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Rest In Peace great cinematographer and director Jack Cardiff
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. The BBC is reporting that filmmaker and world-renowned cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94.
Cardiff might not be a common name, but if you’re part of my generation you grew up seeing his photography on films like RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II, CAT’S EYE, CONAN THE DESTROYER, GHOST STORY and THE DOGS OF WAR.
As I grew older I discovered a lot of his classic work. The way he photographed Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in THE AFRICAN QUEEN, for instance, is something that should be, and probably is, studied. There’s nothing like IB Tech and Cardiff wielded those popping colors masterfully.
Sir Laurence Olivier hired Cardiff to shoot the Marilyn Monroe vehicle THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL in 1957 and from what I read Monroe felt that she had never been photographed as well.
In the classic days he shot the best of the best. Audrey Hepburn (WAR & PEACE), Ava Gardner (THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman), Janet Leigh, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Borgnine in the awesome THE VIKINGS, Tyrone Power (Black Rose), Deborah Kerr and Jean Simmons (Black Narcissus), Vivien Leigh (Caesar and Cleopatra), Kim Hunter (A Matter of Life and Death) and many more.
When I became a Drafthouse regular and QT Fest regular I started discovering his directorial work, which veered into the exploitation arena in the late ‘60s and ‘70s.
I fondly remember the first time I saw the trailer for THE GIRL ON THE MOTORCYCLE (under the US title NAKED UNDER LEATHER) at Harry’s house. His dad had the trailer on 16mm cut into a reel full of awesome trailers, like DIRTY MARY/CRAZY LARRY. The hell that’s a real movie! Chick biker flick called NAKED UNDER LEATHER?
It is indeed real and it’s awesome. If you can track it down you’ll get one of the best Alain Delon flicks and Marianne Faithfull is crazy hot in it.
Tarantino showed another one of his films called DARK OF THE SUN (aka The Mercenaries) starring Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux and Jim Brown and it blew the audience away. Fun, intense men on a mission war flick.
His final director credit belongs to the bizarre Hammer-ish THE FREAKMAKER (aka THE MUTATIONS) (1974) starring Donald Pleasence and Tom Baker about a dude making freaks. They cast real life circus people, much like Todd Browning did in the ‘30s, but this isn’t Cardiff’s better material. Harry showed it at a BNAT some years back and it’s perfect for a 24 hour film festival.
Looking up his filmography, I’m struck with how many films he directed. I had no idea and it looks like the ‘50s and early ‘60s had Cardiff doing a lot of mystery. There’s a film called INTENT TO KILL (1958) written by Hammer staple Jimmy Sangster that has me sold just on the fact that Herbet Lom plays a character called Juan Menda and there’s another called SCENT OF MYSTERY from 1960 that stars Denholm Elliott and Peter Lorre! Where can I watch these movies!?!
The man led a full and productive life. I thought I was pretty up on his work, but I now see I’ve only scratched the surface on what Jack Cardiff has given us.
My thoughts will be with friends, family and fans today.
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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This is my favorite cinematography work ever, by any DP. Cardiff was a great talent who never got the respect he deserved.
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Ba dum bum DSSSSSH!!!!
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Powell & Pressburger as Powell, Pressburger & Cardiff, his cinematography was that oustanding in those movies.
I reckon I'll give his commentary to the African Queen a listen now. He was a cracking fella, full of stories and relaxed, down to earth British charm. On the extra features of some of the best movies he served as a cinematographer on, he was always the one survivor left to tell the stories. I know he was old and this was pretty inevitable, but it's like that human connection to a certain era of movies has suddenly been severed. -
that the Errol Flynn movie he directed, The Story of William Tell, fell through. I recall it having something to do with mafia money and Errol's co-star stealing all his property by way of payment. If that movie was even half as good as Errol's earlier work it could have upgraded Cardiff from a B-list to an A-list director.
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Nuff.
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Quint wrote this piece because Harry has no fucking respect for cinematographers - y'know the people who actually WORK for a living in Hollywood.
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That movie freaked my shit when I was a kid. It mixed everything I loved at the time: spooky stories and hot nakedness. I'm going to put on my DVD in his honor. The Chowder Society has a new member.
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A true artist... RIP
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Honestly I once saw a 70mm print of the movie and I actually came out of my eyes!!! I've never been able to see properly since.
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I met him about 15 years ago at a showing of Black Narcissus in Cambridge. A truly lovely guy with time for everyone. His autobiography Magic Hour is a wonderful, honest read and I'd recommend it to anyone. RIP Jack.
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A great cinematographer who went on to direct some real doozies. But his lighting and camera work will live on. Hope he enjoyed the many years he lived.
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A Matter of Life and Death, is perhaps one of top 3 movies of all time. Cardiff is on the DVD release explaining the methods he used, hell, created in order to do it. I can think of no better way of remembering him than by watching it tonight.
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Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! I'm pulling this one out and tipping back a flagon of mead in Jack's honor; the man was an artist of shadow and light. Hail Ragnar, and hail Ragnar's beard!
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No Technicolor movie from that era looked as good. I didn't realize he photographed Rambo or Conan the Destroyer until recently but I enjoyed those movies when I was a kid.
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The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death.
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Black Narcissus is sublime. Thank you Jack Cardiff.
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I had the good fortune to meet Mr Cardiff following a Q&A he did after a special screening of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. It was only a few days after he had received an honourary Oscar. He was a true gentleman and an amazing talent. Most of all i will remember him for his work with Powell, especially on my favourite Powell/Pressburger film A Matter Of Life And Death, which is in my all-time top 10 movies. One of the best cinematographers has passed, he will be mourned and remembered.
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Will be sorely missed.
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Shot "African Queen", "The Red Shoes", "Conan the Destroyer" looks like a Hammer Film, and he shot Ghost Story, with Alice Krige's the bathtub scene that is one of the most erotic sequences ever put on film. She is all woman in those shotsThe man knew everyone, worked with everyone, and loved his job. That's a life well lived.My best to his freinds and family.--m
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The cinematography is stunning. simply breathtaking. mesmeric. old hollywood has died with jack cardfiffs passing. but I will say this. All film classes should ban computer technology and instead his films should and indeed must be studied to say to say to these students that this is how you shoot films.
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A great read, particularly on his collaborations with Richard Fleischer. There's also a book of interviews that Mike Figgis did with him a few years ago.
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I just got an email from Jack Cardiff's son, John, thanking me for the obituary. John and his family were there last night as his father peacefully passed away, he said. He also wanted to thank you guys in the talkback for the nice words about his dad. Thought I'd pass that along.
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And that poster for Dark of the Sun kicks ass, BTW!
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Thanks Quint.
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Jack Cartiff was a rare and true talent that will never be forgotten. Thank you sir for enriching our sense of wonder and delight with your magic.
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..sprung to mind straight away when i read this news.
RIP -
I've only seen a few of his works (Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death, African Queen, Rambo, Conan)but yeah, his work leaps off the screen. His early works are very distinctive probably because they use the 3 strip Technicolor process instead of the modern negatives used today. Therefore those cameras were huge! Filmmaking in those days was a Herculean task, literally! Thank you Jack Cardiff, you added a lot of color to the world.
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Not many men can discuss working with Bogie in one breath and lensing Rambo the next.
R.I.P Jack. You were a master of your art and a gentleman to boot. -
Farewell Jack Cardiff, there will never be another like you. Thank you for showing us what you saw.
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Of course. But I didn't know about Cardiff's exploitation directorial stuff. Those posters (thanks Quint), esp. the Delon/Faithful one, are fantastic... the sort of thing Tarentino busts his hump trying to come up with now... It sounds like Gentleman Jack Cardiff got there first, and had a whole lot of fun doing it. Nice career, and all round good guy by all accounts. McGoohan, Jarre, Cardiff... it's been a tough few months for landmark contributors to British film and tv.
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friends and family.
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I gotta say Jack was still one of the best damn DP's that ever lived, and even the above crapfests at least managed to look good. R.I.P., good sir.
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And it's nice to know these obits and comments are sometimes read by the family. I hope it gives them some solace at this difficult time.Hopefully, this will also give those idiots on other obit tb's pause for thought before posting their inane insults. It's a vain hope to be sure, but a hope nonetheless.
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SCENT OF MYSTERY was, of course, the infamous Smell-o-vision film. Last time it was publicly exhibited, I think, was something like a decade or so ago on MTV (with scratch 'n' sniff cards for the scents). Not too fine a point on it, but it's not a cinema classic.
But BLACK NARCISSUS, THE RED SHOES... Films legendary for their look, deservedly so. Cardiff made it happen.
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