One of the more surprising criticisms about “Solo: A Star Wars Story” revolves around the cinematography. Over on Twitter, film folks are actively debating the issue, either blaming the projections for being overly dim and dark or actually blaming the director of photography Bradford Young for a subpar effort.
Film critic Bilge Ebiri, who attended the premiere at Cannes, tweeted, “Bradford Young should sue. That’s a great looking movie if you can see it properly. But millions of people probably won’t.”
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Well, as far as we know, Bradford Young isn’t pursuing legal action against cinema chains for badly projecting his film. However, the Academy Award-nominee, who has worked on films like “Arrival,” “Selma,” and “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” did speak to the Chicago Tribune about working on ‘Solo,’ and even drops some knowledge about what ousted directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller had wanted their version of the film to resemble.
According to the cinematographer, what he heard from Lord and Miller, combined with what he was seeing from Ava DuVernay and Steve McQueen, prompted him to take the job:
“Then I met with Phil and Chris, and their constant reference was ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller.’ They said they were making a Western. When artists like Ava [DuVernay] and Steve McQueen work in the studio system, you never want them to lose the thing that got them there. So I started to think, ‘You know, there is no reason why I shouldn’t make a ‘Star Wars’ film.’”
For those not familiar with Robert Altman’s “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” the film is highly regarded as one of the best examples of the Western genre. It’s landed on many “Best Of” lists, as well as awards-nominations for acting and cinematography. So, judging by Young’s quote, and everything else we’ve learned about the Lord and Miller’s ‘Solo,’ the film was definitely going for something different.
When Ron Howard came aboard ‘Solo,’ you would think that the director would be ecstatic about working with Young. However, as the DP tells it, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Before filming, Young asked Howard if the filmmaker would have hired him to be the cinematographer on ‘Solo,’ the director was brutally honest. “And Ron, in that sweet Ron Howard fashion, said ‘Probably not.’ But he asked me to stay. I suppose he liked what he saw,” admitted Young.
You can judge the cinematography for yourself, as “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is now playing in theaters around the world.
Saw SOLO again. Definitely very dark visually, but wow, there’s a world of difference between the rich shadows I saw at the Debussy & the flat, dim projection at Regal cinemas. Grr.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) May 28, 2018