Visions of Light

1992
PG
1h 32m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Science & Technology Documentary Documentary History

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

3.4K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Top cast30

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Conrad L. Hall

Self
(as Conrad Hall)

John Bailey

Self

Vilmos Zsigmond

Self

Charles Lang

Self
(as Charles B. Lang)

Ernest R. Dickerson

Self
(as Ernest Dickerson)

Michael Chapman

Self

Allen Daviau

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Caleb Deschanel

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Lisa Rinzler

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William A. Fraker

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Néstor Almendros

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(as Nestor Almendros)

Charles Rosher Jr.

Self
(as Charles D. Rosher)

Stephen H. Burum

Self

Harry L. Wolf

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(as Harry Wolf)

Sven Nykvist

Self

Robert Wise

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László Kovács

Self
(as Laszlo Kovacs)

James Wong Howe

Self
(archive footage)

Directors
Writer
- Todd McCarthy
All cast & crew
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User reviews22

Featured review

8/10

Visions of Light - The Importance of Cinematography in Film

A great film can rescue mediocre cinematography, but great cinematography cannot rescue a mediocre film. That being said, cinematography is probably one of the greatest contributors to the success of a film. This well-made documentary shows clips from well over 500 films; many of which are classics.

At times, there are explosions of color, as in The Last Emperor, and at other times, there are fantastic settings for film noir by using black and white filming techniques. My favorite cinematographer was always James Wong Howe, probably the finest techician the industry had ever seen. The film is a bit overlong, but we forgive that quickly because of all the wonderful content and great selections of examples of different styles of cinematography. No serious student of film can miss this production; it should be shown in every film course in the world.

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Trivia
Director Todd McCarthy had hoped to include an interview with the legendary cinematographer, John Alton, whose work is highlighted in the film, but could not locate him. Alton had quit the movie business after working on Elmer Gantry (1960), and for many years, even close friends didn't know his whereabouts, or if he was still alive. In 1992, McCarthy was shocked to receive a phone call from the now 91-year-old Alton, who had heard about Visions of Light (1992), and wanted to attend the premiere. Alton insisted that there was nothing mysterious in his disappearance, that he and his wife had simply decided to give up the movie business and travel a bit. They had lived in France, Germany, and Argentina, and had a great time. Alton died in 1996 at the age of 95.