Despite its mixed reviews, there’s no debating the quality of the cinematography in Martin Scorsese’s newest flick, Shutter Island. Sure, we may have seen Leonardo DiCaprio as a Boston cop before, but the light reflecting off of the Massachusetts coast at dawn, graying bodies at a standstill, and Michelle Williams’ yellow dress with trickles of bright crimson blood are anything but old hat. In fact, we were so engrossed by director of photography Robert Richardson‘s work that we could hardly complain about other elements of the twisted thriller.
In homage to what can only be described as his visual superowers, we’ve rounded up of some of our favorite shots from Scorsese’s vast archive. Tell us what we forgot in the comments.
Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed (2006), DP Michael Ballhaus
John C. Reilly and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004), DP Robert Richardson
Gangs of New York (2002), DP Michael Ballhaus
Sharon Stone in Casino (1995), DP Robert Richardson
Robert De Niro in Cape Fear (1991), DP Freddie Francis
Ray Liotta in Goodfellas (1990), DP Michael Ballhaus
Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980), DP Michael Chapman
Jody Foster and Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976), DP Michael Chapman
Harvey Keitel in Mean Streets (1973), DP Kent L. Wakeford
Comments (6)
How about Daniel Day-Lewis taking off Michelle Pfeiffer’s glove in the carriage in Age of Innocence?
After Hours
You forgot to credit Michael Ballhaus, the DP responsible for a majority of shots pictured.
Note his use of blues and reds–he (his DP’s under his direction I suppose) use the blue shading in the dark, gangster-esque scenes, and he uses red/oranges with love scenes and when his leading ladies are in the shots. He definitely has a unique palette that feeds the imagination via the collective unconscious culture of those colors.
@anthony – very true. Richardson only worked on Shine a Light and The Aviator. Ballhaus worked on The Departed, Gangs, Age of Innocence, and Goodfellas.
i think the overhead-pan, out of the apartment, after the shootout in TAXI DRIVER is one shot i will never forget.
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