Tuesday 27 December 2016

Café Society (2016 Woody Allen & scr)

Such is the beauty of the breathtaking cinematography by first time collaborator Vittorio Storaro (75) in Sirk's unusual 2:1 aspect ratio, that it overwhelms you at first - you can see the tones changing as the camera moves through rooms, so sensitive is it to light. Also the tones in LA and New York are markedly different.
“Visual expression goes back to cave paintings, painting on wood, on canvas, black & white photography, colour, 3D. Now is the time for digital. Through all of my experiments, I have pushed to have a specific level where I can feel comfortable. The only camera, in my opinion, that is at that level is the Sony F65 – not only because it can give us 4K, 16-bit colour, which is the minimum that we can consider to be as close as possible to the level of film, even if it’s not yet there. 
“For me, it’s either 4K 16-bit or film negative. The F65 and the F55 are not perfect yet, but very close. But the camera also can deliver the 2:1 aspect ratio that I love, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of ‘The Last Supper’. Woody was not willing in the beginning, because he was used to film. But I convinced him to make this step – and I think we made a great experiment between the two of us.”
(Enrico Umetelli, Storaro's most trusted camera operator, died last June. His last film though was 2000 - La Lingua del Santo.)

Clearly, Woody enjoyed working with both Jesse Eisenberg (terrific as always, particularly in the subtle shift in his character over time) and Corey Stoll, and his stand-out female here is Kristen Stewart. Great cast includes Steve Carell, Sheryl Lee, Blake Lively, Ken Stott and Tony Sirico.

Plot keeps you guessing, is beautifully ironic and tangy. Like the classic film-makers, he can pack a lot into a short running time - in this respect, the difference between Marty and Woody is about an hour! Also shows he is showing no signs of running out of great one-liners.

Quote from https://www.sony.co.uk/pro/article/broadcast-products-vittorio-storaro-shoot-woody-allen-cafe-society-f65.

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