Perhaps more than any other star of the studio era, Joan Crawford was the beneficiary of some of the best black and white cinematography ever seen. A similar argument can be made for hair, make-up and costume design (not to mention her bone structure and personal charisma), but the truth is defined at the instant light meets her form. By no means pretty in the classical sense, Crawford was always attractive in her own way. Throughout her career she was continually fortunate to have been photographed by the top men in Hollywood. Under the watch of such ASC greats as Ernest Haller, Charles Lang, Leon Shamroy and Joseph Walker, you can’t take your eyes off her.
All of this came to mind the other night when I caught a showing of Flamingo Road, a 1949 movie directed by Michael Curtiz. Shot by yet another legend, Ted McCord, ASC, his work is across-the-board amazing. Although the theme and performances may seem dated to our current sensibilities, it’s a fascinating example of what was commonplace long before superhero tentpoles and digital enhancements.
The clip below offers a small hint of McCord’s exquisite taste. Seek out a DVD copy and treat yourself to a lesson in the finest of screen artistry.
Note well: At the three-second mark, fix your gaze on the lower-third of the frame. It appears that someone suddenly pulled a flag away from a lamp, throwing more light on the table and Crawford’s lower arms. I must say, it looks better but comes across as a bit sloppy in a movie of this caliber. On the flip side, it was reassuring see that such faults are not restricted to modern times!
It’s so odd that the sudden pop of light does not create any additional shadows — to me it almost looks more like a colorist realized he left a grad window over the bottom of the frame and turned it off at the wrong frame mark. If it’s a light then it must be very frontal to not create new shadows when it comes on.
David – I didn’t think of it in the way you mention but it certainly is possible. But I should imagine QC would’ve caught it if it was a colorist’s mistake.