What's the most visually stunning movie you've ever seen?

With a quick nod to The Insider, too.

Dante Spinotti is Michael Mann's go-to cinematographer.
And Dante worked on these (just highlighting a few):
Red Dragon
L.A. Confidential
Heat
The Last of the Mohicans

Blue Eyes said:I mean, seriously, what kind of movies are you guys actually watching if you find Malick's "Days of Heaven" to be boring or uninteresting? 😕 🙄

Maybe just adult films?😁

Vilmos Zsigmond and his gritty, beautiful films: Liberation, McCabe & Mrs. Muldoon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the absolute mess—Heaven's Gate.

Pegasus said:Barry Lyndon

Sure, Barry Lyndon features phenomenal cinematography; there is just so much done right there, and that duel scene is absolute perfection...
True, Kubrick utilizes incredible lighting across his entire filmography; just take a look at Eyes Wide Shut, specifically how he handles the windows—the lighting is simply masterful...

I know it sounds a bit strange, but I find myself completely captivated by lighting...

In that same vein, you’d have to include Catch-22 by Nichols, which has some truly striking scenes utilizing backlighting...
Then there is Apocalypse Now. Or even more recent work, like Black Hawk Down...
The Man Who Wasn't There...
I’ve seen the color version, but honestly, it loses that specific depth of contrast you only get from the black and white original...

Heat, A Hangman's House, Dead Man, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Thin Red Line...
Honestly, if I had to pick a winner from that bunch, I’d probably go with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon hands down!

Titus
Blade Runner
And the absolute best: the Mexican film Before the Rain.

Scanning through these replies, I guess I’m just being labeled as someone who saw Titus in some terrible DivX version, which left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed—whereas Frida didn't leave much of an impression at all, even though it was on the Big Screen.

And I might mention Europe. I guess Lars will never again capture such an unsettling shot... Then there’s that documentary-style, short-form photography throughout Stranger Than Paradise. And, obviously, that piercing image in The Straight Story.

I suppose I won't mention Bergman, if only because it wouldn't be fair to the others.

28 days later
Anthony Mantle

And then there's those 25 hours from Rodrigo Prieto—even though he did Frida, which I just couldn't get into... honestly, even at 21, nothing hits quite like those 25 hours.
Though, if I'm being honest, I can't tell if that's just because I think the movie is such a masterpiece... maybe I've lost my objectivity here. 😁

*Wait, let me correct myself—I just realized the actual title of this thread. I'm not saying this is the BEST photo ever, just that I personally think it's fantastic. I'm sure there are better ones out there, objectively speaking.

Pegasus said:Which films in this genre have left the biggest impression on you, specifically regarding their cinematography?

There are plenty to choose from... but the first one that comes to mind is "The Warriors." 👍

p.s. (offtopic):
Would moderators ban an avatar featuring Nazi symbols or the Nazi flag? Why is Blue Eyes allowed to use the America flag as an avatar? 👎

First off... all three of Malick's films... Badlands, Days of Heaven 🙂—and honestly, I have to say, goddamn, how does this look so good?
—and The Thin Red Line.
Then there's...
Tarkovsky's Nostalghia...
Dersu Uzala...
and Persona.

Starting a thread about cinematography. Let's see who can pick the best shots.

Here's a gorgeous one...

Hmm, I have to agree with a few of those picks: Frida, The Thin Red Line, and The Straight Story (which is personally my favorite Lynch film)
I'll add a few more to the list: The Last of the Mohicans, Edward Scissorhands, Lord of the Rings (certain scenes specifically), and The Seductive Beauty by Bertolucci... those photos look absolutely incredible!!

Cinematography is usually the first thing that knocks me sideways in a movie, though I tend to sort similar films into a few different mental drawers. It’s much like how I handle comedies; that genre just doesn't work for me unless I break it down into its specific sub-categories.

When it comes to visuals, I put the romantic realist Jean Renoir in one drawer, mainly because his style feels so unforced and organic—which is exactly why his brother Claude did such a stellar job on several occasions in films like "A Village Brouhaha," "River," and "La Bête Humaine." Most people will claim Orson Welles was the pioneer of deep focus in "Citizen Kane," but Renoir had actually been utilizing that technique extensively years earlier, just look at "The Rules of the Game."

Then you have Sergei Urusevsky, who delivered over a dozen absolutely flawless displays of cinematic acrobatics and visual perversity for Mosfilm.

And then there’s the obvious perfectionist, a total control freak like Kubrick, who practically bled lenses for Alcott's "Barry Lyndon" via NASA. 🙄

Dreyer’s "The Testament" (Bendtsen) is a pure masterpiece of Protestant atmosphere, tapping into that entire supersensory spectrum centered around spirituality.

As for Kobayashi’s "Seppuku," it’s basically Kubrickian Zen to me. Pure madness.

There is also that sense of total immersion through purposeful, gorgeous close-ups found in "This Sporting Life"—which features work by D. Coop, who also contributed to "The Third Man," "A Fallen Idol," and "Lolita."

To me, they are all equally distinct and impossible to resist. Not to mention the countless other directors who are just as unfairly obsessed.

Joseph Lee3 😍

...I'm certainly not going to try and compete with contributions like 😍, but I want to pivot toward that "completely different" visual style you see in Guy Maddin's films... whether people actually enjoy his work or not, they always look "different" 🙂

...and now—maybe I shouldn't, maybe I should—I really ought to mention Doyle's work here 😁

Xavi, seriously, if it weren't for you, my entire understanding of cinema would probably just boil down to the visual vibes of Magnolia and Lost in Translation. I’ll get around to building out my thoughts on Maddin once I finally sit down with The Saddest Music... but for now, here's the gist: Van Sant operates on a completely different frequency than the mainstream, much like how Meirelles does. 🙄 : sramise:

...unfortunately, the shot I got of Saddest Music is pretty terrible. I actually debated not filming it at all—honestly, I almost didn't—but I figured even with the crappy quality, you shouldn't miss out on seeing it... though don't expect this to give you any real idea of how gorgeous the cinematography actually is...😢
...that said, I promise (and I won't forget, I swear) to send over a better clip if I ever manage to track down a higher-quality version...🙂

...you're a real piece of work, 😘

Good grief, I just realized the whole story takes place somewhere in the 1930s. That’s actually brilliant! I guess I'll hunt down an original DVD for us to binge-watch online sometime. Though, honestly, it'll be the absolute last thing I spend money on this year!

But first, give me the previews, please... thanks a million, sweetie! 😍

Curse of the Golden Flower

House of Flying Daggers

2046

In the Mood for Love

Road to Perdition

Memoirs of a Geisha

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Richard Ortiz2 redowl90 said:In the Mood for Love

Oh, please... give me a break. 😍 😍 😍

Larry Martin11 said:...give me a break

Sigh...