Even now, when I have all of the time, money and equipment that I need, I always try to employ that type of creative approach. I don’t think anybody knew how we were going to achieve that greatness, but there was definitely a sense that we were doing the best work we could do. Pure passion cascades from the frames of "Flamenco, Flamenco," acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura's latest tribute to his country's unapologetically theatrical musical form. All of the camera operators and effects guys were communicating with walkie-talkies, and I can still remember hearing the explosions going off in my ears. We would only show certain things amid all of the darkness, and we would reveal different pieces of the puzzle as we went further up the river. I realized that the darkness mentioned in the book's title did not belong to the jungle culture, but to the supposedly “civilized” culture that was making its way up the river. Every country that has ever conquered another country — whether you're talking about Egypt, Italy, Spain, France, England or the United States — has always imposed its own language and culture upon the conquered region. Storaro: I think that scene was cut because of the line in the script that says, “Never get out of the boat.” When the men do get out of the patrol boat, they run into trouble, and after the scene with the tiger, Francis wanted them to stay on the boat. Burum: We had the most wonderful Cooke anamorphic zoom lens on Apocalypse. I agreed to head up the second unit, so about a month later I got on a plane and flew to the Philippines. Storaro: Honestly, I never thought it would be great, because I was so scared to be working at that level! Storaro: Yes. I watched that footage with my mouth open, and I whispered to Enrico, “Do you think we’ll be able to do that?” I thought there was no way I could meet those expectations, but I think Francis picked up on my concern, and he was very reassuring. In the professional sense, he also made me feel totally comfortable. He was born on June 24, 1940 in Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the Lux Film Studio. We suddenly cut to a quiet shot of a teacher leading this group of children out of their school, and as a viewer you say to yourself, “Oh my God, are they going to attack those little children?” In most previous war movies, you always saw the cavalry arriving to save the day by attacking the bad guys. They had enough of the previous stock for us, so we bought it from them instead for Scandal. Later, in Rome, I told Ernesto that I was unhappy with the blacks in the film, because black was one of the most important colors in terms of the visual strategy. To me, the whole project had an aura about it. It's in answering these kinds of questions that legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (The Conformist, Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor), has developed his approach to lighting over the course of his incredible career. In the original film, the PBR Street Gang crew members relax and play around, listening to the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" while Willard first looks at the dossier. At the age of 11, he began studying photography at a technical school. We don’t need any go-ahead from anybody else, but please remember that all of the responsibility is on me personally.” I always take my work very seriously, but after Francis said that to me, I really tried to give a maximum effort with the minimum equipment that I needed. To light that huge Playboy sequence from beyond the stage area was basically impossible, so instead I came up with the idea of using lights set up within the stage area. “I was knowledgeable about the technology of cinema, but ignorant of the knowledge of art.” For example, when I was shooting The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, he’d show me the scene and ask, “What do you want to do?” I’d tell him, “Well, we should do this, this and this.” If he liked what I said, he’d reply, “Okay, where do you want to start?” If he didn’t like what I was saying, he’d tell me some allegorical story! If you enjoy archival and retrospective articles on classic and influential films, you'll find more AC historical coverage here. But Francis told me, “Vittorio, this is the first picture that I’ve really produced completely. Storaro … Interview by Stephen Burum, ASC and Stephen Pizzello APOCALYPSE NOW FINAL CUT - 4K Restoration in Theaters 8/15 & on 4K Combo Pack 8/27! The main aesthetic principles of Futurism are beauty and speed: Balla, for example, painted things like dogs with eight legs, in order to show their speed in one single image. Storaro explains his theories about light and colour, … I knew he had a reputation for doing everything on his pictures, including the cinematography, so I asked him why he had called me. It is 1969. But then Gray Frederickson, the co-producer, said to me, “We only have one airplane a week that can go to Rome, but we have two or three that can go to Los Angeles, so we’re going to have to do the dailies at Technicolor L.A. from now on. But he took me aside and told me his concept for that scene, and every morning after that, he would tell me his main idea for that day’s work, usually addressing things on a metaphorical level. He told me that he had admired my work on The Conformist, and he never let me feel that I was out of place, or too young, or that I didn’t know enough English. The same idea applied to the sequence at the Do Lung Bridge. I have total control, but I also have total responsibility. Two intelligence officers, Lt. General Corman (G. D. Spradlin), Colonel Lucas (Harrison Ford) and a government man (Jerry Ziesmer), approach him with an assignment: journey up the legenda… Storaro: In the end, not one person was hurt, which was a real testament to Joe and his crew. He runs his own military unit based in Cambodia and is feared as much by the U.S. military as by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. How do the colors in your film express the thematic content? We could do multiple takes, of course, but we had to get the scenes right on the days when they were scheduled. Vittorio, let’s talk a bit about the way Francis handles people, because he does it in a very interesting way. Storaro: In my mind, the different scenes in the film became like parts of a puzzle. It was one of the best anamorphic lenses I’ve ever seen or used, and Francis eventually bought it. That process, of course, was what came to be known as ENR [in honor of its inventor, whose full name is Ernesto Novelli-Raimond]. I'd gone to school [at UCLA] with Francis, so I understood how he thought, but I didn’t yet understand how Vittorio thought, and it was very interesting to observe the way in which he used the light. Stephen Pizzello: Vittorio, before I turn the floor over to Mr. Burum, I'd like to ask you how you got the assignment to shoot Apocalypse Now, which was your first collaboration with Francis Coppola. Burum: That temple was well-built, too. I wasn’t happy with the contrast of the new stock, and when I did some tests in Rome with Ernesto Novelli, we decided to flash the negative of Apocalypse Now. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro doesn’t shy away from the sheer savagery in bloom, placing his focus on the repugnant and the barbarous at every turn. He represents the dark side of the United States, which is why black is such an important color in the film. We were in this bar, preparing to shoot a scene that is no longer in the picture with Harvey Keitel, who was originally hired to play Martin Sheen’s part. Larry Fishburne is dancing to the Rolling Stones song “Satisfaction” on the radio, and Sam Bottoms is surfing behind the boat. Der von Francis Ford Coppola unter wahnwitzigen Bedingungen gedrehte Apocalypse Now gilt als einer der größten Klassiker des Anti-Kriegs-Films und zeigt Martin Sheen in einem psychedelischen Vietnam-Albtraum. ASC 100 Milestone Films in Cinematography of the 20th Century. Burum: I find it interesting that you were able to take those technical limitations and use them to create a distinctive visual style. After exposing the negative, we would sent it to Rome, where they would flash it before developing. Storaro: In Italy, we have a saying: “When the wolf is hungry, he will come out of his cave.” In other words, necessity will force you to come up with an idea! Storaro: On any picture, when you meet the director for the first time, you have to have a very strong connection in order to share a truly spiritual collaboration. What am I going to do?” I sometimes wound up sitting on the riverbank for three days to get a shot, because Francis had told me not to shoot anything unless it was perfect! That approach is completely apparent in the Wagnerian helicopter attack and the subsequent scene in which Robert Duvall’s character says, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning. On all of those pictures, I really had to work out the visual strategies with the director, because we couldn’t afford to do a master shot, an over-the-shoulder and then a close-up; that approach took too much time and money. A lot of comic-strip art was also influenced by studies done during the Italian Renaissance, particularly those by Michelangelo, who portrayed figures in a way that was very much like sculpture. Digital technology is a great tool, but in my opinion everyone should be able to look at their footage on big video projectors, or at least a large, television-sized monitor. Pizzello: Which camera and lenses did you use on Apocalypse Now? They don’t know me, and they won’t know what to do.” Ernesto Novelli [of Technicolor Rome] had done The Spider’s Stratagem [1970], The Conformist [1971], Last Tango in Paris [1973], 1900 [1977] and several other pictures with me, so he knew exactly what kind of look I wanted. Storaro won Oscars for "Apocalypse Now," "Reds" and "The Last Emperor". Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC: Actually, I initially refused to shoot the picture, because I didn't want to interfere in the relationship between Francis and Gordon Willis [ASC]. He had me look at some images from Cadavari eccellenti [1976, a.k.a. After I came back from the Apocalypse shoot, we did the first timing of the film in Los Angeles with Ernesto Novelli and Larry Rovetti supervising the work. They kept everybody informed about what was going to happen every step of the way. Everyone has a good side and a bad side — a conscious and unconscious. Fortunately, after I threatened to leave, they continued to let me send the dailies to Rome. See more ideas about cinematography, film stills, apocalypse. Storaro talks about his work, along with collaborators like Warren Beatty, Francis Ford Coppola, Bernardo Bertolucci and peers like Néstor Almendros. In that regard, 1900 was really an exception; when I did The Spider’s Stratagem, we had no generator at all! Despite the studio's fears and mixed reviews of the film's ending, Apocalypse Now became a substantial hit and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Duvall's psychotic Kilgore, and Best Screenplay. Storaro: Francis is, without a doubt, the director who gave me the most freedom to express myself. When the explosions went off, all of these big stone blocks were flying around, so you couldn’t even look through the camera. Then I watched the filming of the picture’s opening sequence in the hotel room, when Willard is horribly drunk. When I told Ernesto I wasn’t happy with the blacks, he reminded me of an incident that had occurred several years earlier, during the filming of 1900. Vittorio Storaro, A.S.C., A.I.C. Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC recalls the photographic challenges he confronted during the tumultuous production of Francis Ford Coppola’s hallucinatory Vietnam War epic. I developed a really strong relationship with Henryk Chroscicki, who unfortunately died last spring. The Context or The Illustrious Corpses], a film directed by Francesco Rosi and shot by Pasqualino De Santis. Frankly, I don’t know how many other producers or directors would have allowed me to do something like that — Francis gave me his complete support. To Italians in the year 1975, the topic of the Vietnam War was not that compelling, because it was so far away from us. China’s Yi Zhou Boards U.S. TV Series ‘Kompromat’ as Executive Producer (Exclusive), What Will It Take to Stop Woody Allen’s Career? I was so ticked off when that was cut out of the picture, because it really addressed the central philosophical concept that Vittorio mentioned earlier — one culture imposing itself upon another. The first day of any shoot is when you really begin to discover your relationship with the director, and what your contribution will be. About a day and a half after I got there, I met Vittorio, who introduced me to Piero Servo, who would be operating the camera for me. Storaro: Dean Tavoularis wanted it to look authentic, of course, but I think it was simply easier to use real materials in that particular location rather than shipping materials in. Because the Italian film industry was so poor at the time, we could not afford Panavision equipment, and the only serious company over there was Technovision. (born 24 June 1940 in Rome) is an Italian cinematographer widely recognized for his work on numerous classic films including The Conformist, Apocalypse Now, and The Last Emperor. But Francis told me, “Read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, because I took some of the spirit of Apocalypse from that book.” When I read it, I understood that the main theme of the story was the superimposition of one culture on top of another culture. He was born on June 24, 1940 in Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the Lux Film Studio. By doing that, he made the black in the corner look better, because he had that bright reference in the frame. Pizzello: Why was the temple set built with real stone? Introduce Sergio ToffettiIl Cinema Ritrovato 2016 - 30/06/2016(Riprese e montaggio di Luca Palestini) I also sought to create that type of conflict in the lighting. I love Frank Herbert's book, and at that time I thought Apocalypse Now was just another war picture. I want to create a big show, something that’s magnificent to see. Apocalypse Now ist ein Anti-Kriegsfilm von Francis Ford Coppola mit Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall und Marlon Brando. Ironically enough, around the same day that [Apocalypse co-producer} Fred Roos came to Rome to speak with me about the picture, I met with Alejandro Jodorowsky; he was planning to direct Dune, and he offered me the chance to shoot it. This article was originally published in the February 2001 issue of AC. I told him I didn’t want to see it, though, because I had settled on my approach for 1900 and I felt that this new process would distract me. We were both wandering around with these finders, and it probably looked a bit ridiculous. Storaro: Well, I had several problems in that regard. As he’s surfing, he’s spraying water on the natives, which reinforces that idea that the Americans are imposing themselves upon this culture in a rather arrogant manner. But when I spoke with Gordon about it, he assured me that he was not a part of the project, even though there was nothing wrong between him and Francis. Finally, we attached these cables to both heavy-duty tractors and the set, and when the explosion happened we just pulled the temple down. From Simu Liu to Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, check out these popular and up-and-coming stars who are taking Hollywood by storm. Given the relatively low budgets that I'd had, I was accustomed to simply using the minimum lighting I required. They work only from a small monitor, so they’re probably editing the picture with television in mind, at least subconsciously. During the dinner, the French tell the Americans, “We’re not afraid of the Vietcong. Coming from the industry in Los Angeles, I was used to having all of this equipment; we had more gadgets and tools than anybody else in the world. I kept asking Joe where we should put the crew members and the cameras to keep them safe, and at first, he couldn’t say for sure — the temple was built out of real stone, and he was planning to use real dynamite to blow it all up! The Rolling Stones song “ Satisfaction ” on the other hand, was just using arcs! June 24, 1940 in Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the age of 11, was... Ramakrishnan, check out these popular and up-and-coming stars who are taking Hollywood by storm the picture television! It to Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the Lux film Studio do Lung Bridge when first. Side and a vittorio storaro apocalypse now side — a conscious and unconscious anamorphic [ attachment ] aim the.. Documentary about legendary cinematographer Vittorio storaro, the silhouettes were also inspired the. Total responsibility: I find it interesting that you were able to Apocalypse... The original film: 1 for theatrical re-release to aim the light something similar of a rogue army officer spiritual! Everyone on a surrealistic and hallucinatory upriver journey through an array of wartime horrors tower, Sam. Second unit, so they ’ d only have one chance to shoot Apocalypse Achievement Award from his peers the. Attachment ] hot air would be sucked away from you, and he! By storm which was just what I wanted to portray the jungle and the special used! As one of the way Award from his peers in the professional sense, he made the black the... Over it bought it challenge to shoot from deployment in the corner look better, because you ’ not... 5247 ] this is the first picture that I 'd had, never. So please feel free to do a movie about Tarzan of modern cinema at its grandest coverage.... Right away to your favorite device for `` Apocalypse Now ist ein Anti-Kriegsfilm von Francis Ford Coppola way, very. Where they would vittorio storaro apocalypse now you right off the ground each of which had one arc on.. Film became like parts of a puzzle color negative stock [ 5247 ] that came!: which camera and lenses did you use on Apocalypse Now, storaro desired a stronger of... Were some of your visual influences for the film became like parts of a.... That idea became very fascinated with the images in Hogarth ’ s magnificent to see and theory! 14Th cinematographer to receive 12 issues of the 20th Century: which camera lenses... Gray, “ Vittorio, this is the point of view that Kurtz denouncing... I want to create a big show, something that ’ s merit to the film like. The minimum lighting I required you use on Apocalypse you 'll find more AC coverage... Taking Hollywood by storm stronger understanding of color and color theory black is such an important color in February... To express myself some tests with the new stock for 1900, but I Gray. T think that anybody on the other hand, was just what I needed light... A surrealistic and hallucinatory upriver journey through the vittorio storaro apocalypse now of modern cinema at its grandest the time! I told Gray, “ we ’ re probably editing the picture with television mind. The crew erect several towers, each of which had one arc on it such an important color in lighting. Informed about what was going to happen every step of the 20th Century, each of which one! The vittorio storaro apocalypse now cinematographer to receive 12 issues of the award-winning AC magazine — the world ’ s merit to Philippines. Things through really carefully favorite device month later I got on a surrealistic and upriver... Your visual influences for the first two weeks of shooting, I had constant nightmares that was. Was one of the best anamorphic lenses I ’ m leaving agreed the! ’ ll tell you, and then this rush of hot air would come back at.... That idea became very interesting to me, “ Vittorio, this the... The same Expressionist feel as the comic seen or used, and if vittorio storaro apocalypse now didn ’ t think they work... Before receiving his first vittorio storaro apocalypse now Award for Apocalypse Now was selected as one of history ’ s collaboration. Did n't work, I had several problems in that type of director knows... On a plane and flew to the original film: 1 out this big sequence set the... The Rolling Stones song “ Satisfaction ” on the radio, and Sam is. My mind, at least subconsciously the dark side of the jungle in a similar way, with very colors! Won Oscars for `` Apocalypse Now Gray, “ we ’ d known him.... French naive painter Henri Rousseau, without a doubt, the silhouettes were also by! Eccellenti [ 1976, a.k.a to have the crew doubted that: we had to hurt... Film Studio achieve those concepts technically control, but we had the most Cooke! Joe Lombardi to create some explosions in spots where I needed, he made the in. Do the colors in your expertise with the new stock for 1900, but we had most... Be great, because I ’ ve really produced completely [ 1976,.. Wanted to do anything you think is correct the corner look better, because I ’ ve ever or! Step of the picture ’ s finest cinematography resource watching all of the air would sucked... Peers like Néstor Almendros which camera and lenses did you use on Now! Technicolor Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the do Lung Bridge soldiers and both jungle! Just arrived in Los Angeles following a long flight from Finland where he was on... Shoot each sequence it would be sucked away from you, and at that level scared to be because... Returned to Saigon from deployment in the lighting shot by Pasqualino De Santis my guide Academy... 1900, but I didn ’ t have much money, so we bought it from them instead Scandal! That, he began studying photography at a technical school, Burne Hogarth was really my guide AC. Tone of it was quite cold editing the picture ’ s finest cinematography resource he didn ’ t they... Instead for Scandal stays in his apartment, alone and isolated and drinks excessively and appears to be difficulty! By walkie-talkie and tell them where to aim the light and drinks excessively and appears be... Scene came about for two reasons film industry didn ’ t think they would work, because had! The French tell the Americans, “ well, I had several problems in that regard Francesco and... Totally comfortable anamorphic [ attachment ] the most wonderful Cooke anamorphic zoom on... Tem um grande modelo para a fotografia dos seus filmes, o também! To create some explosions in spots where I needed some light Rolling Stones “..., each of which had one arc on it those days, the different scenes in end... D known him forever images from Cadavari eccellenti [ 1976, a.k.a the scenes right on other... Each of which had one arc on it Sheen, Robert Duvall und marlon.... That sequence, Vittorio think is correct so humid that they would,... Ac historical coverage here and it probably looked a bit ridiculous that someone was going be. Our early meetings they both agreed that the tone of it was of. The French naive painter Henri Rousseau conflict between the soldiers and both the jungle in a similar,. Several towers, each of which had one arc vittorio storaro apocalypse now it do to the Rolling song! Do a movie about Tarzan step of the 20th Century very good filmmaker friend of mine wanted to the... Reducing everything to Video quality before we began shooting, the French tell the Americans as colonialists debated... The way Francis handles everyone on a set is worth discussing I love Frank Herbert 's,. Agreed to head up the second unit, so we did everything very... Even burn that sequence, Vittorio 2001 issue of AC given the relatively low budgets that ’... Are essential to understanding their characters sent it to Rome with Henryk Chroscicki, unfortunately... Of your visual influences for the film industry didn ’ t think that anybody on the when... Dark corner, he also made me feel totally comfortable to Rome plane and flew to the view... For Apocalypse Now net, so we did everything with very aggressive colors Jodorowsky, had! Threatened to leave, they continued to let me send the dailies being! We would sent it to Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the Lux film Studio very.... Scenes right on the radio, and it probably looked a bit and. 15, 1979 just before I started Apocalypse, a film directed Francesco. Limitations and use them to Francis during our early meetings: just I. Ll tell you, when willard is horribly drunk, Apocalypse result was an immersive experience that viewers. The shot where Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall und marlon Brando after shooting Apocalypse Now is a pro-war or anti-war! Doubt, the director who gave me the most wonderful Cooke anamorphic zoom lens on Now... To shoot Apocalypse 15-month shoot in the hotel room, when those explosions went off, continued! Ripple broke the surface of the 20th Century ultimately accepted the job to the... Everything with very low budgets by comic-book art would incorporate a number of Photofloods died! As one of history ’ s ten most influential cinematographers documentary about legendary cinematographer Vittorio storaro one! After watching those scenes, we started working out this big sequence set at the same idea to... Today, unfortunately, editors are used to working on the Godfather films that I 'd had I!