American Cinematographer - October 2002 - 22

LEE Filters

A Beautiful Mind [2001)

New for 2002
5'

that

"mental-health

excitement of Nash's academic life; later, it

movies

helps magnify the menace of his increas¬
ingly frightening bouts of paranoia. It also
offers a contrast to the classically framed
love story at the film's core and the visually
static representation of Nash's "recovery,"
which finds him heavily medicated.
In his audio commentary, Howard
points out the ways in which Deakins'
work helps delineate what is and isn't real.
He notes, for example, that he always
wanted characters who populate Nash's
delusions to be introduced in singles

1.85:1, Dolby Digital 5.1
and 2.0 Surround

8'

Acrylic
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ning several decades. In fact, it's the most
visually dynamic film of Howard's career so
far. Aligning our perception of events with
Nash's required a consistent visual empha¬
sis on his perspective, and when Deakins'
extremely mobile camera isn't assuming
Nash's point of view, it often seeks him out
with prowling crane or dolly moves, or
circling Steadicam shots. Early on, this
strategy underscores the anxiety and

Awards Edition

Universal Studios, $29.98
A

Beautiful

Mind

screenwriter

Akiva

Goldsman observes
on

this

DVD

are

often like

going to the
see

zoo: you

the disease from

the outside in."

Sylvia Nasar's biography of mathe¬
Larger size by popular demand
CTO's and Neutral Densitiies
LEE

quality and consistency

New Colors!
11 new effect colors/frosts

46 total colors in the 700 Series

Colors created

matician John Forbes Nash, who was

felled

by schizophrenia in the 1950s, at the
peak of his career, offered Goldsman a
chance to take a different approach. Goldsman's adaptation of A Beautiful Mind
suggests a schizophrenic's perception of
his experience by presenting Nash's delu¬
sions to the audience the way Nash saw
them: as reality. It's a remarkably effective
idea
at the precise moment "reality"
crumbles for Nash (Russell Crowe), it
crumbles for us
and it's dramatically
enhanced by the visual plan designed by
director Ron Howard and cinematographer
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC.
Deakins got his start as a docu¬
mentary cameraman in England, and a
number of his credits suggest an affinity
for projects based on real events and
people (i.e., Sid and Nancy, Dead Man
Walking, Kundun, The Hurricane). A Beau¬
tiful Mind's producers emphasize that the
film was "inspired by" Nash's life rather
than based on it, but it is ultimately the
factual underpinnings that make it more
than a well-crafted weepie. Viewers
familiar with Nasar's book will likely be
surprised by how reductive the film is, but
Nash's story certainly offered a bona fide
Hollywood ending: after he struggled for
decades with a variety of treatments, his
illness went into remission (a state he still
appears to be enjoying today), and he was
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a

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some rich visual possibilities,
given that it features noirish intrigue, an
unusual love story and a timeframe span¬

how

suddenly the hallucinations come to
Nash.) Howard also notes how well
Deakins' lighting underscores Nash's state
of mind: the soft, romantic light that
bathes his glory days and his courtship of
Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) gives way to a
crisp, naturalistic look as the couple begins
coping with his illness; and the shadowy,
world of his delusions becomes increas¬

ingly stylized
In

mail@leefiltersusa.com
A division of Panavision

a

as

his illness

Q&A at

progresses.

a recent

industry trade

show, Deakins remarked - with

a

nod to

Vilmos

Zsigmond, ASC

ial

this two-disc bonanza celebrates

that he'd pre¬
flashed film stock to give Nash's early
days at Princeton a rich, golden hue.
(Howard refers to this as "the Life Maga¬
zine look.") Unfortunately, the cinematog¬
rapher doesn't discuss his work anywhere
on this DVD (though he can be glimpsed in
the requisite behind-the-scenes featurette). Given that the supplemental mater¬
on

-

only the film's four Oscars, but also its
producers, script, score, casting, makeup
and visual effects, it's mystifying that
similar attention wasn't paid to Deakins'
cinematography.
not

filmmakers

1-800-576-5055

www.leefiltersusa.com

awarded

1994 for his contribution to game theory.
A Beautiful Mind also offered the

International Offices:

filmed from Nash's POV. (These shots are
often abrupt, handheld pans, suggesting

This "Awards Edition" is available
in both

anamorphic widescreen and fullRachael K. Bosley ■

frame versions.

-
American Cinematographer - October 2002

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2002
