This video-essay is part of a series I am uploading for education purposes and is protected under the Fair Use copyright laws of the United States.
Gordon Willis was one of the cinema’s greatest artists. Drawing from all the 34 feature films he lit, this essay celebrates Willis’ lighting, blocking, preference for a 40mm lens and above all his use of strong geometric patterns. Whether collaborating with some of America’s most celebrated directors; Woody Allen, Alan J. Pakula and Francis Ford Coppola, irrespective of the genre and regardless whether the setting was urban, rustic, contemporary or period, Willis’ style was so identifiable that he redefined cinematography.
More than a director of photography, Gordon Willis was a cinematograph-auteur.
