This week I was watching Jeanne la pucelle — I woke up today still unaware of course and during morning shower I thought about Lubtchansky who reduced the distance between the image and the emulsion — I was writing a piece on Kentucker Audley's Open Five and a long section turned out to be about Lubtchansky — dear Willy — alone in the mercantile world of technicians — Lubtchansky — ("a metaphor for something old") — an artisan — Willy Lubtchansky — ("knight errant") — the plumbline and tape — the lumens of the candle — the lamp and the mirror — impedimenta of this wise-man —
Tonight, William Lubtchansky too, the greatest of all cinematographers, sleeps the sleep of the just.
Five days ago from Andy Rector at Kino Slang here.
Les Créatures
Pourquoi Israël
L'An 01
Ici et ailleurs
Scènes de la vie parallèle: 2: Duelle (une quarantaine)
Scènes de la vie parallèle: 3: Noroît (une vengeance)
Numéro deux
Six fois deux, sur et sous la communication
Toute révolution est un coup de dés
France/tour/détour/deux/enfants
Comment ça va?
Merry-Go-Round
La Mémoire courte
Sauve qui peut (la vie)
Neige
La Femme d'à côté
Le Pont du Nord
Trop tôt trop tard / Zu früh zu spät / Too Early Too Late
Klassenverhältnisse
L'Amour par terre
Shoah
Les Saisons du plaisir
Nouvelle Vague
Le Petit criminel
La Belle noiseuse
La Belle noiseuse, divertimento
Die Antigone
Jeanne la pucelle
Du fond du cœur
Un vivant qui passe
Von heute auf morgen, Oper in einem Akt von Arnold Schönberg
Secret défense
Sicilia!
Il viandante (Le Chemineau)
Le Rémouleur
Va savoir
Lundi matin
Petites coupures
Histoire de Marie et Julien
Une visite au Louvre
Les Amants réguliers
Ne touchez pas la hache
La Frontière de l'aube
Itinéraire de Jean Bricard
36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup
Beautiful piece, Craig, a wonderful tribute to a cinematographer whose obvious poetic, visual sensibility informed every film he shot, even though he worked mostly with directors with equally strong visions. I just saw Jeanne la pucelle recently myself, and was blown away by the low-key grandeur of it, how in seeming to take a laidback, naturalistic aesthetic, it actually has this flat, muted beauty. The outdoor night scenes especially, have this eerie, dark atmosphere that's unlike anything else I've seen.
ReplyDeleteThe tribute Lubtchansky deserved: his filmography stands for him, with the most incredible variety AND adecuation for the purpose of each filmmaker. That's a true co-worker, instead of a diva, as more and more DP tend to become. We will see again and again his images, and therefore he'll live on... as one of the unsung greats.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Marías
"...reduced the distance between the image and the emulsion"
ReplyDeleteWell said.
The light he helps bring in Rivette's films is wonderful. People tend to disregard Cinematographers (if they're aware of them at all) but Lubtchansky's skill is clear for all to see.