After lensing three early great Coen Brothers films, "Blood Simple,""Raising Arizona" and "Miller’s Crossing," Barry Sonnenfeld decided to leave the director of photography game to become a director and gifted us with "Get Shorty" and "Men in Black," only later to undo all of that goodwill with "Wild Wild West," "Men in Black II "and "RV." The brothers went on to hire Roger Deakins for their enduringly adored "Barton Fink" and a long-lasting partnership ensued. Just like composer Carter Burwell, the name Roger Deakins is now synonymous with the Coens.
So now the folks at Blag Films have put together a four-minute tribute to the Deakins/Coen’s partnership, full of shots that could easily be framed and hung in your swanky bachelor pad. The montage, mostly accentuated by Carter Burwell’s grandiose score from "Fargo," showcases the full range of Deakins’ work: from the gorgeous whites of that same film to the stark black and white contrasts of "The Man Who Wasn’t There."
The use of symmetry and color in the series of wide shots at the beginning of the video prove that Deakins really is one of the greatest DPs of contemporary cinema. If you want to see how important he is to the Coens’ oeuvre, just notice how flat and bland the cinematography is in "Burn After Reading," one of the only Coen Brothers film of the last twenty-three years lacking Deakins’ contribution (he also missed out on "Inside Llewyn Davis," but that movie didn’t suffer for it). Watch below. [No Film School]
