The Professionals
Cinematographer allen daviau
California Film Institute inaugurates a new series, The Professionals, focusing on important disciplines in the movie industry and heightening awareness of the diverse creative forces that contribute to the collaborative art of filmmaking.
This program is supported, in part, with a grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
We
welcome distinguished cinematographer Allen Daviau,
ASC, who will share his work through public screenings with discussions
about his art, his career and the field he represents.
Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to see these
films in beautiful prints made directly from the original negatives!
Cinematographer Allen Daviau in person
Saturday, April 28, 3:00
“It was a family story that Barry felt very deeply about,” says cinematographer Allen Daviau. The third film in writer-director Barry Levinson’s “Baltimore Chronicles” is his deeply felt story of three generations of a Russian Jewish family that migrates to America at the beginning of the 20th century. The terrific cast includes Armin Mueller-Stahl as the patriarch Sam Krichinsky and Aidan Quinn as his son Jules, who shortens his name to Kaye and moves to the suburbs. Also starring Elizabeth Perkins, Elijah Wood and Joan Plowright, the film is filled with abundant humor and rich period detail: “We shot at real locations except for one small stage…We spoke about giving each period a visual motif to separate them. “ Music: Randy Newman. Writer/Director: Barry Levinson. (US 1990) 126 min.
Cinematographer Allen Daviau in person
Saturday, April 28, 7:00
“I loved working on Fearless,” says cinematographer Allen Daviau about this extraordinary movie that was extensively filmed in the Bay Area. “When Peter Weir directs a film, actors from around the world want to be in it. When you are on the set, you see why.” Jeff Bridges gives one of his greatest performances as Max Klein, a man who survives a terrible plane crash and enters an exalted state in which he believes he has passed through death and nothing can harm him. His personality changes disturb his wife (Isabella Rossellini in one of her finest performances) and puzzle his shrink (John Turturro), who manages to bring Max together with another survivor of the crash: Carla (Rosie Perez), who lost her young son in the tragedy. “When he said ‘cut,’ the actors immediately looked at his face to see how he reacted to the performances,” says Daviau. “Every day was an adventure.” Rated R. Writer: Rafael Yglesias, based on his novel. Director: Peter Weir. (US 1993) 122 min.
Cinematographer Allen Daviau in person
Sunday, April 29, 2:00
Steven Spielberg’s superb film of J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel tells the story of a young boy (Christian Bale) whose privileged life in Shanghai is upturned in December 1941, when Japanese soldiers invade the British-controlled areas of China. Separated from his parents, he fends for himself on the street until he is captured and sent to a POW camp. “We shot that film just after China opened up and before Tiananmen Square,” says cinematographer Allen Daviau. “The Chinese were really happy to have Steven Spielberg shoot a movie there. Shanghai mostly looked just like it did in 1940.” Also starring John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Joe Pantoliano, Nigel Havers, Ben Stiller. Music: John Williams. Writer: Tom Stoppard, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard. Director: Steven Spielberg. (US 1987) 154 min.
The camera is the essential tool of moviemaking; in the earliest days of motion pictures, there was usually a single person behind a camera. As movies evolved toward being an art, cinematography developed into a sophisticated profession involving numerous decisions about lighting, lenses and camera position. In 1919 the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) was founded as an educational, cultural and professional organization that is open (only by invitation) to Directors of Photography with distinguished credits in the film industry.
Recently Allen Daviau received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the field. “Allen Daviau is still in the prime of his career, but he has already created an innovative body of work that will stand the test of time,” declared ASC awards chairman Russ Alsobrook. “He is an awe-inspiring cinematographer who has earned the admiration of filmmakers around the world.”
Born in New Orleans and raised in Los Angeles, Allen Daviau was barely in high school when he started to crash the gates of television and film studios to get close to the cameras and the people who worked them. He gained experience shooting commercials, industrial films and rock ‘n’ roll film promos with popular performers such as The Animals and Jimi Hendrix. In 1968 he shot the short film Amblin’ for Steven Spielberg. Daviau was prevented from working with Spielberg again until 1978, when the camera guild opened itself up to a new generation of cinematographers. Soon after he joined the guild, he became a favorite of Spielberg, as he would be for other directors such as Barry Levinson and Peter Weir.
Daviau claimed the first of his five Academy Award nominations in 1983 for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. His other Oscar nominations were for The Color Purple (1986), Avalon (1991), Empire of the Sun (1988) and Bugsy (1992). The latter two also took top honors at the ASC Awards, and Empire of the Sun won the BAFTA cinematography award, the British equivalent of an Oscar.
Allen Daviau will present and discuss three favorites he personally selected for this occasion. This is a wonderful opportunity to see these modern classics in the finest 35mm prints.
Participating in the programs will be Bob Fisher, a journalist who has written more than 2,000 articles about some 200 cinematographers in 20 different countries. Several years ago, Fisher became the first journalist to be named an honorary member of the American Society of Cinematographers. All of Allen Daviau’s quotes used here are extracted from interviews conducted by Bob Fisher.
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