From documentary "Cinematographer Style"

"The Godfather" [1971]


Born: 28 May 1931, Astoria, New York City, N.Y., USA. His father was a make-up man at the Warner Bros. Studio in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1930's.

Career: Was actor and set designer in summer stock theatre. During the Korean War, he spent four years in the Air Force on a motion picture unit photographing instructional films. 'After the war, in 1956, Willis returned to New York, where he worked as a freelance assistant cameraman.  The tv industry was undergoing vigorous growth, and New York was a creative focal point for commercial production. There was also much creative work being done in the documentary genre. "In those days, you could cross back and forth between operating on commercials and shooting documentaries, and in my opinion there was no better way to learn," he says.' [From the ASC website.]

Appeared in the doc's 'Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography' [1991], 'To Woody Allen, From Europe with Love' [1980, André Delvaux; ph: Walther Vanden Ende & Michel Baudour], 'The Godfather Family: A Look Inside' [1991, Jeff Werner; 73m], 'Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood' [2002, Kenneth Bowser; ph: Paul Mailman; 119m] & 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer (JF); ph: JF, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].

Directed and ph the feature film 'Windows' [1979].

Awards: As doph: NSFC Award [1975] for 'The Godfather, Part II'; NSFC Award [1975] for 'The Parallax View'; BAFTA Film Award nom [1977] for 'All the President’s Men'; BAFTA Film Award nom [1980] for 'Manhattan'; NSFC Award [1982] and BSFC Award [1982] for 'Pennies from Heaven'; NYFCC Award [1983], 'Oscar' AA nom [1984] and BAFTA Film Award nom [1984] for 'Zelig'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1991] and ASC Award nom [1991] for 'The Godfather, Part III'; ASC Lifetime Achievement Award [1995]; AMPAS Governors Award - Honorary 'Oscar' [2009].

As dir: 'Razzie Award Worst Director' nom [1981] for 'Windows'.



Gordon Willis was on the leading edge of a New Wave of cinematographers who were changing the art form in radical ways. In 'The Godfather', he selectively masked Marlon Brando's eyes to conceal his thoughts from the audience. "I still can't believe the reactions," he says. "People said, 'You can't see his eyes [Brando's].' Well, you didn't see his eyes in 10 percent of the movie, and there was a reason why. I remember asking, 'Why do you have to see his eyes in that scene? Based on what?' Do you know what the answer was? 'That's the way it was done in Hollywood.' That's not a good enough reason. There were times when we didn't want the audience to see what was going on in there [Brando's eyes], and then suddenly, you let them see into his soul for a while." Willis was different in other ways. He was an outsider who lived on the East Coast, and did most of his best work there. He was also was an outspoken advocate for the creative role that cinematographers play in the collaborative art of filmmaking at a time when most of his peers believed it was prudent to stay in the background. One veteran cinematographer from that period candidly admits, "I would have been fired if I lit the way Gordon did. The studios wanted to always see the actor's eyes, and they didn't want windows blown out, or flaring lights." [From the ASC website.]

With dir Woody Allen [right]



FILMS

1968

End of the Road [Aram Avakian] c

1968

Loving [Irvin Kershner] c

1969

The Landlord [Hal Ashby] c

1970

The People Next Door [David Greene] c

1970

Little Murders [Alan Arkin] c

1970

Klute [Alan Pakula] p/c

1971

The Godfather [Francis Ford Coppola] c; cph: Bill Butler

1971

Bad Company [Robert Benton] c

1972

Up the Sandbox [Irvin Kershner] c; ph cons: Bernard Abramson

1972

Lookin' Good/Corky [Leonard Horn] c

[Left] with dir James Bridges - "The Paper Chase"

1973

The Paper Chase [Jim Bridges] p/c

1973

The Parallax View [Alan Pakula] p/c

1973

The Godfather, Part II [Francis Ford Coppola] c

1974

The Drowning Pool [Stuart Rosenberg] p/c

1975

All the President's Men [Alan Pakula] c

1976

Annie Hall [Woody Allen] c

1976

September 30, 1955/24 Hours of the Rebel [James Bridges] c

1977

Comes a Horseman [Alan Pakula] p/c

1977

Interiors [Woody Allen] c

1978

Manhattan [Woody Allen] b&w

1979

Windows [Gordon Willis] c

1979

Stardust Memories [Woody Allen] b&w

1981

Pennies from Heaven [Herbert Ross] c

1981

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy [Woody Allen] c

1981

Zelig [Woody Allen] b&w-c

1982

Broadway Danny Rose [Woody Allen] c

1983

The Purple Rose of Cairo [Woody Allen] b&w-c

1984

Perfect [James Bridges] c

1985

The Money Pit [Richard Benjamin] c

1986

The Pick-Up Artist [James Toback] c

1987

Bright Lights, Big City [James Bridges] c

1989

Presumed Innocent [Alan Pakula] c

1989

The Godfather, Part III [Francis Ford Coppola] p/c

1992

The Godfather Trilogy 1901-1980/The Godfather Saga [video release 'The Godfather', 'The Godfather, Part II' & 'The Godfather, Part III']

1992

Malice [Harold Becker] c

1995

The Juror [Brian Gibson] started film, but replaced after 2 weeks by Jamie Anderson

1996

The Devil's Own [Alan Pakula] p/c; 2uc: Gary Capo

TELEVISION & THEATRE

1965

The New York Times Story [?] ?

1977

The Godfather Saga [Francis Ford Coppola] 4-part miniseries; re-edited version of 'The Godfather, Parts I & II' + new material

1983

The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck/Act of Passion [Simon Langton] tvm

1985

Singin' in the Rain [film sequence used in stage production]

MISCELLANEOUS

1965

The Beatles at Shea Stadium [Dick Fontaine; mus doc] c.op; ph: Andrew Laszlo