American Cinematographer - September 2008 - 60

A Tale of 2 Cinematographers Subtitles, Rafelson recalls that the movie’s nomadic crew traveled in a caravan; Kovacs occupied the front car, and the director instructed the cinematographer to stop whenever he saw a place worth filming. For Chressanthis, Rafelson’s trust of Kovacs is emblematic of “the true nature of collaboration on film — the fact that Bob would say, ‘Laszlo, you lead us.’ You see how generous the directors were in their comments about Laszlo and Vilmos.” No Subtitles also notes that Kovacs was often sought out by actresses, including Bullock and Streisand, because they trusted the cinematographer’s eye. Kovacs’ widow, Audrey, tells the camera that her husband confessed that he “had to fall in love with every woman” he photographed. One of the documentary’s most provocative and thought-provoking comments comes from actress Rachel Miner, who describes the rapport between cinematographers and actors as “a 50-50 proposition in terms of who is getting [the movie’s meaning] across to the audience. The actor provides 50 percent, but without the camera angle, without the correct lighting, what you are doing means nothing.” Indeed, the most refreshing aspect of No Subtitles Necessary is seeing a dozen major Hollywood actors talk about how cinematography aids their craft; their comments also demonstrate the genuine affection that people in front of the lens can feel for those who work behind it. Chressanthis points out, “There’s no central narrator in the film. I wanted this to be a conversation among artists who are not just talking about their own work, but about their colleagues’ work.” He contends that cinematographers are performers in their own right: “We perform the visuals and we sculpt three-dimensional images in time with movement, light, lenses and a bag of tricks that’s infinitely deep. As we create, we want to work with collaborators who respect us as performers. I think that’s something Laszlo and Vilmos understood and something they also demanded from their collaborators.” Providing a wonderful visual example of the collaboration between actor and cinematographer, one sequence shows a series of makeup tests that Kovacs shot with Jessica Lange to define the different looks of the title character in Frances, the tragic story of Frances Farmer. “It’s astonishing,” offers Chressanthis. “You see Laszlo try to work out the different parts of Jessica’s lighting at the same time you see Jessica trying to work out her character: ingénue, starlet, movie star, her fall from grace, then commitment to the asylum and her lobotomy.” Meanwhile, Zsigmond had established himself as an American New Wave cinematographer with his poetic work on Robert Altman’s gritty Western McCabe & Mrs. Miller. He recalls that it was Kovacs who helped him break into the mainstream. “Without Laszlo,” he says, “I wouldn’t have shot McCabe & Mrs. Miller, because he recommended me to Altman.” Part of the unique look of McCabe comes from Zsigmond’s gutsy decision to flash the negative, an irreversible process that involves exposing the film with unfocused light to lower the contrast. “Flashing was a risk,” Zsigmond admits, “but it was worth it because in those days, there weren’t many ways to change the look of a movie.” He was influenced by Freddie Young, BSC’s flashing of The Deadly Affair, directed by Sidney Lumet. “It was astonishing to me; it looked like a black-and-white movie, but it had color in it. I found out that he did it by flashing and I thought, ‘Maybe this is the way to make [McCabe] look like old, faded photographs.’” With customary generosity, Zsigmond insists he and Kovacs were A series of makeup tests Kovacs shot for the 1982 drama Frances demonstrates the range of looks that enhanced Jessica Lange’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of troubled actress Frances Farmer. 60 September 2008
American Cinematographer - September 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 2008
