the shortest version of all 3 version that I know.

Take care,
Buddy 

[Tyson]

I'll also throw Tarkovsky into the mix.  He has this kind of magical way of imbuing images, even everyday images, with an unexpected weight and meaning.  Some have called him the poet of cinema.  That seems about right, to me. 

[drphoto]

Thanks for replies, and sorry for not getting back, I've been working my ass off at hospital.

Yeah, I love Kubrick. Photon mentioned Barry Lyndon. I read somewhere that Kubrick got Zeis optical to build him a special. f 0.9 lens to photograph that one scene only by candlelight.

Thanks for suggestions too, I've not seen anything by Tarvosky or "Diva".

Still think Malick rules, even Badlands was really terrific.

in the film "Thin Red Line" there's a scene where the soldier storm a hill covered in this beautiful waving long grass. He had that planted......a year ahead of shooting the scene because he could see it in his mind. Genius.

[Tyson]

I think Malick stole that moving grass idea from Tarkovsky   Specifically there's a similar shot (but in a very different scene/setting) in The Mirror.  Actually the more I think about it, the more I realize that Malick and Tarkovsky are almost spiritual brothers.  They both certainly shoot their films as a sort-of heightened reality poetic search for the sublime/divine.  Probably why they are both in my top 5 for favorite directors.

[drphoto]

Interesting. Yeah. The great artist steal from the best. I will certainly look for those films mentioned. Thanks guys. That's why I post these things....to see what I can learn from you.