Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
when directors learn from (and evolve through) working with individuals who bring new expertise to given projects, the case of Storaro does shed light on Bertolucci's evaluations of his own films and of the contributions made by others. In this context, a brief overview of the aesthetic differences between films made by Bertolucci with and without Storaro, together with reference to Storaro's own description of his working methods, is informative. Storaro recounts how he applied himself 'to studying the works of great masters of art' and asserts: 'For cinematographers like me painters are my direct inspiration' (Fisher, 2008). Asked about the painters who had influenced him most, Storaro mentioned Caravaggio, whom, for the way he used light and dark, Storaro considered to be 'the only one who had really visualized the journey of light' (Simon, 2008). I would suggest that this declaration is helpful in terms of identifying the painterly origins behind the striking contrast between light and shade that emerges in Stratagem, an aesthetic approach that manifests itself in an arguably more refined form in Last Tango, In Stratagem, besides Magritte and Caravaggio, other painterly aesthetics can be traced in the depiction of gardens and woodland, as in the sequence depicting the meal that Athos jr. has in Draifa's house where the table is framed within an open patio door overlooking a garden, and in the scene in which Costa, Gaibazzi and Rasori are framed frontally as they sit on a low wall running along a stretch of woodland. The natural features are beautifully illuminated with a technique that evokes Impressionist paintings, the sunlight creating a vibrant surface within which different shades of greenery blend together. Throughout the film the quality of the light, and the artistic effect created, enchants the viewer s gaze and contributes in no small measure to the film's affective impact. In Scene Madri, there is a section dedicated to Storaro in which Bertolucci describes how they met (Storaro was the assistant of Aldo Scavarda, the director of photography in Before the Revolution} and their working methods, which involved studying paintings. 96
Bertolucci praises Storaro's sensitive refinement, and this is discernible from the subheading: 'Un grande cacciatore di luce a cavallo' (A Great Hunter of Light on Horseback). Bertolucci recalls how Storaro always found a format for his creativity within the requests outlined by the director, and how this arrangement formed the basis for the photography of the films they did together. To achieve the Magritte blue in Stratagem, several sequences were shot at twilight, with Storaro finding appropriate lighting and colour schemes to reflect the outline that had been agreed with Bertolucci. Nevertheless, Bertolucci specified that Storaro was only responsible for lighting and colour, whereas camera movement and framing remained his own prerogative (Ungari, 1982: 177). It is possible that this assertion was made not necessarily to underplay Storaro's input within the film - given also their long-term collaboration - but out of Bertolucci's desire to define their respective roles more precisely. But it is generally accepted that a cinematographer's input involves more than the limited functions that Bertolucci ascribed to Storaro's role in Stratagem, as Storaro himself indicates in asserting that 'the cinematographer uses light, colour, composition and movement to determine how the story will be visualized' (Fisher, 2008). Nevertheless, if one chooses to analyse the aesthetic evolution of Bertolucci's films according to the limited criteria of lighting and colour, the distinctiveness of Storaro's input remains conspicuous; light and colour are deployed to create visual motifs and artistic continuity from scene to scene, sometimes overwhelming the viewer's senses in films like Tlie Last Emperor and Tlie Sheltering Sky. This effect is significantly absent in films such as Partner, Besieged, and TJie Dreamers where the director of photography was not Storaro, films whose artistic construction is based on a less subtle (in tonal terms), stylized and self-conscious cinematic aesthetic, foregrounding the visual artifice of the films and the cinematic styles that they overtly and playfully evoke. Furthermore, Storaro"s photography undoubtedly reinforced the metaphorical 97
- Page 49 and 50: for granted, in a 'slightly hazardo
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- Page 71 and 72: emphasizes his youth and simple nat
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- Page 75 and 76: Smith, G. M. (1999) 'Local Emotions
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- Page 105 and 106: The emotional quality of the musica
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- Page 115 and 116: Elitism, ascetism and emotional rep
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- Page 147 and 148: Bertolucci, B. (1967) 'Versus Godar
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when directors learn from (and evolve through) working with individuals who bring new<br />
expertise to given projects, the case <strong>of</strong> Storaro does shed light on Bertolucci's evaluations <strong>of</strong><br />
his own films and <strong>of</strong> the contributions made by others. In this context, a brief overview <strong>of</strong> the<br />
aesthetic differences between films made by Bertolucci with and without Storaro, together<br />
with reference to Storaro's own description <strong>of</strong> his working methods, is informative.<br />
Storaro recounts how he applied himself 'to studying the works <strong>of</strong> great masters <strong>of</strong><br />
art' and asserts: 'For cinematographers like me painters are my direct inspiration' (Fisher,<br />
2008). Asked about the painters who had influenced him most, Storaro mentioned<br />
Caravaggio, whom, for the way he used light and dark, Storaro considered to be 'the only one<br />
who had really visualized the journey <strong>of</strong> light' (Simon, 2008). I would suggest that this<br />
declaration is helpful in terms <strong>of</strong> identifying the painterly origins behind the striking contrast<br />
between light and shade that emerges in Stratagem, an aesthetic approach that manifests itself<br />
in an arguably more refined form in Last Tango, In Stratagem, besides Magritte and<br />
Caravaggio, other painterly aesthetics can be traced in the depiction <strong>of</strong> gardens and<br />
woodland, as in the sequence depicting the meal that Athos jr. has in Draifa's house where<br />
the table is framed within an open patio door overlooking a garden, and in the scene in which<br />
Costa, Gaibazzi and Rasori are framed frontally as they sit on a low wall running along a<br />
stretch <strong>of</strong> woodland. The natural features are beautifully illuminated with a technique that<br />
evokes Impressionist paintings, the sunlight creating a vibrant surface within which different<br />
shades <strong>of</strong> greenery blend together. Throughout the film the quality <strong>of</strong> the light, and the<br />
artistic effect created, enchants the viewer s gaze and contributes in no small measure to the<br />
film's affective impact.<br />
In Scene Madri, there is a section dedicated to Storaro in which Bertolucci describes<br />
how they met (Storaro was the assistant <strong>of</strong> Aldo Scavarda, the director <strong>of</strong> photography in<br />
Before the Revolution} and their working methods, which involved studying paintings.<br />
96
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