Favorite Forgotten Films

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Don Burgess, ASC

 

The first film I remember a film's photography changing the way I looked at movies was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, photographed by Conrad Hall, ASC. It was 1969, and after seeing the film, I decided that I wanted to be involved with the photography of motion pictures. I had no idea what a Director of Photography was — or even how to get started in the movie business — but the seed was planted and that grew into a passion for cinematography that has led me where I am today.

Conrad Hall's work in the film was gorgeous to look at. He used long lenses, backlight, smoke and dust for diffusion, stark contrast and warm sepia tones to create the old, romantic, western time period of the film. He also panned through out-of-focus shapes in the foreground as the camera followed its subjects — creating a voyeur's P.O.V. of the two outlaws whose time had passed. Long lens rack focuses manipulate time and distance, large stop changes accompany the camera moves from inside to outside, fast snap zooms create energy and keep Butch and Sundance tied to their environment and slow motion emphasizes the horror of killing — just to mention a few of the techniques he used to heighten the storytelling experience. I hope someday they re-release the film so we could sit back and once again enjoy the stunning imagery of this movie on the big screen.