Reel 3: Gordon Willis and The Godfathers

Different eras of film can often be traced to specific "generations" of directors who came up together and had similar mindsets, and while that's true, sometimes they can be attached to  technological advances, some of them not initially part of the industry. For example, with the rise of teen culture and a general boom in consumerism, the drive-in movie exploded in popularity, which meant that studios had to create film prints that were very bright so they could project a long distance. 

This, in turn, led to advances in film stock and gave directors and cinematographers the ability to create more subtle lighting schemes. And one of the pioneers of using light and color was Gordon Willis. His cinematography shaped the look of films such as All the President's Men, Annie Hall (and several other Woody Allen films), and Pennies From Heaven. But he's probably best known for his work on the three films in the Godfather series he did with Francis Ford Coppola. 

In this episode we look at the first two films (mostly) from a cinematography standpoint, and talk about how Willis's use of light and color shaped the look of the films but also heralded a change to the way movies were going to look for the foreseeable future. 

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wordsandmovies/support