tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post461014307731919963..comments2023-11-28T15:20:59.369-05:00Comments on Cinema Viewfinder: RIP Gordon WillisTony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-40573000466291302172014-05-19T22:22:44.430-04:002014-05-19T22:22:44.430-04:00When I used to live in Boston, I went to see Willi...When I used to live in Boston, I went to see Willis speak at the Harvard Film Archives. His interviewer, wearing a straight-from-central-casting tweed jacket and bow tie asked the most verbose questions you can imagine, while Willis lounged back in his chair wearing a bright pink jacket and aviator shades, and trying to hide a smirk. At one point the host asked a particularly long-winded question about the motivation behind the lighting set-up in a particular Manhattan exterior and after a long pause Willis cleared his throat and mumbled, "Welll, ya know, we looked at the street and thought, this light would look pretty good here. So we put it there." Silence, a smile, and a glimmer in his eye. To this day I'll never forget the host's pained expression as he tried to recover.<br /><br />With Willis, the images truly spoke louder than words. If he had only lensed the sumptuous Godfather films, or just been Woody Allen's visual half in his warmly inventive and subtly ambitious 70s comedies, or presented the rich dark textures of the Pakula political thrillers and done nothing else, he'd be worth treasuring. The fact that he was responsible for the iconic visuals all these New Hollywood masterpieces is mind-boggling.<br /><br />But now I'm following in that unfortunate host's footsteps, so I'll shut up. God bless, Willis - I hope heaven is dark enough for you.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.com