Visions of Light


Visions of Light is a 1992 documentary film directed by Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy and Stuart Samuels. The film covers the art of cinematography since the conception of cinema at the turn of the 20th century. It features numerous filmmakers and cinematographers as interview subjects, presenting their views and discussing the importance of cinematography in the craft of filmmaking.

Synopsis

The film includes interviews with many modern-day directors of photography and cinematographers, who illustrate via examples their best work and the scenes from films that influenced them to pursue their art. These subjects include Néstor Almendros, John Bailey, Conrad Hall, Michael Chapman, and László Kovács.
Among the pioneers they pay homage are Gregg Toland, Billy Bitzer, James Wong Howe and John Alton. The practitioners also explain the origins behind many of their most indelible images in cinema history.

Cinematographer interviews

Filmography

The following films are featured in clips or discussed:The Dickson Experimental Sound Film Repas de bébé L'Arrivée d'un train à la Ciotat The Kiss Le Spectre rouge The Birth of a Nation Intolerance The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Way Down East Der Letzte Mann Ben-Hur Napoléon Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans The Crowd The Cameraman The Cocoanuts Applause The Locked Door Possessed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Shanghai Express As You Desire Me What Price Hollywood? Red Dust Mystery of the Wax Museum Gold Diggers of 1933 Queen Christina Becky Sharp Peter Ibbetson Desire Camille Jezebel The Adventures of Robin Hood Midnight The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle The Wizard of Oz Gone with the Wind The Grapes of Wrath Rebecca The Sea Hawk The Long Voyage Home Citizen Kane How Green Was My Valley The Magnificent Ambersons Meet Me in St. Louis Mildred Pierce The Killers Out of the Past T-Men The Naked City Oliver Twist She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Young Man with a Horn Sunset Boulevard On the Waterfront The Big Combo The Night of the Hunter Picnic Sweet Smell of Success Touch of Evil Jules et Jim Lawrence of Arabia Hud Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Professionals Cool Hand Luke In Cold Blood The Graduate 2001: A Space Odyssey Rosemary's Baby Easy Rider Midnight Cowboy The Conformist McCabe & Mrs. Miller The French Connection The Godfather Fat City Chinatown The Godfather Part II The Day of the Locust Jaws Dog Day Afternoon Taxi Driver Eraserhead Annie Hall Star Wars Days of Heaven Apocalypse Now Raging Bull E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Blade Runner Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Blue Velvet The Last Emperor Empire of the Sun The Unbearable Lightness of Being The Last Temptation of Christ Do the Right Thing

Reception

Awards

Wins
Nominations