Jack Cardiff
Jack Cardiff ( born September 18, 1914 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, † April 22, 2009 in London) was a British cinematographer and film director. He is considered one of the greatest cinematographers in film history, particularly for his pioneering work in the application of the Technicolor process. As a director, he turned with Sons and Lovers ( Sons and Lovers ), one of the style-defining films of the British New Wave.
Life
Jack Cardiff was born into a family of actors. His parents were touring actors and Cardiff spent his early childhood literally in the dressing rooms and on the stages of English provincial theater. His parents also worked as extras in the film and Jack procured as a child actor his first film roles. When he finished school, he went back to the film, first as a " gofer " and Laufbote. He was particularly interested in the camera work, because he hoped to be able to travel to many exotic locations.
In 1936 he was one of the first trainees at Technicolor. Soon he was called " Jack O'Lantern " ( the English nickname for a lighted Halloween pumpkin) because of its meticulousness in lighting the film sets. In 1937, he was cinematographer on Wings of the Morning, the first shot in Technicolor film in England. In the 1940s he became the first cinematographer of Rank Film Organization, for which he and in black and white and color film productions, such as Caesar and Cleopatra ( Caesar and Cleopatra ) and error in the afterlife (A Matter of Life Death ) worked.
Cardiff was soon a sought-after expert on paint films and shot some of the most important Technicolor films, among others, John Huston's The African Queen, Joseph L. Mankiewiczs The Barefoot Contessa ( The Barefoot Contessa ) and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Black Narcissus (Black Narcissus) and The Red Shoes ( The Red Shoes ). The directors appreciated the brilliance of its colors and its very deliberate and effective lighting work.
According to the experience as a cameraman at great directors Cardiff felt ready to start even a career as a director. His first major film as a director was the thriller Intent to Kill. Sons and Lovers ( Sons and Lovers ) from 1960 was a huge critical and box office success and is now considered one of the most style-forming films of the British New Wave. Cardiff was nominated for an Academy Award as a director, Freddie Francis received the award for the camera work.
Overall Cardiff resulted in 15 very different theater productions, most of which disappointed artistic. He returned in the 1970s to his work as a cameraman back, for which he was nominated five times for an Oscar, and remained active as a cameraman to 2007.
In 2000 he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II with an OBE. In 2001 he was awarded an honorary Oscar.
Style
The significance of light was Cardiff became aware by his lifelong enthusiasm for the painting: " The Hollywood cinematographers used a lot of background illumination, thereby because everything appears clearer and more contoured glamorous. This backlight succeeded me because I relied on what I had learned from the paintings: Simplicity of light. Paintings do not move, because it is easy to create a light effect, and in the film, where actors get up and walk across the room, you had to watch out for. But I understood and still believe that you have to stay with a simple lighting. "
Sometimes to Cardiff certain painters took for certain films as a model, such as Vincent van Gogh's vigorous color values and contrasts for The Red Shoes ( The Red Shoes ). Also from the Impressionist took over Cardiff concrete ideas: "If someone is sitting on the grass, they can resist the green light appear on his face. So I sometimes use sophisticated green filter. [ ... ] I used fine blue filter when it should be cold, so I used her methods to enhance the color. I always had to fight with the people of Technicolor because they wanted to ' full realism ', which should always be. "