For all his legendary status, not many people today would be able to pick Gregg Toland, ASC out of a lineup. This ad from the April 1942 edition of American Cinematographer should put that injustice to rest, presto subito.
As one of the greatest ever to stand behind the camera, Toland exudes the profound gravitas common to his contemporaries. And like them, he looks appreciably older than his thirty-seven years at the time of the portrait would indicate. Who knows? Maybe he was still worn out from spurring Orson Welles to such innovation on Citizen Kane the previous year. Maybe he was troubled by thoughts of soon leaving home to join John Ford’s Field Photo Unit in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Or, maybe it was a combination of no exercise, poor rest and too much red meat, tobacco and booze (theirs was indeed a different lifestyle!).
Whatever the cause, Toland had six years left on the planet – and he filled them with extraordinary achievement. His testimonial to the attributes of arc lighting might sound a bit force-fed, but he no doubt bought into their sentiment.
On the other hand, if he were with us now, I don’t think he’d be making a similar claim about LED units. He’d probably be taking a lot better care of himself, too, but that’s another story for another time.
So, until then, here’s to the man!
