CAMERIMAGE FILM FESTIVAL TO PAY TRIBUTE TO LATE ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER JOHN ALCOTT
Bydgoszcz, Poland – August 22, 2014 –Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, announced today that the late Oscar® winning cinematographer John Alcott will be commemorated at this year’s Festival as part of the special “Remembering the Masters” series.
A retrospective of Alcott’s award-winning body of work will be screened throughout the festival, which takes place November 15 – 22. Included in the retrospective series will be Alcott’s four-time Academy Award®-nominated “A Clockwork Orange,” critically acclaimed horror “The Shining,” Oscar® nominated “Under Fire,” three-time Academy Award®-nominated “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,” and the filmmaker’s last film “No Way Out.”
“Remembering the Masters” aims to highlight the craft of the brilliant cinematographers who have passed away, and to provoke a discussion about the cinematic possibilities given by the films, which over the years, set the standards for what audiences watch today. In the moment of the digital revolution, both mental and technological, it is crucial not to forget about the fascinating history of cinema.
Acclaimed British cinematographer John Alcott is best known for the outstanding film visuals he achieved in collaboration with the visionary American film director Stanley Kubrick, in the sarcastic vivisection of a violence-based society in “A Clockwork Orange” and in the period drama film “Barry Lyndon.” Alcott’s work in “Barry Lyndon” earned him anOscar®, a BAFTA Film Award and a British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) Award. Hugh Hudson’s “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” earned Alcott nominations for a BAFTA Film Award and a BSC Award.
Alcottlaunched his film career at the age of 17, when he became a clapper boy. There he worked on the set of “The Million Pound Note” by Ronald Neame as well as other productions. He worked his way up to a focus puller, where one of the sets he worked on was for the film “A Night to Remember” by Roy Ward Baker. Geoffrey Unsworth was the cinematographer for this and for a number of other films in over fifteen titles for which Alcott assisted with the camerawork, mainly as a focus puller. These include “The Main Attraction” by Daniel Petrie and “Othello” by Stuart Burge. Soon after, both of them (with Unsworth as the master cinematographer) met again – this time on the set of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” At that time, it was regarded as the greatest ever film production and even today it is regarded as the all-time masterpiece of the sci-fi genre. This visually breathtaking and intriguing vision of space was the breakthrough in Alcott’s career.
Alcott was assigned to the position of master cinematographer by Kubrick himself when Unsworth was obliged to leave the project to meet his other professional commitments. The new Director-Cinematographer duo relationship was born and subsequent films “A Clockwork Orange,” “Barry Lyndon”and “The Shining” came into fruition.
Vivid colors and optical deformations (9.8mm wide-angle lens) in “A Clockwork Orange” make for the visual layer of the film, whose far-fetched eccentricity proved to be a perfect visual equivalent to the shocking descriptions of the novel by Anthony Burgess. In “The Shining,” the brilliant use of everyday sources of interior lighting, visible in the scenes, along with the use of the Steadicam, which in 1980 was a relative novelty, allowed the creation of an unprecedented air of horror, claustrophobia and incredibility. However, John Alcott’s ultimate masterpiece is “Barry Lyndon,” set in eighteenth-century England. It is famous for its scenes, which for the first time in the history of cinema, was shot exclusively in candlelight.
Other notable credits includeDick Richards’ “March or Die,” “Fort Apache, Bronx”byDaniel Petrie, Don Coscarelli’s “The Beastmaster”and “Under Fire”byRoger Spottiswoode.
About CAMERIMAGE
Now in its 22nd Edition, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGEis the most recognized festival dedicated to the art of cinematography and is the biggest international film festival in Poland. The unconventional format of the Festival, which awards films according to their visual, aesthetic and technical values, is a unique alternative to traditional film festivals.
CAMERIMAGE proves to be a great forum not only for presentation but also for further development of international moviemaking and provides a platform for young filmmakers to explore new artistic areas.
In addition to the Main competition, the Festival offers a 3D Films Competition, Polish Films Competition, Student Etudes Competition, Documentary Films Competition, Feature Debuts Competition, Music Videos Competition, Camerimage Market, Camerimage Forum, special screenings and premieres, various reviews, retrospectives, meetings and also accompanying events such as art exhibitions and music performances.
Various presentations of modern film equipment and of the latest production and postproduction technologies (both traditional and digital) are also an inherent aspect of the Festival and have been organized with cooperation from companies such as Arri, Panavision, Kodak, Hawk, K5600, J.L. Fisher, Sony, Panasonic, KinoFlo, Technicolor, Canon, Zeiss and Red.
CAMERIMAGE is an extraordinary event where art and technology meet, creating a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. Please visit http://www.camerimage.pl/ for more information.
# # #
