The work of the film cameraman is something that always carries a special interest for me. Their contributions to films are often, at the same time, underrated and overrated. Now while I admire the efforts that went into the making of this documentary I cannot enthuse over their choice of subject matter.
Mr Alonzo was a good, basic cameraman but not more than that. He was competent while not artistic, hard-working but not that interesting. Many cameramen of his generation went for easy gimmickry in their visuals instead of grounding their work in the best principles of motion picture photography. For example, placing yellow filters over the lens to suggest a 1940s (or historical) ambiance is something that many of these copycat DPs would do, but that isn't artistic cinematography. It is gimmickry. Often provided with photogenic background sets Mr Alonzo would light them not in the best interests of the story but merely to engage in display of visual pyrotechnics.
The producers of this documentary could have chosen so many more accomplished cinematographers as their subject. There are great names out there crying for a documentary like this: Robert Burks, Franz Planer, Robert Krasker, Arthur Miller, Joe August, Wilkie Cooper, Winton Hoch, Freddy Young, Osmond Borrodaile, Bert Glennon to name but a few. If we are going to try to encourage artistry in camera-work then we should be studying the artists.
Interesting documentary, but they could have chosen a more worthy subject.
Mr Alonzo was a good, basic cameraman but not more than that. He was competent while not artistic, hard-working but not that interesting. Many cameramen of his generation went for easy gimmickry in their visuals instead of grounding their work in the best principles of motion picture photography. For example, placing yellow filters over the lens to suggest a 1940s (or historical) ambiance is something that many of these copycat DPs would do, but that isn't artistic cinematography. It is gimmickry. Often provided with photogenic background sets Mr Alonzo would light them not in the best interests of the story but merely to engage in display of visual pyrotechnics.
The producers of this documentary could have chosen so many more accomplished cinematographers as their subject. There are great names out there crying for a documentary like this: Robert Burks, Franz Planer, Robert Krasker, Arthur Miller, Joe August, Wilkie Cooper, Winton Hoch, Freddy Young, Osmond Borrodaile, Bert Glennon to name but a few. If we are going to try to encourage artistry in camera-work then we should be studying the artists.
Interesting documentary, but they could have chosen a more worthy subject.