Douglas Slocombe (1913-2016)Sad news to report. The former "oldest living Oscar nominee" cinematographer Douglas Slocombe died today just two weeks after his 103rd birthday. (If you're curious that makes the goddess Olivia de Havilland, who turns 100 this July, the oldest living Oscar nominee or winner)
Imagine shooting the boulder-roll opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark or lighting its snake pit scene with torches! Douglas Slocombe did it. His other two nominations sprang from far more feminine pictures, the Jane Fonda Best Picture nominee Julia (1977. Also: Meryl Streep's film debut!) and the Maggie Smith vehicle Travels With My Aunt (1972).
More on his iimpressive career and some images from key films after the jump...
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1980)
The British DP was far more popular with BAFTA than with Oscar with several more nominations and three wins: The Servant (1963), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Julia (1977).
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
The L Shaped Room (1962)
The Servant (1963)
Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
Travels With My Aunt (1972)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Other famous films he shot include The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Boom! (1968), The Lion in Winter (1968), Jesus Christ Superstar! (1973) and Rollerball (1975).
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Rollerball (1975)
Julia (1977)
Lady Jane (1986)
His last two pictures were the Helena Bonham-Carter feature Lady Jane (1986) and his third and final Spielberg/Ford picture Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
It's a rich filmography from a man with a beautiful eye for images and light