American Cinematographer - December 2006 - 38

While assisting
in a hair salon,

Raimunda's

(Carmen
Maura) is

mother

surprised by a
visitor.

takes

place in a windy cemetery. The
slowly tracks left, past head¬
stones that are being scrubbed and
polished by dozens of brightly attired
camera

women.

The

scene

was

filmed with

natural

light, filtered at times through a
large butterfly suspended from a crane.
The graveyard setting, the blustery wind
(a characteristic of La Mancha), the
unusually bright light, and the extreme
depth give the scene a sense of height¬
ened reality.
The east wind that whips
through La Mancha is just one of the
region's atmospheric peculiarities.
Another is its "ardent darkness," says
Alcaine. "That's a very special light
where at first you don't see anything,
but once your eyes become accustomed,
you can appreciate all the details."
Ardent darkness is found inside La

Mancha's

large, airy houses on espe¬
cially hot summer days. "In the middle of
the day, the sun bounces down from
overhead onto the sidewalks. The

sunlight then creeps into the houses
through lowered window blinds.
Smooth, lace curtains spread the light
through the rooms, immersing them in a
half-light that gradually darkens along
36 December 2006

the upper reaches of the walls." In
scenes like this, strategically placed

fluorescents did the trick.

Maintaining lighting continuity
major concern for Alcaine, espe¬
cially when cutting between wide shots
and close-ups. In one scene. Sole and
Agustina sit across from one another at
a kitchen table that is next to a large
was a

window. "The wide shot

was

lit almost

exclusively from the window with a 12K
HMI Fresnel," details Alcaine. "When

close-ups, I had two eightpositioned very close
to the women's faces. I gradually
increased the strength of the fluores¬
cents, starting with four 36-watt tubes
and ending with 20 tubes of 55 watts
we

cut to

tube fluorescents

each. The master shot

was

filmed at T4

against the headboard. "The wide shot
filmed at T4.5, but for the close-ups,
with the actresses in profile, I increased
the amount of light noticeably on both
sides of their faces until I managed to
have both of them in extreme close-up
was

and in focus. We shot that at T11.5.
"There may be a very minor
difference in the image," he concedes,
"but I think it is still

because

equaling those diaphragms
easy."
Almodovar had a special look in
mind for his leading lady, Cruz. He
wanted her to recall the great Italian
isn't

actresses of the

foreshortened

with

scene

that shows Raimunda's mother

(Carmen Maura) sitting on a bed with
her granddaughter, their backs resting

interesting if

ing the two performances. To me this is
basic, but few cinematographers do it

and the

close-ups at T8.5 to give the
figures greater defini¬
tion." (Recalling a remark by Guiseppe
Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of The
Leopard, Alcaine notes: "In cinema you
have to keep changing everything so
that everything remains the same.")
A second example of this is a

more

the spectator can enjoy going from one
face to the other, simultaneously observ¬

a

1950s, '60s and 70s,

special nod toward Sophia Loren.

Wardrobe, hairstyle and performance
helped create the look, but, as Alcaine
notes, "even the most beautiful
actresses need

special lighting to make
an eighttube lighting unit in front of and slightly
above Penelope's face and two smaller
appliances, each with two very low
the most of their features. I had

tubes,

on

each side in order to eliminate
American Cinematographer - December 2006

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