Cinematography : Best Cinematography Film Ever? by Jake Pasley

In The Mood for Love. Cinematography by Christopher Doyle

I loved Moonrise Kingdom and Grand Budapest, but I also like darker ones - Psycho and The Shining.

Justin, you beat me to it with the Christopher Doyle, though I would have typed 2046.

It's impossible to point to any one film, but I am a huge fan of Children of Men. Also the BBC Planet Earth series.

That's a tough-un, as there are many options. Once Upon a Time in the West and Apocalypse Now are up there.

War of the Worlds (1938). Most evocative images ever.

I've got to watch that one again.

I have to go with Blade Runner. Composition wise Chris Doyle In The Mood For Love. Best recent composition IDA.

"Barry Lyndon"

Thanks for the invitation to connect. As for best shot films - there are so many fantastic films. Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission, Inception, Blade Runner...

I don't know if I would say "best shot" but the two films whose visuals have most stuck in my mind over the years are East of Eden and Apocalypse Now. More recently, I would have to say Gravity and The Tree of Life. Even though I was bored to tears during The Tree of Life, I hung in there for the visuals.

I was going to add "Apocalypse now" too. So many... "Citizen Kane" should be mentioned...or more over Greg Toland as the greatest cinematographer...and today's greatest working DP has to be Roger Deakins..."1984", "Shawshank Redementoon", and almost all of the Coen bros. filmography...

I read that The Shawshank Redemption actually used a ton of lights, which surprised me, because I thought that it used natural lighting for the most part. To trick a viewer that way does require more skill than I could certainly ever attain. But I still go for 2046 just because it had such a massive influence on the way I'd like to shoot (well, certain films).

DAYS OF HEAVEN . Nestor Almendros got the credit but Haskell Wexler shot over half of it.

I can't say BEST. That's always been hard for me. But a recent stand out is The Counselor

Nestor Alamendros was almost fired from "Days of Heaven"...for his minimalist style....which was exactly what the film needed. Once the dailies were seen by the brass at Paramount, the folks who criticized Nestor, were ignored from there on by Bob Evans , then CEO of the studio. Haskell Wexler once watched my DP reel...I was terrified. He complimented me on the naturalist style of my lighting ...mostly HMI's through windows with little fill light inside. I asked him some advice about lighting...he said if you're given a real location with beautiful natural light ...use it. I have ever since. Both men were genuine artists of the highest order.

I had no idea Gordon Willis did those three - yes, wonderfully shot. Klute is a fabulous thriller.

Manhattan. Another Willis masterpiece.

Thanks, Peter, for that wonderful explanation. The common thread for Willis seems to be his gift of supporting the story of the film with a total visual environment that completely sweeps the audience into precisely the right world and mood. Wow!

great interview with Gordon Willis here: http://www.crafttruck.com/through-the-lens/through-the-lens-s01e09-gordo... From my admittedly dusty memory...when the dailies came in for that scene the suits in the screening room wanted him fired because it was so dark, but now these techniques are used all the time to create drama...much like the first director to use a close-up and have the investors complain that they paid for the actor's full body. Another interesting point is that Willis lit Brando in the now iconic top-lit, bottom bounce set-up to hide some bags under the eyes that Brando didn't want seen.

Justin, thanks for sharing that link to the Gordon Willis interview. Really interesting. I loved his work on The Godfather. Especially the first two. And Manhattan. Just checked him out on Imdb and was surprised to see he shot The Money Pit. I loved that movie when I was a kid.

You're welcome. I still need to see The Money Pit.

For me, it's always been Vittorio Storaro's work on "Apocalypse Now" that struck me as the best cinematography ever.

But I'm also liking some of the newer films lensed by Shane Hurlbut, ASC's, including "Need for Speed."

That action/thriller with Tom Cruise as an assassin driving around in a taxi driven by Jamie Foxx had some beautifully done night shots of Los Angeles - it really did give you the feeling of driving at night here. Very rich color. I can't remember the name of the movie. And yes, Apocalypse Now has overwhelmingly beautiful and arresting cinematography. (But who can forget "Lawrence of Arabia"?)

You're right. According to IMDB, the cinematographers were Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron. Beebe seems to be constantly working, on all kinds of different stuff. He did "Chicago."

Too many choose from, can we even at least divide by genre? Well at least as far as sci-fi goes, Aliens & Pitch Black, recently the visuals of Prometheus, regardless of everyone's opinion on the story, visuals were stunning. Still thinking of more titles though….

"Barry Lyndon"

I can also agree with that. I respect Kubrick for lighting all his interiors in that film using natural candlelights to immerse with the times.

Very last shot of The Immigrant. Darius Kondji

Interesting doc about how Kubrick acquired the Zeiss lenses he shot "Barry Lyndon" with from NASA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmSDnPvslnA

"Vertigo" "The Shinning." "True Grit." "Third Man"

"Beasts of Southern Wild" photographed by Ben Richardson

Any given Sunday, Pride and Prejudice, Titanic,BLOW,..wow