During the four-year run of this blog, I’ve resurrected a few names that would otherwise have been lost to the ages.  The latest to surface – John Dored – is without doubt the most obscure of them all, and there’s a good reason for that.  He spent almost the entirety of his working life … Continue reading “JOHN DORED, ASC (1881-1954)”

Considering our long-running obsession with objectives, how could anyone resist this little gem?  Optical expert Charles C. Minor of Chicago attained a patent for it by placing a convex crescent lens over the front end of a triplet to form four elements and four groups.  The Gundlach company then manufactured a set at focal lengths … Continue reading “AN EARLY STOCKING STUFFER?”

         Have you ever heard a name more befitting a Hollywood cinematographer of the studio era?  And check out that dapper portrait.  You can almost see him in a booth at the Brown Derby, clinking martini glasses with some burgeoning starlet close beside him.          John Peverell Marley’s origins would never give way to such … Continue reading “J. PEVERELL MARLEY, ASC (1899-1964)”

         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 … Continue reading “THE ONE, THE ONLY”

Mary Pickford Rediscovered Written by Kevin Brownlow Published by Harry N. Abrams 1999          This coffee table volume – written by the world’s preeminent film historian – will be of interest to everyone involved with cinematography.  Mary Pickford is mostly forgotten today, but for a period of about twenty years beginning in 1912, she was … Continue reading “READ THIS BOOK #9”

         Here’s one from the June 1972 issue of American Cinematographer regarding a conference held at USC to discuss the perilous state of the motion picture business.  Paneled by a selection of heavyweights and attended by crowds of young aspirants, some of its gloomy predictions and tales of woe seem to have set the template … Continue reading “A MATTER OF SURVIVAL…REALLY?”

         In keeping with his cinematic nickname – The Prince of Darkness – the great cinematographer Gordon Willis, ASC is widely known for his low-key work on such classics as The Godfather, The Godfather Part Two, Klute and The Parallax View.  I’ve never given much credence to that tag, as anyone who’s delved into the … Continue reading “MATCH GAME”

         The ingenuity shown by so many individuals associated with cinematography has always been something to marvel at.  This Angenieux zoom lens modification is merely one example.  A creation of the mid-’60’s, it was designed for use with the reigning camera of the day, the Mitchell BNC, which at that time was seen as hobbled … Continue reading “NO REFLEX? NO PROBLEM!”

         Looks cool, doesn’t it?  And while wearing a jacket and tie, no less!  The thought of lifting off in the KGO news copter to capture breaking action with the groovy CM16 must’ve been exciting for a SoCal reporter during the mid-60’s.          Or, maybe not…after a flight or two.          Beside that tiny demographic, … Continue reading “THE BECKMAN-WHITLEY CM16”

         Hot on the heels of Tuesday’s post, here’s another mid-’60’s camera that until now has been lost to the ages: the Sol-Lux Nomag 400.  Billed as “The Breakthrough You Have Been Waiting For,” I wonder who they were thinking of when they made that statement.  Certainly no one serious about what they were doing.  … Continue reading “OBSCURITY FOR SURETY”