Lenses on 'The Godfather'

[Leon Liang]

Hi everyone,

 

According to the sites I've looked at, Gordon Willis shot 'The Godfather' on Super Baltar lenses, which have focal lengths 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm and 152mm. However, in the October 2014 American Cinematographer publication, Francis Ford Coppola says "We shot pretty much 90 percent of 'The Godfather' with one lens - a 40mm". Does anyone know if there use to be a 40mm Super Baltar, or if Willis used a 40mm from a different lens set?

 

Thanks,

 

Leon Liang

[Kemalettin Sert]

40mm is Bausch and Lomb.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Baltar-Cine-Camera-Lens-40mm-F-2-3-Used-Good-Mitchell-Mount-/280866949416

[Stuart Brereton]

40mm is Bausch and Lomb.

 

 

Bausch & Lomb were the manufacturers of the Super Baltars, and the earlier Baltar lenses.

 

I remember seeing an interview with Willis where he explained that the 40mm was his favorite lens

[Leon Liang]

Thanks for the replies!

 

I remember reading an interview with Gordon Willis where he said that Godfather III was filmed on Super 35. Since it has a larger frame than Standard 35mm and the movie was shot on Panavision Primos, do you think he would have used the 40mm most or the 50mm (or a combination of both)?

[Stuart Brereton]

Willis liked the 40mm for its field of view, which he felt matched human vision. A 40mm on s35 would have a slightly wider FOV than on Academy. Whether this difference would have been enough to make him switch to a 50mm is anyone's guess.

[Mark Dunn]

My arithmetic suggests that a 40 on S35 would be about the same as a 35 on Academy.

[Michael Schroers]

Wasn't it a Kowa Cine-Prominar 40mm lens ? They were often used together with Super Balter Lenses . . .

[Leon Liang]

I'm not sure...most sources say that the Kowa Cine Prominars were used in addition to the Super Baltars for The Godfather Part II, but I haven't read anything saying they were used for the first film.