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Vittorio Storaro (1940 - )

American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001
Worked in black and white, deep focus, Techniscope, Technovision, 65mm, Univision (3-perf, 2.00:1)
Three Oscar wins


Select Filmography

Camera operator only:

Before the Revolution (1964, Bernardo Bertolucci, dp. Aldo Scavarda, 1.85:1, monochrome) (two screenshots)

As Cinematographer:

Giovinezza, giovinezza (Youth March) (1969, Franco Rossi, 1.66:1, monochrome)

Delitto al circolo del tennis (The Rage Within) (1969, Franco Rossetti, Techniscope, color)

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970, Dario Argento, Techniscope, color) (R1, R2, R4) (screenshots)

The Conformist (1970, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.66:1, color) (R1) (DVD Beaver)

The Spider's Stratagem (1970, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.66:1, color)

Giornata nera per l'ariete (The Fifth Cord) (1971, 1.85:1, color) (thumbnailed screenshots)

'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1971, 1.66:1, color) (R2 Italy)

Last Tango in Paris (1972, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.66:1, color) (R1, R2, R4)

Malizia (Malice) (1973, Techniscope, color) (R2 Italy)

Blu gang vissero per sempre felici e ammazzati (The Short and Happy Life of Brothers Blue) (1973, 1.85:1. color)

Giordano Bruno (1973, 1.85:1, color) (R2 Italy)

Identikit (The Driver's Seat) (1974, 1.85:1, color) (R1 or R2 ?)

Le Orme (Footprints on the Moon) (1975, 1.85:1, monochrome, color)

Novecento (1900) (1976, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.66:1, color) (R1, R2, R4) (DVD Beaver)

Scandalo (Scandal) (1976, 1.85:1, color) (R2 Italy)

Agatha (1979, 1.85:1, color)

Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola, Technovision, color) (DVD Beaver) [Oscar win] [BAFTA nomination] [BSC nomination]

La Luna (1979, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.66:1, color) (R2 Italy, R2 Germany) (DVD Beaver)

Reds (1981, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R2) (DVD Beaver) [Oscar win] [BAFTA nomination]

One from the Heart (1982, Francis Ford Coppola, 1.37:1, color) (R1, R2, R4)

Wagner (1983, 1.33:1, color) (R2 UK)

Ladyhawke (1985, Richard Donner, Technovision, color) (R1, R2, R4)

Ishtar (1987, 1.85:1, color) (R2 UK, R2 Spain)

The Last Emperor (1987, Bernardo Bertolucci, Technovision, color) (DVD Beaver) [Oscar win] [ASC nomination] [BAFTA nomination] [BSC win]

Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988, Francis Ford Coppola, Technovision, color) (R1)

New York Stories ("Life without Zoe" segment) (1989, Francis Ford Coppola, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R4)

Dick Tracy (1990, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R2, R4) [Oscar nomination] [ASC nomination] [BSC nomination]

The Sheltering Sky (1990, Bernardo Bertolucci, 1.85:1, color) (DVD Beaver) [BAFTA win]

Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro (1992, documentary)

Little Buddha (1993, Bernardo Bertolucci, Technovision, color) (R1, R2)

Flamenco (1995, Carlos Saura, 1.85:1, color) (screenshots)

Taxi (1996, Carlos Saura, Technovision, color) (R2, R4)

Bulworth (1998, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R2, R4)

Tango, no me dejes nunca (1998, Carlos Saura, Univision, color) (R2 UK)

Goya (1999, Carlos Saura, Univision, color) (R1, R2 Germany)

Exorcist: The Beginning (2004, Renny Harlin, Univision, color) (R1, R2, R4)(screenshots)

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005, Paul Schrader, Univision, color) (R1, R2, R4) (screenshots)

Caravaggio (2007, 1.85:1, color)


Web Resources

June 2007 interview at Filmmaker Magazine

16mm tests of the Rosco "Storaro" gels

2003 Camera Guild interview

Official Website

Person wrote:New York Stories ("Life without Zoe" segment) (1989, Francis Ford Coppola, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R4)

It might be worth inserting a note that the R1 and R4 dvds are pan-and-scanned [EDIT: open-matte rather than pan-and-scan, apparently]. I just got burned buying a used copy from a site that doesn't list aspect ratio information. Should have done my homework better.

Gregory wrote:

Person wrote:New York Stories ("Life without Zoe" segment) (1989, Francis Ford Coppola, 1.85:1, color) (R1, R4)

It might be worth inserting a note that the R1 and R4 dvds are pan-and-scanned. I just got burned buying a used copy of one of these from a site that doesn't list aspect ratio information. Should have done my homework better.

All of the New York Stories segments were shot in open matte, so at least they're not cropped, but the correct framing on all three is definitely 1.85:1. Widescreen clips from Oedipus Wreaks appear on the documentary Woody Allen: A Life in Film, and I believe a letterboxed version of the entire film has appeared on either Sundance, IFC or TCM. Regarding Life With Zoe, some 1.85:1 frame enlargements are included in Storaro's Writing With Light books.

Coppola's segment feels gravely misconceived, and should've been either tossed out or saved for use in an omnibus where filmmakers collaborate with their children. Aside from being mediocre, in between the Scorsese and Allen segments it's uncomfortably out of place. Pretty photography, as always from Storaro.

Oh good, I much prefer open-matte to pan-and-scan. I saw "modified from its original version ... formatted to fit your TV" on the back and feared the worst. At least this way I can watch them, perhaps zooming in a bit.
I almost never watch anything in pan-and-scan but I ended up having to rewatch Sweet and Lowdown recently in that format (long story) and I recall one completely ludicrous two shot with both actors' faces (Penn and Morton I believe) chopped in half on the left and right edges of the frame.

I'm just happy there isn't much of a "widescreen debate" anymore... everybody I know just accepts letterboxing, and there hasn't been any recent Pan/Scan releases I'm aware of.

I'm surprised that New York Stories hasn't received another release, especially since a 1.85 version has been in syndication, but I have no idea if there are any plans or not.

Meanwhile, has anybody seen Agatha? I hear it includes some of Storaro's very best work.

I have been reading about Storaro's UNIVISIUM 1:2. Then i watched a few of his movies (The Last Emperor, and Apocalypse Now) where he decided to use his 1:2 AR, and the beautiful original framing that i rememberd was gone. I also hate Univisium on principal [-X

Does Storaro know what a bad idea it is? :-k Also, does he know the majority of people agree that 1:2 is a bad idea?

What i would like to do is contact him somehow and tell him what a bad idea Univisium is. But how do i do that? Does anyone here know a way to contact him? If you do, please let me know.

Democracy Rules!! [-(

I have zero problems with Univisium as long as the film was originally composed and shot in 2:1, which is the case with his most recent work (save for Renny Harlin's Exorcist 4, that was 2.35:1). As far as Storaro's contact information goes, sorry, but he has enough people calling him crazy or insane that I'm sure he doesn't need to it hear it from anybody else. Personally, he's still the greatest cinematographer in the world (in my opinion), but like everybody else here I disagree with Storaro on the re-framing of The Last Emperor and Apocalypse Now.

Just to note that Little Buddha was shot in 35mm anamorphic for the present-day sequences and in 65mm for the past-time life-of-Buddha sequences. I saw this film in 70mm and the difference is very noticeable.

Dylan wrote:Meanwhile, has anybody seen Agatha? I hear it includes some of Storaro's very best work.

I know this is a little late in coming, but I did see AGATHA in '79 when first released. Although I haven't seen it since, I remember it as looking exceptionally beautiful. Many interiors which Storaro would illuminate almost exclusively through window light. It was very naturalistic and the cinematography matched the art direction in that it wasn't too fussy, which can sometimes happen with a period film of this type.

Roger Ryan wrote:

Dylan wrote:Meanwhile, has anybody seen Agatha? I hear it includes some of Storaro's very best work.

I know this is a little late in coming, but I did see AGATHA in '79 when first released. Although I haven't seen it since, I remember it as looking exceptionally beautiful. Many interiors which Storaro would illuminate almost exclusively through window light. It was very naturalistic and the cinematography matched the art direction in that it wasn't too fussy, which can sometimes happen with a period film of this type.

And this is very late in coming, but i've just watched 'Agatha' in a 1080p HDTV broadcast in the UK, and it looked utterly sublime. Easily up there with the cinematography of 'Reds'. Every frame was a joy from beginning to end.
The film isn't a classic. Michael Apted will always be a distinctly lower league director. But the acting is excellent and the production and costume design are breathtaking. And i just love the fact that Storaro went from the wilds of 'Apocalypse Now' to the sedate Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, Yorkshire, back to back.
Warner have obviously done an HD scan & restoration. Sadly no blu ray, and probably never will be at this point, the way things are going. Available on Amazon Instant Video et al in HD.
I could wax lyrical about the true delights of the patina, palette, shafts of glorious English winter light, the shot of light through a rain strewn window onto Redgrave's heartbroken Agatha {i know it's a nod to Conrad Hall & 'In Cold Blood', but this tops it for beauty} and so on. But David Denby gets it in the 'New York' magazine review of the time, and puts it rather well ~
"Apted & Storaro have transformed the rather dowdy chic of the post-Edwardian era...into a deeply shadowed, richly ambiguous atmosphere of deceit and passion, compromised gentility, and nervous ambition. The movie is saturated in the lustrous dark-brown tonalites of stained leather and fine woods. It's heavy with money - the oppresively luxurious décor of a society whose solid forms will stand up even though basic morale has collapsed. Pools of light fall behind the characters, throwing their faces into dark shadow, yet this is no mere affectation ~ the movie is about scheming people who want to keep their motives and plans hidden...
The movie holds you with the strangeness of its stop-and-go intensity and its unearthly beauty of design, in which the world is re-created as a series of overwhemingly glamorous shadows"
And just on that final wonderful note ~ the blacks in this film are just knockout. You just want to dive in and never come up for air. If i didn't know better (which i think i don't) i would swear this looked like an ENR print. But my understanding was that Storaro & Technicolor Rome cooked up ENR for use on the release prints of 'Reds a couple of years after 'Agatha'.
Anyway if you want some 'thongdrol' in your life {Tibetan theory of ~ liberation through seeing} i would urge you to take a look at 'Agatha', in HD. But not on your telephone. Please.
And one last technical note, re:the list above: 'Agatha' was shot in Technovision & in Technicolor

To wit ~



~ this is a screen capture from the Amazon Instant Video HD download. It's 720p, but you get the general idea.
In motion, it is divine.