Roger Deakins. A legendary cinematographer who finally won an Oscar in 2018, After nominated 14 times. Absurd. Blasphemous. He recently nabbed his 15th nomination for his stunning work in “1917,” a WWI movie from Sam Mendes.
There’s a good chance Deakins will win again for “1917,” as he recently won the American Society of Cinematographers top prize. This is the fifth ASC award Deakins has won in his illustrious career. However, whether Deakins wins it all come Oscar night on February 9th almost feels irrelevant at this point as he has built a considerable filmography that has quite possibly cemented his status as the best cinematographer that ever lived.
Here are 10 shots that prove his genius.
“The Wallpapered Hallway” Barton Fink, 1991
Barton Fink, a hypnotic satire on Hollywood, had Deakins working with the Coens for the first time. It builds up a world of dread which converses with every wallpapered hallway and tiny room. The above shot is just one of many hallway scenes that takes your breath away. Deakins focuses a lot of his time on the hallway to build up every claustrophobic minute and takes us into the psyche and feel of John Turturro’s Hollywood scribe. Time will never erase the image of a hell-sent John Goodman unleashing fiery hell and brimstone around the flame drenched hallway.
“The Great Escape” O Brother Where Art Thou?, 2000
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – another Coens collaboration – is a visually aesthetic film that was heavily edited and altered in post-production using digital technology. In fact it’s one of the very first films to have ever gone through that process. It has a beautiful, rustic style that was developed after the footage was shot on film and then transferred to digital (and then re-transferred back to film). The result is an orgy of beautiful colors that pop off the screen and welcome us into the 21st century through the eyes of 3 outrageous escaped convicts in the 1930’s deep south.
“The Chalkboard Equation” A Serious Man, 2009
This underrated Coens masterpiece is their oddly affecting take on the story of Job. The whole movie is an equation, encompassing a man’s misery and journey in figuring out exactly why he has been cursed by such terrible luck and sorrow. The equation is of course too otherworldly to figure out, if it even exists, as shown by this striking frame in which Larry – the guilt-ridden Minnesota professor – tries to find the meaning of life through a never ending equation. The whole point is that there is no point and this striking image has even more impact once you figure that out for yourself.
“The Interrogation” The Man Who Wasn’t There, 2001
When Roger Deakins shoots in black and white you know it’s going to be a total and utter visual feast. The Man Who Wasn’t There is an underrated beauty from the Coens and encompasses every single, possible film noir trope, but twists it around and becomes a stamped on Coen-esque visionary nightmare. Deakins uses the overtly stylish surroundings to sheer perfection using every possible smoke-filmed frame to recall the good old days when black and white photography in Hollywood films was an art in itself. Back in those times cinematographers tried to one-up each other with the ways they could use black and white. Deakins proves he could have held his own if he was working at that time.
“Sunset” The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2007
This classic from 2007 is one of the last features Deakins shot on film, ever since then he has made the full transition to digital film. It’s hard to pick just one image from Andrew Dominik’s masterpiece as it is one of the most beautifully photographed movies of the 21st century, the train station shadow/smoke scene is one other iconic moment that comes to mind, but for my money nothing beats this gorgeous frame in which Brad Pitt’s Jesse James look over the sunset as he contemplates his next move. It’s an eerie, evocative shot that once again shows just how great Deakins can shoot the first sunrise of the day (cue Sicario for another great moment of the sunset)
“Eve and WALL-E” WALL-E, 2008
Director Andrew Stanton and his WALL•E team kept asking and referring to Deakins for his vision on how the first act of the film could feel live-action. Of course going to Deakins for advice meant that the animators were looking for ways to manipulate the light. His imprint on the films dialogue-free first 20 minutes is there, the visual aesthetic takes your breath away as the use of different colours and schemes proves just how powerfully visual an animated can be.
“The Japanese Jellyfish” Skyfall, 2012
Skyfall is by far the best shot Bond film. Its images simmer and make the film such a cinematic, enticing treat to behold. No wonder many have called Skyfall the greatest of James Bond movies. Send Deakins to shoot a movie in Japan and you’ll end up with one hell of a finished product. The imagery that stuck with me the most was that of the Shanghai office interior where James Bond intercepts Patrice, a hired assassin that ruthlessly goes after 007. Their fight, shot in silhouette backed by distinctive neon blue signage, features a prominent jellyfish floating in the background.
“Freedom” The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
Deakins earned his first Oscar nomination for The Shawshank Redemption. A film which started off as a decently reviewed prison drama has turned into a stone cold classic. That famous shot of Andy escaping from the prison, arms outstretched as the rain pours down on him? You know, the moment so powerful that it was re-purposed on the poster? Yeah, that wasn’t originally part of the plan. Or at least what Deakins says,
“Ready for War” Sicario, 2015
It seems like Deakins has taken a real liking to Denis Villeneuve. They have collaborated together on “Prisoners”, “Sicario” and “Blade Runner 2049”. Sicario is as much Deakins’ film as it is Villeneuve’s. Following FBI agent Emily Blunt, the film has Deakins returning to a similar landscape as that of “No Country For Old Men”. These are clean, saturated colors and might just be Deakins’ best digital work to date. The shots of a danger-filled Mexico City and empty, isolated deserts brings out the best in Deakins’ talent. However, we can’t ever shake off the finale in which Villeneuve and Deakins follow their soldiers into the field of battle as the sunset looms over their silhouetted bodies.
“Hello There,” Blade Runner 2049
Since I limited it to one shot per movie we’ll have to settle with this time-capsule worthy one from “Blade Runner 2049.” And what a shot it is. Taking place near the tail end of the film, this poetic shot of a hologram pointing its finger at Ryan Goslin’s Officer K is nothing short of stunning. The color palette being used by Deakins is strikingly trippy but there’s a certain kind of melancholic sadness to it all as K roams the streets of a Dystopian world that has lost a firm grip of itself amidst the stranglehold of government and the censorship of speech.