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Lee Garmes- WHY


Guest Tim Partridge

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Has anyone seen this early 70s short? The great Lee Garmes shot it on video (!) apparently commisioned by Technicolor in an experiment to see how well video transfered to film! Talk about innovative!!!

 

Garmes has always been a legend, IMO, (the unarguable creator of the northlight and I think Morocco is one of the best looking films ever) certainly one of the true greats who really helped evolve the art of cinematography, but this takes the biscuit. Just read some of the comments in this below article by the man- He manages to embrace all the good about video in ways that show the true colours of all the conservative DPs who snub HD today!:

 

leeispa.gif

 

Link:

 

http://www.mecfilms.com/graphics/leeispa.gif

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I think it was the October 1972 issue of "American Cinematographer" which covered video for traditional production normally shot on film (one of those "Is Film Dead?" arguments that showed up once a decade starting from the moment Ampex created videotape in the late 1950's). I'm not sure but I think it was that issue where Garmes basically said video was going to soon replace film, etc. But it may have been in an earlier issue. You can call that either being visionary or short-sighted. Personally, I think if you read all of his comments about how good video is (or was then), you'd think he needed to get new eyeglasses because we all know the state of color videography in 1970 compared to 35mm color negative photography.

 

His work on "Dishonored" for Deitrich & Von Sternberg is perhaps even better than "Morocco". But my favorite work of his is in color: "Duel in the Sun" and "Gone with the Wind". Bert Glennon may have taken the Von Sternberg look even more over the top with "The Scarlet Empress" but I'm probably more responding to the wild production design.

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Yeah, nobody can beat Garmes! :)

 

I really love The Jungle Book too which isn't as saturated as a Perinals Korda film- a little more muted IMO, shame all the existing prints from the Nitrate original look like larvae devouring Cous cous :(

 

Thanks for the heads up David! I'll remain undecided until I read the comments first hand, although let's face it, Garmes gave us so much I find it hard to believe he could ever loose his sight ;)

 

I'd love to see WHY, but I imagine it is largely ridiculed and disowned by Technicolor :(

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Lee Garmes is the man, true. I watched Hawks' "Scarface" recently and was once again blown away by the wonderful photography, some of the best pure expressionism in American films that leads up to noir, lots of bold splashes of light all over the place, lovely! At some point I'm going to have see the films he shot with Ben Hecht directing, as I'm a big Hecht fan as well. And Garmes' color films too, gotta see those...

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I saw that re-release Technicolor print of 'Gone With the Wind' a few years back. Obviously a great film in every way but I just kept thinking "Man video sucks, this was shot so long ago and still blows every video format out of the water." Especially the part where she's standing on the hill screaming she'll never go hungry again. That is a million times better coming off a print, it's so beautiful.

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No Doubt! I watched Duel in the Sun recently and had a discussion with some friends about how a modern film could attempt such unbelievable color. Only with a DI - and even then it wouldn't look right. I can't wait to look up some of the movies mentioned above, there are several I haven't seen. Thanks guys.

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