American Cinematographer - September 2004 - 48

New Delhi. "We both live in two

published serially, William
Makepeace
Thackeray's
novel Vanity Fair depicts the
foibles of British society as
its members scratch, claw, buy and
marry their way up the social ladder.
Teeming with characters, the book
throws its spotlight on the most
ambitious, Becky Sharp. The daugh¬
ter of an impoverished painter and a
French chorus girl, Becky uses her
wits, singing skills and physical
charms to wheedle her way into
ever-higher
social
spheres.
Thackeray charts her rise from char¬
ity case at a girls' school, to
governess, to wife of a dashing heir,
to paramour of a powerful marquis,
Lord Steyne. "She's not just a social

Writ en in 1847 and 1848 and

climber,

she's

observes

one

a

mountaineer,"

woman,

none

too

kindly.
The

motion-picture adapta¬
tion of Vanity Fair, which stars Reese
Witherspoon as Rebecca Sharp and
Gabriel Byrne as Lord Steyne, is
cinematographer Declan Quinn's

cultures," says Quinn, "and our
aesthetic is similar in that we're able
look

at things from two sides."
Spanning 1802 to 1833, Vanity
Fair depicts all social strata, from
debtor's prison to the royal court.
The politics of the day, particularly
Napoleon's
rampage
through
Europe, directly impact the lives of its
to

characters.

But

so

does

a

less

dramatic

geopolitical ingredient:
Britain's burgeoning colonial empire.
Numerous characters go to India to

Opposite: After
finagling her
way into the
upper echelon of
English society,
Becky Sharp
(Reese

Witherspoon)
finds herself
ostracized by
her vindictive

"peers." Below:
climbing

While

the social

ladder, Becky

pines for

a

life of

status and

prestige.

seek their fortunes. "The money
from the colonies is what created the

middle-class wealth in this

period,"
explains Nair. "That's why some had
the money of the aristocrats but not
the status. They were merchants, not
titled. But they, too, had ambition for
the titles."

Money wasn't the only thing
flowing from India; there were

Fifth collaboration with director
Mira Nair.

(Their previous projects

Kama Sutra, Monsoon

Wedding,
Hysterical Blindness and the "India"
segment in 11 '09"01 - September 11.)
Born in Chicago to Irish immi¬
grants, Quinn was schooled in
Ireland during his teens, and
returned there to work after earning
a
film degree from Columbia
College in Chicago. Through
Dublin's Windmill Lane Recording
Studios, he hooked up with U2 early

were

Director of photography
Declan Quinn explores
social ambition in

19th-century England
for Vanity Fair.
by Patricia Thomson

in his

career

Since

returning to the U.S. in 1989,
Quinn has photographed a range of
features, including Vanya on 42nd
Street, Leaving Las Vegas (see AC Feb.

photography by Frank Connor

of exotic goods as well. "If
look at the period, English soci¬
ety was beginning to feel the influ¬
streams

you

ence

of the

treasures

of the colonies,"

Nair continues.

"Thackeray writes
about it almost on every page: the
paisley shawls that were coveted by

'96) and In America (Points East, AC
'03).
Quinn's bicultural back¬
ground is one thing he and Nair have

the ladies; the native servants; the
brocades; the chinoiserie wallpaper.

in

Dec.

common.

educated

Unit

and shot several of their

music videos and documentaries.

at

Orientalism

was everywhere, so we
extensively in the produc¬
design."
This Indian flavor is just one

Born in

India, Nair was

used that

Harvard

University and

tion

maintains homes in New York and

American

Cinematographer 35
American Cinematographer - September 2004

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