Short piece on James Wong Howe

[Phillip Mosness]

The Criterion release of The Sweet Smell of Success has a short documentary on James Wong Howe from 1973 in which he tells a few fun stories, and at one point he shows a lighting demonstration.

It's somewhat contrived but it's fun to watch him directing the lighting on an interior set, and offer his thinking.

It goes without saying that the photography in Sweet Smell of Success is superb and the blu ray looks swell.

[John Jaquish]

I've seen this before. Howe is very entertaining, also one of my favorite DPs. His work on Seconds is also excellent, and the Frankenheimer commentary provides so more funny anecdotes. I forget where it's from, but Howe was telling a story about his silent film days, when a shot required him to be submerged in some sort of submarine for an underwater shot. Something went wrong and it filled with water, almost drowning him. He passed out and when he came to on the dock, the director was standing over him saying, "Jimmy! Jimmy! Is the film okay?!"