American Cinematographer - December 2006 - 24

ability to handle the sharp
pieces. The
Dolby 5.1 sound mix is equally strong,
especially in action sequences, where
Skywalker Sound's hisses and roars
make the flames sound like they're
coming from a dragon.

effects Oscar.

deleted

In fact, the effects and cine¬

matography are so interdependent that
the film's director of photography,

contrasts in kinetic set

The DVD contains 43 minutes of
scenes that are inexplicably
presented in a full-frame format.
Despite this unfortunate choice, the
deleted scenes are far more interesting

Mikael Salomon, ASC, was included in
the visual-effects nomination. He and

than those

his collaborators

characterizations in the film and indi¬

were

faced with

myriad technical challenges on the
picture, which celebrates the heroism
of firefighters and continually places
the characters in spectacular action
sequences.

One

of

Salomon's

greatest

accomplishments in the film is his
personification of the fire as a villain; he
photographs it as a living, breathing
creature that serves the same function

in Backdraft

as

the shark in Jaws.

that

on

most DVD

they elaborate

upon

effectively in
dialogue scenes as they do in the
action sequences, composing the
images to allow spatial relationships to
reinforce or comment upon the
as

the

emotional

ones.

attention to

The film exhibits

an

landscape and architecture

a

Backdraft's release, the film remains a

stunning technical achievement and a
rousing piece of Hollywood entertain¬
ment.
-

Jim

Hemphill

longer running time. The

includes

a

brief introduction

by Howard,
for

in which he expresses his affection
Backdraft and his collaborators.

Disc two is devoted to five

featurettes

totaling 70 minutes, and
are enjoy¬
able, though somewhat incomplete. A
great deal of the footage is archival, and
overall the documentaries

they

fine,

one

wishes

complemented by more
contemporary reflections. Also, a
were

featurette

on

real-life firemen fails to

provide the promised "insider's perspec¬
tive" on the job - it's mostly just a
group of guys agreeing that Backdraft is
a good movie.
Two featurettes are quite fasci¬
nating and contain both exciting on-set
footage and new interviews with

NEXT MONTH'S

REVIEWS

Double

Indemnity

(1944)

Cinematographer:
John F. Seitz, ASC

Salomon and his collaborators. The first,
"The

Explosive Stunts," shows the
lengths to which the stunt team, actors
and crew had to go to create the elabo¬
rate setpieces. Actors Kurt Russell,

reminiscent of John Ford's Westerns;

William Baldwin and Scott Glenn

this time, the

seen

cowboys and cavalrymen
are Chicago firefighters. The gorgeous
cityscapes make Backdraft a love letter
not only to firefighters, but also to the
Windy City, which has rarely looked
more dynamic onscreen.
From sweeping establishing
shots to intimate close-ups, Salomon's
images look terrific in this DVD transfer.
The clarity in the subtly lit night exteri¬
ors is particularly impressive, as is the

nice, but the documentaries

first disc in this two-disc set also

actors and crew are

the widescreen frame

been

certainly allow the viewer to appreciate
the complicated union of cinematogra¬
phy, special effects and stunts on this
picture. Even though there have been 15
years of advances in visual effects since

cate that it could have been even more

thrilling at

while the on-set interviews with the

use

track to provide more
scene-specific information would have

the ideas and

fire with

Salomon and director Ron Howard

A commentary

releases, in

Salomon achieved this

by shooting the
daylight stock to give it more
texture and density; his approach gives
the flames a deep orange quality that is
aided by a great deal of frontlight that
keeps them from flaring out.
Yet watching Backdraft today,
one realizes the fire is only one compo¬
nent of a richly detailed visual style.

22 December 2006

disc's

delicately balanced multiple
points of view, and broad, intense
emotional content, it plays like a kind of
modern-day San Francisco or Grand
Hotel. Yet the film is anything but tradi¬
tional in its groundbreaking cinematog¬
raphy and special effects, and it was
deservedly nominated for a visualstar cast,

-

all

in

extremely harrowing situations

were

the film

are

credited with stunt work

-

Richard H. Kline, ASC

on

and Salomon is shown

entering the flames in protective gear.
The next featurette, "Creating
the Villain: The Fire," is the best on the
DVD. In it, Salomon discusses his

approach in terms of technique and
emotions, and accompanying interviews
with members of the stunt and visual-

effects teams

Body Heat {1981)
Cinematographer:

are

equally enlightening.

Body Double (1984)
Cinematographer:
Stephen H. Burum,
ASC
American Cinematographer - December 2006

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