a different metric for rating great movies

[gh]

the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As part of the festivities, they're honoring the best photographed movies of the 20th century. They did the top 10 in order, then 90-100 unranked, listed in order of release.

Here's the top 10:

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Blade Runner
3. Apocalyse Now
4. Citizen Kane
5. Godfather
6. Raging Bull
7. The Conformist
8. Days of Heaven
9. 2001
10. The French Connection

the only one I haven't seen (and must confess, can't even recall hearing of) is Conformist. All the others are great movies, although I always thought that the only thing great about Days of Heaven was the cinematography (like waving fields of grain? that's your baby!) Take away Conformist and Heaven and I'm sure I've seen the other 8 an average of at least a half-dozen times, so watchable are they.

the entire article:

https://theasc.com/news/asc-unveils-...e-20th-century

[tandfman]

I've actually been to the area in the south part of Jordan where Lawrence of Arabia was shot. Quite impressive.

[Atticus]

the only one I haven't seen (and must confess, can't even recall hearing of) is Conformist.

Ditto, but no surprise there, as it was an Italian 'art-film' and made hardly a blip on the US Box Office.

I certainly can't argue with any of the others on the list!

[Master403]

I assumed, given the source, that this was restricted to American movies. But since there is a foreign film in the top ten, how did no Kurosawa movie make the top ten: Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, Ran, Dersu Uzala, Rashomon?

[JayIsMe]

Interesting ranking method. There are multiple individuals who have more than one of their movies on this list, topped by Conrad Hall, Vittorio Storaro and Gordon Willis with 5 each. Hall and Storaro have each won 3 Oscars, Willis hasn't won any.

Perhaps someone (Atticus?) can enlighten me- what am I looking for when I'm judging cinematography? I thought A Room With a View was one of the most beautifully shot movies I've seen, but it doesn't even make this list.

[Conor Dary]

A great list... Gregg Toland and James Wong Howe among the others mentioned....

And The Duelists. Some great scenes there.

[gh]

I assumed, given the source, that this was restricted to American movies. But since there is a foreign film in the top ten, how did no Kurosawa movie make the top ten: Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, Ran, Dersu Uzala, Rashomon?

because the peers who did the selecting didn't think the cinematography was that good, despite the overall quality of the movies?

[DrJay]

And The Duelists. Some great scenes there.

I thought of that one, too.

[Atticus]

Perhaps someone (Atticus?) can enlighten me- what am I looking for when I'm judging cinematography? I thought A Room With a View was one of the most beautifully shot movies I've seen, but it doesn't even make this list.

"Great' cinematography is often confused with great scenery (sweeping vistas, etc.). Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy had to have a good cinematographer, because so many scenes spanned wide swaths of New Zealand. Cinematographers are judged on lots of things, where they place the cameras, what the cameras do (pan and travel), what filters they use, the lighting, how they zoom in and out, but the number one criterion is called 'mis en scene', which is akin to composition in photography - how the frame is . . . framed. Orson Welles, even as director, in Citizen Kane, put the bar extremely high when he was also directing the camera angles.

[Master403]

because the peers who did the selecting didn't think the cinematography was that good, despite the overall quality of the movies?

I did not count the number of American films on the list, but the bias toward the U.S. is obvious. Italy, France, Japan, and Sweden were largely ignored. Abel Gance's Napoleon triptych predated Cinemascope by three decades. I do not consider any of the ASC peers. Name one who will ever have an entry remotely like
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film...Akira_Kurosawa
or his cinematographer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakazu_Nakai