Jack Cardiff was unquestionably one of the greatest cinematographers in the history of cinema. His extraordinary body of work started in 1935 and included such landmark masterpieces as Black Narcisus, King Vidor’s War & Peace, The African Queen, The Red Shoes, and some less notable movies such as ‘Rambo’ etc. and his remarkable output didn’t cease until he died in 2007 at the ripe old age of 94.
Craig McCall’s profile, some 17 years in the making, showed an unassuming self-taught man whose love of the great classic paintings were a crucial source of inspiration for his daring and innovative work. Cardiff’s creative talent at pushing way beyond the established limits of what cameras could achieve at that time and by constantly thinking out of the box, enabled a whole string of the world’s leading directors achieve more than the vision that they had hoped for. His work was one of the reasons in those early days before all the special effects labs were in existence, that filming was considered a true art form, and this documentary is peppered with esteemed filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese who were in total awe of what Jack Cardiff achieved.
In the late 1950’s Cardiff also directed some movies too, initially with very limited success, and then in 1960 his version of DH Lawrence’s ‘Sons & Lovers’ earned him a Golden Globe, plus an Oscar Nomination. But when that avenue of work dried up, he went back to his first love of cinematography, and in 2001 he became the very first cameraman to be awarded a Honorary Oscar for his lifetime’s work.
Jack Cardiff was a rare talent. A great anecdotal story teller, totally unpretentious and seemingly either unaware or bemused by the unequivocal sheer admiration of all his peers. His legacy is indisputable and his incredible contribution to cinema is summed up so aptly by Mr Scorcese who said that when he wanted to go to the movies he wanted to escape realism and see something fantastical, and that’s exactly what Jack Cardiff did so brilliantly.
If you have any passion at all for movies, you will not want to miss this one.
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