"Dumptruck Directors"
Here's a video clip of Gordon Willis accepting his Life Achievement Award at last night's 2009 Governor's Awards in Hollywood. And here's a Scene Unseen podcast interview with Willis from June 2007. And here's a chat I had with Willis about a year ago regarding Robert Harris's Godfather restoration.
Here also are Caleb Deschanel's remarks about Willis during the afore-mentioned ceremony. (I'm not likely to ever forget the term "dumptruck directors.") The full Scene/Unseen interview is accessible here.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 15, 2009 at 10:55 AM
comment #1
George Prager
says ...
Willis in VISIONS OF LIGHT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbchmWS5jIU
Anyone ever see WINDOWS? (WIllis's only film as a director)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8FQN3JfIaE
Posted by George Prager
at November 15, 2009 11:21 AM
comment #2
MrTribeca
says ...
There goes George Prager - just like DeeZee, only relevant!
Posted by MrTribeca
at November 15, 2009 2:11 PM
comment #3
arturobandini2
says ...
Cool links all around. Prager, no, I've never seen Windows, but the clip you provided looks tasty. Elizabeth Ashley seems perfectly cast as a psycho-lesbian stereotype. Talia Shire's wedge cut brings back memories of Dorothy Hamill, Toni Tennille, Shields AND Yarnell.
In your other clip, Willis mentions the color yellow in the original Godfather, but what about the orange motif (the fruit, not the color)? The appearance of oranges precedes nearly every death in all three movies, but I've never heard anyone explain why. Dean Tavoularis once said they looked good with Willis' dark photography, but surely there's more to it than that. An inside joke, perhaps? Do you know?
Posted by arturobandini2
at November 15, 2009 8:47 PM
comment #4
Bob Hightower
says ...
Unfortunately, WINDOWS is dreadful. A rampant wallow in hysterical lesbian stereotyping from start to finish. And dramatically absurd in the bargain. People laughed at that fine actress Talia Shire for being portrayed as the mousy object of crazed lust from the usually wonderful but in this case wildly misguided Elizabeth Ashley. The film was damaging to the careers of everyone involved. Cinematographers rarely make good directors, though there are a few exceptions, such as George Stevens and Victor Fleming.
Posted by Bob Hightower
at November 15, 2009 10:13 PM
comment #5
Marty Melville
says ...
"Cinematographers rarely make good directors, though there are a few exceptions"
Karl Freund (The Mummy, Mad Love)
Posted by Marty Melville
at November 15, 2009 11:16 PM
comment #6
George Prager
says ...
yes, WINDOWS is probably awful, but I still wouldn't mind seeing it though.
I caought most of this last night:
NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: Laszlo & Vilmos
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/no-subtitles-necessary/
Awesome.
Posted by George Prager
at November 16, 2009 5:19 AM
comment #7
Apemantus
says ...
In case anyone ever took the Oscars seriously, here are the cinematography nominees for '72 and '74, the years Godfather and Godfather Part II were up for awards (winners have an asterisk):
1972:
Charles B. Lang, Butterflies Are Free
Douglas Slocombe, Travels With My Aunt
Harold E. Stine, The Poseidon Adventure
Harry Stradling, Jr., 1776
*Geoffrey Unsworth, Cabaret
1974:
John A. Alonzo, Chinatown
*Fred Koenekamp and Joseph Biroc, The Towering Inferno
Philip Lathrop, Earthquake
Bruce Surtees, Lenny
Geoffrey Unsworth, Murder on the Orient Express
TOWERING INFERNO?! That was on TV the other day and looked like an episode of Mannix. Gordon Willis wasn't even NOMINATED. What a joke.
Posted by Apemantus
at November 16, 2009 8:14 AM