Lawrence of Arabia
A lasting milestone in epic filmmaking, Sam Spiegel’s production invaded the Arabian Desert for two years of grueling shooting. The resulting picture clearly illustrates the harsh, desolate conditions under which director David Lean, “lighting cameraman” (the British equivalent of the cinematographer) Freddy Young, BSC and their entire cast and crew toiled. The result was well worth their efforts, the rich colors of the landscape captured in glorious Super Panavision 70 and Technicolor.

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) celebrates its 100th anniversary today, and to mark the occasion, the society released their members’ list of 100 Milestone Films in the art and craft of cinematography of the 20th century. The list is the first of its kind to showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.

The list culminates in a Top 10 (with the other 90 titles unranked). They are:

  1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), shot by Freddie Young, BSC (Dir. David Lean)
  2. Blade Runner (1982), shot by Jordan Cronenweth, ASC (Dir. Ridley Scott)
  3. Apocalypse Now (1979), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
  4. Citizen Kane (1941), shot by Gregg Toland, ASC (Dir. Orson Welles)
  5. The Godfather (1972), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
  6. Raging Bull (1980), shot by Michael Chapman, ASC (Dir. Martin Scorsese)
  7. The Conformist (1970), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci)
  8. Days of Heaven (1978), shot by Néstor Almendros, ASC (Dir. Terrence Malick)
  9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), shot by Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC with additional photography by John Alcott, BSC(Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
  10. The French Connection (1971), shot by Owen Roizman, ASC (Dir. William Friedkin)

Subscribe for Blog Updates

Sign up for our latest updates.