CAMERAMAN: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

[nealedelstein]

Legend, super talent, great man. 

[AJNorth]

Cardiff's cinematography for the extraordinary film "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946) is nothing short of revelatory, which can, of course, also be said for "Black Narcissus" (1947) and "The Red Shoes" (1948).

When director Michael Powell puzzled over how to effect the fade-in of David Niven washing ashore early in AMOLAD, Cardiff simply fogged the camera lens with his breath and began shooting; as the moisture evaporated from the lens, the perfect visual was achieved.