Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I haven’t seen this reported online anywhere, so it threw me when I got the following note:
Hi, Harry.
This is confirmed. DoP Adrian Biddle, BSC, of Aliens fame died last week of a heart attack while driving his car. Sad day for the film world here in Britain. V for Vendetta will be his last feature.
R.I.P. Adrian.
All the best,
Adam
Because it hadn’t been written up anywhere, I didn’t run the letter. Instead, I called Obi-Swan, who is friendly with another member of the Biddle family, and I asked him to inquire if the letter was correct. I also called Warner Bros., who had just agreed to send us V FOR VENDETTA for Butt-Numb-A-Thon, figuring that since Biddle was the DP, they’d be able to verify it as well.
I got both confirmations just in time to get on the plane Friday and leave LA, so I didn’t have time to write this before now. I did, however, suggest to Harry that we dedicate Butt-Numb-A-Thon 7 to Adrian as a way of saluting the mark this guy left on movies, and we did just exactly that. Just before we started the last film, we mentioned Adrian’s passing, and we dedicated the festival to him.
So why him? What was it that this guy did? I know a lot of people aren’t really aware of cinematographers the same way they know directors or actors. Sure, they’re the guys who sculpt the light and turn a director’s vision into something captured on film, but they still manage to fly under the radar for many viewers. Adrian Biddle was a guy who made his feature film debut as a photographer with a classic, James Cameron’s ALIENS. Talk about setting the bar high your first time out. He followed that up with THE PRINCESS BRIDE, just to make sure everyone knew he was serious.
Ridley Scott obviously liked him, using him on THELMA & LOUISE and 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE. He shot his fair share of giant commercial mainstream films like 101 DALMATIONS and THE MUMMY and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, but he also did interesting films like EVENT HORIZON and THE BUTCHER BOY just to mix things up. The last few years were sort of rough on him, as he worked on a batch of forgettable films like SHANGHAI KNIGHTS and the BRIDGET JONES sequel and LAWS OF ATTRACTION.
It’s fitting, then, that his last film will go down as one of his very best, and his work in it is exceptional. V FOR VENDETTA will stand as a testament to just how great Biddle could be when he was matched with the right material.
Our condolences go out to Biddle’s family and friends, and all the artists who have worked with him over the years. His vision will certainly be missed.
"Moriarty" out.
