Thursday Movie Picks: Female Cinematographers
1) Charlotte Bruus Christensen, A Quiet Place - I loved how this movie was shot. For a film that doesn't have a lot of spoken dialogue, the cinematography has to stand out and this very much does.
2) Ellen Kuras, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - How she was not nominated for an Oscar for her work here is beyond me. Eternal Sunshine is a very unique film and the whimsical way Kuras shot this enhances that.
3) Rain Li, Paranoid Park - This is a Gus Van Sandt film that doesn't get talked about a lot. While Li was technically a Co-DP on this film, I chose it because it's one I still think about often. It's just shot in such a melancholy way. I really enjoyed it.
I haven't seen your third pick but the other two are beautiful, especially Kuras. Her cinematography adds so much to the film.
ReplyDeleteIt does. Still smh at the academy for that one.
DeleteNot being a horror guy I wasn't sure about A Quiet Place and put off seeing it until after it was out of theatres. But I like John Krasinski so when the opportunity presented itself I gave it a look. It was better than I expected but very unsettling, I'll never watch it again but the cinematography was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'll grant that Eternal Sunshine had some wonderful visuals but I have never understood the love the film engenders. I hated it with a passion.
I've heard of but haven't seen Paranoid Park.
This was a challenge I must admit. At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to muster up three but with some Google help I did.
Beach Rats (2017)-Teen Frankie (Harris Dickinson) drifts aimlessly between his bleak home life, his loser friends, a potential new girlfriend and the older men he meets online. While narratively diffuse, cinematographer Hélène Louvart immerses the film in a shifting collage of mood and atmosphere, smells, sounds, colors, the look of skin in sunlight and darkness, back-lit by the seedy-glamorous colored lights of the picture’s Coney Island setting.
Beau Travail (1999)-French Foreign Legion sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant) must deal with his jealousy when new recruit Sentain (Grégoire Colin) becomes a hero in the eyes of his men. Frustrated that Forestier (Michel Subor) the superior he admires, does not share his resentment for Sentain, Galoup's envy of the recruit becomes too much for him bear and his downward spiral begins. Cinematographer Agnès Godard uses the sun-bleached terrains of the film’s East Africa setting and juxtaposes it to the sun kissed taut physiques of the participants creating what was termed a “voluptuous austerity” upon the picture’s release.
Swoon (1992)-A highly stylized recounting of the infamous thrill killing of young Bobby Frank by rich teens Nathan Leopold Jr. (Craig Chester) and Richard Loeb (Daniel Schlachet) that led to one of the most notorious trials of the 1920’s. Cinematographer Ellen Kraus uses a black & white palette to blend the anachronistic touches of the film into the disturbing sadomasochistic tone of the story.
The only one of yours I've seen is Beach Rats which I didn't like. I'll have to check out Swoon! That sounds interesting.
DeleteOf the three Beach Rats is the one I liked least but I must admit I wasn't as crazy about any of these as I usually am with my choices. I thought of a bunch of films whose look that I love but they all turned out to have been shot by men. In the end I was just happy to find three!
DeleteOh, I have Charlotte Bruus Christensen on my list for the exact same movie haha Thanks for suggesting such a great theme!
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating and visiting my blog!
DeleteStill haven't seen A Quiet Place though I have seen Charlotte Bruus Christensen's work with Thomas Vinterberg as she is a great cinematographer. We do share a cinematographer in Ellen Kuras but I went with a theme within a theme.
ReplyDeleteA Quiet Place is good. I'm curious how the sequel will play out because I'm not sure where they could go with it.
DeleteNice picks! Glad we share Ellen for Eternal. I didn't know that a woman directed A Quiet Place. That's so cool. I haven't heard of Paranoid Park yet and will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I've seen Paranoid Park but it was always higher on my Gus Van Sandt list.
DeleteI am late here and have not seen any of these. I am too scared to watch A Quiet Place and Eternal Sunshine is on my list to see. I don’t know the last one at all but that one scene looks lovely. I just watched Minari and The Father...
ReplyDeleteA Quiet Place isn't scary, it's just very tense. I think there's maybe one legit jump scare?
DeleteA Quiet Place was such a surprise when I saw it. Extremely well shot movie :-D
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way! Was not expecting that.
DeleteI LOVE A Quiet Place! It took me a long time to finally see it as I'm not into horror but glad I did. Charlotte Bruus Christensen does amazing work.
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect much from that film either and it really surprised me.
DeleteI didn't like A Quiet Place at all so kinda overlook the visuals.
ReplyDeleteParanoid Park...yeah it did have a kinda stark melancholic look. I remember it as that movie with that horrifying accident.
Yes that was so gross.
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