1987: Best Cinematography Oscar Race

by Cláudio Alves

The year of the next Supporting Actress Smackdown is quite an impressive Oscar vintage. Despite the sweep of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, which won all nine of its nominations, the 60th Academy Awards showcased a remarkable variety of films and artistic approaches. The Best Actress lineup, for instance, is one for the ages, and, across the board, there was a rare openness to honoring the excellence of comedies, mainstream entertainment, and even European arthouse.

In the so-called "below the line" categories, Best Cinematography deserves particular praise. The legendary Vittorio Storaro conquered his third and final trophy for the opulent lensing of The Last Emperor. However, his competition was none too shabby, representing some of the greatest cinematographers ever who, along with the Italian victor, helped shape and perfect the art of cinema, taking it to new peaks of visual marvel. Come meet these masters and their masterworks…

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Beauty Break: The work of Allen Daviau (1942-2020)

on the set of Empire of the Sun (1987) with Christian Baleby Nathaniel R

The film industry has lost another major talent to the coronavirus. Five time Oscar nominated cinematographer Allen Daviau has passed away at age 77 from complications from COVID-19. The acclaimed director of photography was born in New Orleans but grew up in Los Angeles so he was close to the movies before making them.

He met Steven Spielberg in the 1960s and worked with him before either of them had ever had a Hollywood gig on the short film Amblin' which Spielberg's production company was later named for.  Though Daviau was never particularly prolific and retired from the cinema in 2004 he left behind beautiful pictures and was honored with a liftetime achievement award from the American Society of Cinematographers in 2007. Let's celebrate that fine eye after the jump with some of his work...

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