TCM Schedule for Thursday, February 22, 2024: 31 Days of Oscar--Cinematography
The cinematographer's role is all about the overall visual style—determining the look, color, and lighting of a scene.
They're the ones who take the director's ideas and translate them into actual, tangible images. It's more than just setting up a camera and hitting record; it's about creating a visual atmosphere that can tell a story all on its own. This involves a ton of intricate details, from the way a scene is lit to the exact spot a camera is placed. The best and most confident directors stand back, watch, and let them work their magic.
A cinematographer is at the helm of a whole team, including the lighting crew, camera department, set designer, gaffer, and more. They all work together like a well-oiled machine, ensuring each shot is purposeful and contributes to the overarching vision of the film.
In its first film season, 1927–28, this Oscar award (like others such as the acting awards) was not tied to a specific film; all of the work by the nominated cinematographers during the qualifying period was listed after their names.
The problem with this system became obvious the first year, since Karl Struss and Charles Rosher were nominated for their work together on Sunrise (1927). Still, three other films shot individually by either Rosher or Struss were also listed as part of the nomination.
Above: Charles Rosher, the first recipient of the Oscar for cinematography
In the second year, 1929, there were no nominations at all, although the Academy has a list of unofficial titles that were under consideration by the Board of Judges. In the third year, 1930, films, not cinematographers, were nominated, and the final award did not show the cinematographer's name. Finally, for the 1931 awards, the modern system in which individuals are nominated for a single film was adopted in all profession-related categories.
From 1939 to 1967 with the exception of 1957, there were also separate awards for color and black-and-white cinematography. After Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), the most recent black-and-white films to win since then are Schindler's List (1993), Roma (2018) and Mank (2020).
More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Cinematography
------------------------------------------
Sven Vilhem Nykvist (3 December 1922 – 20 September 2006) was a Swedish cinematographer and filmmaker. His work is generally noted for its naturalism and simplicity. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest cinematographers of all time.
He is best known for his collaboration with director Ingmar Bergman. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Cries and Whispers (1972) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). Nykvist also worked with Bergman on The Virgin Spring (1960), Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963), Persona (1966), Scenes from a Marriage (1973), Face to Face (1978), and Autumn Sonata (1978).
Nykvist is also known for his collaboration with Woody Allen, working on films such as Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Celebrity (1998). His other film credits include The Tenant (1976), Agnes of God (1985), The Sacrifice (1986), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), Chaplin (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).
Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Nykvist
---- DAYTIME (EDT) ----
6:00 AM | Algiers (1938)
A thief on the run from the law risks his life for love.
Dir: John Cromwell | Cast: Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamarr, Sigrid Gurie
Cinematographer James Wong Howe worked on over 130 films, beginning in silent pictures and ending with Funny Lady (1975). He won two Oscars; Hud (1964) and The Rose Tattoo (1956).
8:00 AM | Waterloo Bridge (1940)
A ballerina turns to prostitution when her fiance is reportedly killed during World War I.
Dir: Mervyn Leroy | Cast: Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson
Cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg was a ten-time Oscar nominee and winner of four: The Great Waltz (1939), Mrs. Miniver (1943), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1957), and Gigi (1959)
10:00 AM | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Elizabeth I's love for the Earl of Essex threatens to destroy her kingdom.
Dir: Michael Curtiz | Cast: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland
Cinematography by Sol Polito, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1940) and Sergeant York (1941, and W. Howard Greene, The Phantom of the Opera (1944).
12:00 PM | Kismet (1944)
In the classic Arabian Nights tale, the king of the beggars enters high society to help his daughter marry a handsome prince.
Dir: William Dieterlev | Cast: Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, James Craig
Cinematographer Charles Rosher was a six-time Oscar nominee, and won for Sunrise (1929) and The Yearling (1947)
1:45 PM | National Velvet (1944)
A British farm girl fights to train a difficult horse for the Grand National Steeplechase.
Dir: Clarence Brown | Cast: Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor
Cinematographer Leonard Smith was a four-time Oscar nominee, winning for The Yearling (1947), which he shared with Charles Rosher and Arthur E. Arling
4:00 PM | Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942)
A boy raised by wolves adjusts to life among humans.
Dir: Zoltan Korda | Cast: Sabu, Joseph Calleia, John Qualen
Cinematographer W. Howard Greene was a seven-time Oscar nominee, winning for The Phantom of the Opera (1944). Greene also received two honorary awards recognizing his work in color for A Star is Born (1938) and The Garden of Allah (1937)
6:00 PM | King Solomon's Mines (1950)
A spirited widow hires a daredevil jungle scout to find a lost treasure in diamonds.
Dir: Compton Bennett | Cast: Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson
1951 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography, Color—Robert Surtees
Surtees was a sixteen-time Oscar nominee, winning two other Oscars for The Bad and the Beautiful (1953) and Ben-Hur (1960). Surtees nominations included The Graduate (1967), The Summer of '42 (1972) and The Sting (1973).
---- PRIME TIME & LATE NIGHT ----
8:00 PM | She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
An aging Cavalry officer tries to prevent an Indian war in the last days before his retirement.
Dir: John Ford | Cast: John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar
1950 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography, Color—Winton C. Hoch
Hoch also won the Best Cinematography for Joan of Arc (1949) and The Quiet Man (1950).
10:00 PM | The Black Swan (1942)
An adventurer lends a sword to his old comrade Henry Morgan when he is appointed governor of Jamaica, seconding the latter's bid to rid the Caribbean of buccaneers.
Dir: Henry King | Cast: Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar
1943 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography, Color—Leon Shamroy
During Shamroy's five-decade career he gained eighteen nominations, winning four. His other Oscar wins were for Wilson (1944), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), and Cleopatra (1963).
12:00 AM | Phantom of the Opera (1943)
An acid-scarred composer rises from the Paris sewers to boost his favorite opera understudy's career.
Dir: Arthur Lubin | Cast: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains
1944 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography, Color—Hal Mohr and W. Howard Greene
2:00 AM | The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
A man remains young and handsome while his portrait shows the ravages of age and sin.
Dir: Albert Lewin | Cast: George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed
1946 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White—Harry Stradling Sr.
Stradling's credits total over 130 films. He won a second Oscar for My Fair Lady (1964)
4:00 AM | Cries and Whispers (1972)
A woman's impending death leads to painful memories and confrontations for herself and her two sisters.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman | Cast: Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann, Harriet Andersson
1974 Winner Oscar, Best Cinematography—Sven Nykvist
See bio, above
------------------------------------------
Trivia from IMDb.com and Wikipedia