Wexler then turned to color for the first time, in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. But in deference to the subject matter at hand, he tried to achieve what has been called a “black and white color,” a desaturated and realistic look that is as appropriate to a film like HEAT OF THE NIGHT as it would be inappropriate to something along the order of TRUE GRIT. With the same director, Norman Jewison, Wexler then shot another color film, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, and did the exact opposite. He made the colors rich and vivid, in keeping with the depiction of Steve McQueen’s lavish life-style. The results were extremely effective. Additionally, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR was highlighted by four attractive multi-image sequences, which were Jewison’s idea, but were carried out in large part by his expert cameraman.
Haskell Wexler explains a scene to Peter Bonerz for MEDIUM COOL ( 1969).
These successes behind him, Wexler then embarked on his most ambitious project to date, MEDIUM COOL. Wexler co-produced, directed, wrote, and photographed this arresting film—one of the few times a director of photography has taken screen credit as camera operator as well. The idea was beginning to take shape when the Democratic National Convention was scheduled for Chicago. Wexler made the convention, and the subsequent street violence, an integral part of the story; like the rest of the film, the scenes involving the convention and riots were authentic (Wexler himself was tear-gassed at one point).
Seldom has a fictional film created such a feeling of reality; appropriately, few films have gone to such lengths to make everything about them real. No sets were used, virtually no lighting, and all sound recording was authentic—there was no post-dubbing whatsoever. It is a tribute to the actors that their performances hardly seem to be performances. Robert Forster, who played the cameraman “hero” of the film, became so absorbed in his role that he asked Wexler if he could experiment with the camera; some of Forster’s footage eventually wound up in the film.
Since many non-actors appeared in the film, Wexler used special methods to get the best results from them. None of the players saw a complete script; they were only told their lines so the reaction at hearing the others’ dialogue would be natural and unaffected. “Professional actors can improve their performance in a scene through various retakes,” Wexler explained, “but non-actors tend to become self-conscious and unnatural if required to rehearse or repeat a scene. We used a multiple camera setup on numerous scenes to secure the proper surprise, shock, or other reaction we wanted from our amateurs on the first take, since they did not anticipate what other people in the scene would say or do.”
Thus was MEDIUM COOL created—a process of feeling through various scenes with intelligent actors and dedicated amateurs, using the most mobile camera equipment available for the greatest freedom in shooting, and letting everyone participate in the creative process, for the best possible results.
(An amusing sidelight concerns one of the most striking sequences in the picture, where Forster chases his current bed-mate through the winding geography of his multi-room apartment, followed close behind by Wexler’s wide-angle camera. When it came time to shoot the scene, Wexler suggested that it would be more realistic if the actors played it in the nude. The actress quickly obliged, but Forster objected, protesting that it wasn’t in the script, and had not been agreed upon in advance. After much cajoling on Wexler’s part, Forster said, “All right, I’ll tell you what. I’ll play it nude if you’ll shoot it nude.” Ever the dedicated filmmaker, Wexler cleared the apartment of all crew members, stripped, mounted his Eclair on his shoulder, and shot the scene as Forster requested.)
Wexler is on the camera cart, shooting. a scene for MEDIUM COOL with Robert Foster and Peter Bonerz.
With MEDIUM COOL, Wexler proved himself a master, and a compleat filmmaker, not just a skilled cinematographer. Where he will go from here is known only to Wexler himself; he can certainly pursue any aspect of motion picture he chooses, for it is clear that any project he tackles will be in capable hands.
What of today’s cinematographers? Many ASC veterans are still at the top of the heap, and for good reason—there is nothing so valuable to a film as a cinematographer who knows his business. James Wong Howe is as much in demand today as he ever was, not only because of his outstanding track record, but because he is always experimenting, ready to try something new. When he recently filmed THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (his fourth picture for director Martin Ritt), he broke precedent by eschewing the traditional “brute” lights for the more modem, not universally accepted “bank” light fixtures. He used no light at all on many scenes, including one interior shot which was illuminated solely by candlelight.
Perhaps Howe’s masterpiece (at least a strong contender) is John Frankenheimer’s SECONDS (1966), one of the most outstanding films of the 1960s, and one of the most brilliantly photographed films of all time. The bizarre storyline, about an organization that gives middle-aged men new bodies and identities, gave Howe an opportunity to try unusual effects with his camera. He utilized the “fish-eye” lens with excellent results, before TV commercials killed the idea with overuse; provided the opening sequences with a startling dreamlike aura by creating a subtle soft focus around the edges of the frame; and made optimum, realistic use of New York locations such as Grand Central Station without the aid of artificial lighting.
Probably no cinematographer has received as much attention in recent years as F. A. “Freddie” Young, whose collaboration with director David Lean is as famous today as Billy Bitzer’s was with Griffith fifty years ago. And like so many other filmmakers who have received sudden recognition of late, Young is hardly an overnight success. He will soon be seventy years old, and his credits include many of the most famous British films of all time: NELL GWYNN, VICTORIA THE GREAT, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, and 49th PARALLEL, as well as such other memorable movies as TREASURE ISLAND, IVANHOE, and LUST FOR LIFE.
Young’s remarkable three Academy Awards, however, have all been for his films with David Lean: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO, and RYAN’S DAUGHTER, all three of which, made on an epic scale in large-screen processes, have given Young the opportunities to “show off” his skill, as it were. There remains the danger so often mentioned by cinematographers of having this grand show of photography become too obvious, taking precedence over the action in the film, but that question aside for the moment, one cannot belittle the beauty of Young’s work on the screen.
While Howe, Charles Lang, Robert Surtees, and other great cameramen continue to shine, a new breed of cinematographers has established itself in Hollywood, and many of these young men are doing remarkable work. One of the brightest is Laszlo Kovacs, who fled from his native Hungary in 1956 when the country was torn by revolution. Eventually settling in Hollywood, he became part of the crowd at American-International Pictures, the industry’s chief supplier of exploitation films. Little did anyone dream that out of AIP would emerge such successful filmmakers as Roger Corman, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Bogdanovich. Some of their work at AIP, however, can charitably be described as “embryonic,” and little more. Variety reviewed one of the many tawdry motorcycle films produced at AIP and photographed by Kovacs, and commented that “the most depressing thing about this latest adventure of the Rover Boys is that such first-rate color camerawork was thrown away on such trivia. . The cinematography even manages to give overphotographed California highways a new and interesting look.”
It was not just one critic’s opinion. Many people started noticing the quality of Kovacs’ work, especially in the much-praised but little-seen Peter Bogdanovich film TARGETS (1968). This was Kovacs’ first opportunity to break away from AIP, and once again he dazzled everyone with his excellent camerawork. When Dennis Hopper asked him to shoot EASY RIDER, Kovacs demurred, not eager to be associated with still another motorcycle opus. He consented after Hopper made it clear that the film, while still low-budget, would be of a much higher caliber than any of the AIP efforts. EASY RIDER went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1969, and while there were differences
of opinion as to its worth as a film, there was no disagreement about Kovacs’ contribution. Variety called it “brilliant.”
James Wong Howe dons roller skates and uses a hand-held camera to intensify the excitement of a prizefight in BODY AND SOUL (1947) with John Garfield.
Perhaps his best work to date, however, was in GETTING STRAIGHT, directed by Richard Rush, more conventional cinematically than many of his other films, yet eminently effective, with fine color results. Bob Rafelson, another EASY RIDER alumnus, hired Kovacs for his FIVE EASY PIECES (1970), another low-budget, high-quality film that permitted Kovacs to attempt a hybrid of his “naturalistic” camerawork from earlier films with a more polished type )f photography that the film warranted. The result is a very real effect, but not harsh, as it might have been in the hands of a less capable cameraman. Asked about the working relationship of FIVE EASY PIECES, director Rafelson told us, “Lesley feels his function is to entirely oblige the director, and I feel it’s my job to oblige him. He’s fantastic.”
The prolific Kovacs also photographed Dennis Hopper’s THE LAST MOVIE and Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker’s ALEX IN WONDERLAND, with apparently no end in sight to the string of successes he plans to tuck under his belt.
Another “new” cinematographer in American films is not young at all, nor is he new to filmmaking. His name is Gabriel Figueroa, and in his mid-sixties, he is just achieving recognition in Hollywood, having been a leading Mexican cinematographer for years. He photographed seven of Luis Buñuel’s classic films, beginning with LOS OLVIDADOS (1950) and continuing through SIMON OF THE DESERT (1965). Figueroa’s previous contributions to American films have been those shot on location in Mexico. One would think that his beautiful work on John Ford’s THE FUGITIVE (1947) would have resulted in a hearty welcome from Hollywood, but for the most part Figueroa remained in Mexico, turning out consistently superior work for whatever director happened to film on location there.
John Ford recalled for Peter Bogdanovich, “It [THE FUGITIVE] had a lot of damn good photography—with those black and white shadows. We had a good cameraman, Gabriel Figueroa, and we’d wait for the hght—instead of the way it is nowadays where regardless of the light, you shoot.”
This photo and the seven that follow show the innovative Howe at work with director John Frankenheimer and star Rock Hudson on SECONDS (1966). Notice that despite the variety of locations, indoor and outdoor, Howe tried to use natural light wherever possible, and employed lightweight cameras in order to bring the audience “into” each .scene. As you can see in the last picture of this sequence, he was not above holding a cameras light himself to help make a shot work smoothly.
Through the 1950s, Figueroa’s work in domestic Mexican pictures and in international classics directed by Buñuel, continued on the same plateau. Not until 1964 did he contribute his talent to another American film, John Huston’s THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Most recently, Figueroa filmed what must be one of the loveliest outdoor color films ever shot, Don Siegel’s Two MULES FOR SISTER SARA (1970). Filmed in widescreen, using many pleasing filters for various effects, SISTER SARA captured a vividness of color never thought to exist in the barren country where most of the shooting was done. He followed this with what may be his first non-Mexican-locationed film, KELLY’S HEROES, an elaborate World War Two comedy directed by Brian Hutton. Reviewing HEROES the same month as SISTER SARA, Playboy’s film critic, having praised the latter’s photography, referred to KELLY’ S HEROES as “another feather in the cap of cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa . . . expertly filmed.” It was a tribute not only to Figueroa, but to the growing awareness of cinematography as a vital force in the art of filmmaking.
In cinematography, as in few other fields, age is irrelevant. Men in their sixties and seventies are experimenting as boldly as newcomers, and novices in their twenties and thirties are perfecting techniques that belie their youth.
Most importantly, there is always room for creativity and invention in the field. Nothing is constant in cinematography; there are no techniques that can’t be improved upon, no equipment that can’t be further developed, no rules that can’t be broken. Just as we have looked back on the great achievements of the past, we can also look forward to even greater accomplishments in the future, in this tremendously exciting, vibrant field, made up of men behind the camera who have dedicated themselves to this most fascinating of all the arts.
How to film a panoramic shot, ca. 1920.
In the days before unions, anyone who was handy might be pressed into service on the camera crew. Here, some extras lend a hand on a tracking shot for TRAVELIN’ ON (1922). William S. Hart is walking alongside the wagon.
Cecil B. DeMille poses in 1934 with the Pathé camera that filmed his first movie, the pioneer Hollywood feature THE SQUAW MAN (1914).
A hand-cranked camera (operated by Fred Guiol) captures the comecly of Harold Lloyd. Bebe Daniels, and Snub Pollard in JUST NEIGHBORS (1919).
Director Charles Reisner and cameraman Edwin DuPar use intense lighting to get an authentic night scene for THE BETTER ’OLE (1926) with Syd Chaplin.
Fred Nihlo directs Joan Crawford in DREAM OF LOVE (1928), with Oliver T. Marsh at the camera.
A “second unit” hard at work on UNDER TWO FLAGS (1936). Victor McLaglen is leading the detachement.
second-unit director Otto Brower gets more action for UNDER TWO FLAGS.
Director. H. C. Potter and his camera crew take to the floor to shoot an intimate scene with Brian Aherne and Merle Oberon for BELOVED ENEMY ( 1936).
The camera rolls along specially built tracks so it can scan the line of young ladies and come to rest on a close-up of Simone Simon in GIRLS’ DORMITORY ( 1936).
Camera operator Guy Roe shoots a scene for cameraman Bert Glennon (not seen) and director Edward H. Griffith, as assistant director Edward Beroudy peeks around the doorway. The film is ONE NIGHT IN LISBON (1941) with Fred MacMurray, Patricia Morison. Madeleine Carroll, and John Loder.
Joseph Walker’s camera crew films a simple sidewalk conversation between Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne for director Irving Cummings’ WHAT A WOMAN! (1943).
Stan Laurel and Dante the Magician run through a .scene for director Alfred Werker (crossed legs, center) and cameraman Glen MacWilliams on A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO (1942).
Billy Wilder provided moviegoers with a realistic look at a movie sound stage, courtesy of fellow Paramount director Cecil B. DeMille, in SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950).
New postwar lightweight cameras are displayed by a crew from Warner-Pathé Newsreel in the early I950s.
William Boyd (right) visits Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston, and cameraman Loyal Griggs on location for THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956).
John Wayne, cameraman Russell Harlan. and Howard Hawks discuss an action scene for HATARI! ( 1962).
Director Howard Hawks checks a camera set-up for his ambitious CinemaScope production LAND OF THE PHARAOHS ( 1955).
Director Martin Ritt and cameraman James Wong Howe let Paul Newman try to film a hand-held .shot of Patricia Neal for HUD (1963) . . . and
several years later, actor-turned-director Paul Newman sets up a shot with wife Joanne Woodward for his film RACHEL, RACHEL ( 1968).
Director Peter Glenville instructs cameraman Geoffrey Unsworth how to shoot a scene for BECKET (1964)
while Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton wait for the scene, to begin.Director Henry Hathaway checks a scene with his Technirama 70 camera for CIRCUS WORLD (1964).
Jerry Lewis directs his film THE BIG MOUTH (1967) while his long-time cameraman W. Wallace Kelley checks the light.
Harry Stradling’s camera crew moves in for a close-up of Barbra Streisand in FUNNY GIRL (1968).
A tracking shot of Jack Elam, Gary Lockwood, and Henry Fonda for FIRECREEK (1968) is rehearsed by director Vincent McEveety (in white trousers) and William Clothier (behind camera)
Cinema vérité at work: a hand-held camera used
to film Leacock-Pennebaker’s MONTEREY POP (1969).
FIVE INTERVIEWS: Introductory
These five cameramen represent a cross-section of the scores of outstanding craftsmen who have made films in Hollywood for the past sixty years. Three are pioneers who started with the industry; one began with the talkie era; and one is among the younger breed of cinematographer.
The Art of the Cinematographer Page 8
