10 Great Films to Watch for Cinematography

[daltonlee]

Channels like yours make me feel a lot better about not being able to go to film school. No matter what I’ve got going on in life, I know I’ve always got a playlists upon playlists of free film knowledge to absorb thanks to your dedication and love for the art.

[y.rg.s]

The one movie that truly opened my eyes to cinematography is Chungking Express. I was astonished at the beauty of every frame, the colors, the techniques executed.

[MegaFount]

Obviously, there are too many other great films to limit the list to ten films. I would add some of these films: The Conformist, Blow Up, The Virgin Spring, Chinatown, Heaven’s Gate, My Darling Clementine, The Magnificent Ambersons, Don’t Look Now, Ashes and Diamonds, The Wild Bunch, Dr. Zhivago. So many astounding films with cutting edge cinematography that takes your breath away!

[mayukh]

Still can't believe these 2 things:
_Citizen Kane_ was Orson Wells debut movie
_The Night of the Hunter_ bombed so badly that Laughton never helmed another movie again!

[herzogseth]

"Counting down from number 10 because most cinematographers can't count past f/11 anyway"

Iconic.

[alfieukudeev-freeman]

The Conformist has incredibly beautiful shots too.

[argusfest]

Carl Th. Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc is also incredible.

[drewgoin]

The cinematography in "The Duelists" is golden, very similar to that in "Barry Lyndon".

[alshirsoyunjov]

Some other films with fantastic cinematography: Days of Heaven, Manhattan, Paris Texas, Theeb, Assasination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford, Tree of Life, Three Colors:Red, In Cold Blood, Klute, Road To Perdition and Godfather Part I

[MagnitudeReviews]

I personally would've tossed in either Chungking Express or In the Mood For Love in this list. They are both just absolutely ridiculous at how good the cinematography is considering the budget being used, especially for Chungking express.

And for a more recent film that I would've added to the list? Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Maybe Roma or Cold War as well.

[TheVetusMores]

_Cries and Whispers, _ Ingmar Bergman. Astounding cinematography.

[nelsondj]

The best thing about "Blade Runner" is there was not CGI involved, it was all practical effects, lighting, smoke, etc. The same can't be said of the sequel but it's also a feast for the eyes.
2 other films I love looking at: "The Shining" and "The Hudsucker Proxy".

[thesagar]

recently saw Kwaidan(1964) ... its epic.. and the achievement in its era is just mind-boggling..

[chavakern]

I agree with you. Seven Samurai is the perfect film and the greatest film ever made, and incredibly beautiful on so many levels.

[sreenidhibharadwaj]

Citizen Kane was at least 50yrs ahead in terms on cinematography . That shot of 7:46 is truly masterpiece
I think you sound have included Birdman by Emmanuel Lubezki

[johnprudent]

100% Citizen Kane for #1. I finally got to see it during the early midpoint of the Pandemic. Visually and narratively stunning. The opening with the faux news reel and what seemed like early handheld had me picking my jaw off the floor because my naive contemporary-centric thinking had been that a lot of the camera techniques were created in the past 50 years or so. Imagine my surprise when I saw all these things being done in Citizen Kane.

[tomsharman]

Love your bluntness, tone of voice, honesty and humour. That made the video for me!

[VinceFS]

Last Year at Marienbad is one of the best shot movies of all time.

[mountart]

The Conformist; The Godfather I & II, Apocalypse Now; Metropolis, 2001: A Space Odyssey; The Searchers; Hugo; Pan's Labyrinth; Roma; There Will Be Blood; The Third Man; The Conversation; Days Of Innocence; Vertigo; Schindler's List; Doctor Zhivago; In The Mood For Love are all worthy mentions as well.

[norbertfarrell]

I agree with your choices 100%. I almost freaked in my seat when I saw a great painting in Barry Lyndon. I had just come back from europe where I saw the real deal and I recognized a Painting of a mother and her child at a table in a peasant hovel right there in the movie. You really picked some wonderful films. Thanks a bunch.