tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post3796862210947856331..comments2024-03-28T06:14:54.076-04:00Comments on And So It Begins...: Top 10 Vilmos Zsigmond FilmsAlex Withrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-38193630159754837802015-08-29T20:12:14.190-04:002015-08-29T20:12:14.190-04:00"Lurking rather than filming." Fucking y..."Lurking rather than filming." Fucking yes. Exactly. So well said. That's what Zsigmond does, he observes, never intrudes.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-57413006740095078792015-08-29T12:58:10.615-04:002015-08-29T12:58:10.615-04:00I saw Deliverance for the 3rd time today and becau...I saw Deliverance for the 3rd time today and because of that im going to hunt down all of the films here I have not yet seen (that being 10 through 5). Absolutely stunning photography, but the camera always lurking- rather than filming. We feel like we are being watched, and Christ if it isn't effective and drop-dead gorgeous. Phenomenal work.Mark Woollonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05072777957640381767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-43883775121110860862015-08-17T13:28:08.011-04:002015-08-17T13:28:08.011-04:00Thanks man! What a nice final paragraph, that mean...Thanks man! What a nice final paragraph, that means a lot to me. I definitely don't have time to post as often as I did, but I like to post stuff - the act of writing is always beneficial! <br /><br />Love "a more beautiful bore" to describe Heaven's Gate. Flawless description. Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-58662204167917193662015-08-16T07:40:39.400-04:002015-08-16T07:40:39.400-04:00Great rundown here Alex. Vilmos is one of the fine...Great rundown here Alex. Vilmos is one of the finest cinematographers to ever grace the art. Really good to see his body of work on display. Always fond of his collaborations with Altman and Cimino, such a gifted eye. Great seeing Heaven's gate on here! It's a real mess of a film but you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful bore. The Deer Hunter has truly haunting moments, ones that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I have Zsigmond to thank for that. <br /><br />Great post, made me grin. Good to see the updates are still nice and plentiful in spite of your big wins in filmmaking. Tokarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02807042060473464015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-30015715371125203512015-07-16T13:41:21.288-04:002015-07-16T13:41:21.288-04:00Heaven's Gate is a bit of a slog; one of those...Heaven's Gate is a bit of a slog; one of those "eat your vegetables too" movies. Kind of just HAVE to see it.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-68919924977220562852015-07-16T06:13:17.999-04:002015-07-16T06:13:17.999-04:00Brilliant list man! Ugh, I really need to see Heav...Brilliant list man! Ugh, I really need to see Heaven's Gate. Awesome that The Deer Hunter takes the top spot. I might go with Close Encounters, but his work is fantastic in both.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596682195753811295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-3719682037950004502015-06-29T14:53:38.860-04:002015-06-29T14:53:38.860-04:00Thanks man. I laughed out loud at your Black Dahli...Thanks man. I laughed out loud at your Black Dahlia comment. So, so true. Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-67071328724889611832015-06-27T12:03:12.818-04:002015-06-27T12:03:12.818-04:00Great list. The Deer Hunter and Close Encounters o...Great list. The Deer Hunter and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are both great movies that beautifully shot. And The Black Dahlia might be one of the most boring movies i have ever seen, but it certainly did look good.Henrik J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12675100900709348187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-62463417732377717922015-06-24T15:08:16.832-04:002015-06-24T15:08:16.832-04:00Well I'm jealous and I truly mean that. If I h...Well I'm jealous and I truly mean that. If I hadn't found it funny I would have gotten zero enjoyment out of it. I love the concept because I've grown really tired of typical revenge fantasies, but CG really didn't work for me.<br /><br />What do you love about it? And that's genuine. I want to give it another go, maybe I'm missing something.Aaron Cameron Dawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806396766757126412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-263810656614816992015-06-22T12:34:01.741-04:002015-06-22T12:34:01.741-04:00So glad you're a fan and that you agree on The...So glad you're a fan and that you agree on The Deer Hunter for the top spot. Will give your Top 25 a look soon.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-67501353943028636492015-06-21T15:30:31.122-04:002015-06-21T15:30:31.122-04:00Adore Zsigmond's work. Shooting films for Altm...Adore Zsigmond's work. Shooting films for Altman, Spielberg, Cimino (the director's cut of Heaven's Gate is pretty good) and DePalma. That's the kind of resume one dreams of. And agreed on The Deer Hunter being his crowning achievement. He nails the atmosphere that the movie calls for. <br /><br />By the way, my top 25 films of the decade are up<br /><br />Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03231911249238795602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-78502758918086591482015-06-19T11:55:36.116-04:002015-06-19T11:55:36.116-04:00Those shots from Heaven's Gate are cemented fi...Those shots from Heaven's Gate are cemented firmly in my head. Two great picks there. The man and horse one is especially impressive. You're right, that must have taken forever to nail.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-9937607135806479522015-06-19T07:59:17.482-04:002015-06-19T07:59:17.482-04:00I'm not a fan of Gates of Heaven, but the one ...I'm not a fan of Gates of Heaven, but the one really positive thing I had to say about it was the cinematography. There's a shot of a man on a horse by a train. In an unbroken shot (which must have taken forever to get a take they could use) the man and horse are enveloped in the smoke from the train and as it clears the horse and rider are gone. Another is the waltzing in the college courtyard. It's completely a waste of time in regards to the plot, but it's beautiful to watch.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-26684558818149531482015-06-18T13:56:47.836-04:002015-06-18T13:56:47.836-04:00Haha thanks man! Some of the best talents in film ...Haha thanks man! Some of the best talents in film stay behind the scenes.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-55287382798882736142015-06-18T13:56:22.135-04:002015-06-18T13:56:22.135-04:00I love your admiration for The Rose. I haven't...I love your admiration for The Rose. I haven't seen that one in years, but I love the look of it. I do these cinematography posts sporadically because they take a long time to research. But more will definitely be coming!Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-13621990497725500342015-06-18T13:39:44.062-04:002015-06-18T13:39:44.062-04:00Thanks man, that was really nice of you to say. I&...Thanks man, that was really nice of you to say. I'm so happy you like these lists. Maverick does have a great look to it. So-so film, but fun to look at.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-62497641791449969192015-06-18T13:38:16.564-04:002015-06-18T13:38:16.564-04:00Thanks Brittani! So happy you're a fan of his ...Thanks Brittani! So happy you're a fan of his work on these lists. Blow Out is a really groovy flick. I think you'd dig that one.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-84775211030419162862015-06-18T13:37:15.981-04:002015-06-18T13:37:15.981-04:00Great list man, can't wait to hear your though...Great list man, can't wait to hear your thoughts on The Long Goodbye. Such a good movie. Would love to get to Wexler soon. Dante Spinotti, Michael Ballhaus and Robert Burks too.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-56381432619363684542015-06-18T13:25:28.687-04:002015-06-18T13:25:28.687-04:00I love The Crossing Guard.I love The Crossing Guard.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-78793443013343302622015-06-18T10:40:59.838-04:002015-06-18T10:40:59.838-04:00I love how I've never heard his name and yet a...I love how I've never heard his name and yet as I'm scrolling through your list I'm all like "love that work...love that work...love that work"...LOL...great post, as always!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-54101153319339325232015-06-18T09:17:34.248-04:002015-06-18T09:17:34.248-04:00A woefully underrated cinematographer, I'm rea...A woefully underrated cinematographer, I'm really glad you made such a wonderful post on his work. I wouldn't dare try a Deer Hunter/Deliverance double bill, that would be too much for my poor heart to bear. All of these films are wonderful examples of his work, but his work in The Rose is my favourite. It has such a charge and palpable energy that's so electrifying in the concert scenes, but also a soulful intimacy in the scenes with Midler and Forrest, both giving fantastic performances.<br /><br />Do you have any other Cinematography lists planned?Aditya Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-8973204489619781702015-06-18T08:12:06.207-04:002015-06-18T08:12:06.207-04:00How the f--k I did not anticipate this? Deliveranc...How the f--k I did not anticipate this? Deliverance and The Deer Hunter are so visually similar. How that I never made the connection? That means that I need to rewatch them back to back. <br />This is my favorite part about your blog. Your originality. You often make a post that nobody will anticipate or know about.<br />I also liked the way Maverick looked. He always makes movies better with his cinematography. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00059813680559966539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-418044067440907732015-06-18T08:01:43.085-04:002015-06-18T08:01:43.085-04:00I couldn't agree more with what you said about...I couldn't agree more with what you said about The Black Dahlia. I dig it despite it's flaws, but the way it was shot was definitely the best part of it. Deliverance and Deer Hunter look beautiful as well. I haven't actually seen the rest. Nice job! I love these Cinemtography lists. Brittani Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07975067259283007280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-64414340734182936892015-06-18T01:17:45.728-04:002015-06-18T01:17:45.728-04:00Wow, that is a great fucking list. With the excep...Wow, that is a great fucking list. With the exception of <i>The Long Goodbye</i> (which I'll watch next week as part of my Blind Spot Series), there is just too many to list that is good.<br /><br />1. <i>McCabe & Mrs. Miller</i><br />2. <i>Heaven's Gate</i> (I too did warm up to it as I was just wowed by its restored edition)<br />3. <i>Deliverance</i><br />4. <i>The Deer Hunter</i><br />5. <i>Blow-Out</i><br />6. <i>Scarecrow</i><br />7. <i>The Black Dahlia</i><br />8. <i>The Crossing Guard</i><br />9. <i>The Rose</i><br />10. <i>Bonfire of the Vanities</i> (awful film but his photography is a highlight)<br /><br />Who is next on the cinematographer list? Nestor Almendros? Haskell Wexler? thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-78156729691307963212015-06-18T00:57:05.001-04:002015-06-18T00:57:05.001-04:00He is a fantastic example, as you pointed out in t...He is a fantastic example, as you pointed out in the Vanities post, of someone who makes really awful movies look gorgeous. But a magician can only do so much. Same goes for Crossing Gurd.Aaron Cameron Dawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806396766757126412noreply@blogger.com