Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography 1992 PG
Production still from Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography 1992 / Dir: Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy, Stuart Samuels / Image courtesy: American Film Institute / View full image
When
6.00 pm, Fri 17 Apr 2026 (92 mins)Where
Gallery of Modern Art, Cinema A
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible
Admission
Free
About
'This superb documentary about the art of cinematography, commissioned by the American Film Institute and scripted by critic Todd McCarthy, provides some illuminating insights into a neglected area of cinema. The format is simple: a series of interviews with top practitioners, past and present, who comment on a wide range of film extracts, all of them shown in their original aspect ratios and for the most part derived from high quality source material. Many key developments in the art of the moving image are explored, from Billy Bitzer’s pioneering work on D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation 1915 to the influence of German Expressionism, the French New Wave and Hollywood’s own innovations at key stages in its development. The enthusiasm and commitment of the cinematographers interviewed (they include such key figures as Allen Daviau, Conrad Hall, Gordon Willis, Nestor Almendros and Vittorio Storaro) is infectious, and one emerges from the movie with a much greater appreciation of what distinguishes truly great filmmaking. Sadly, one also comes away with a strong sense of what has been lost. With many of today’s films either cluttered with blatantly false digital imagining or looking like amateur videos, Visions of Light reveals just how beautiful the cinematic image can be.' Irish Film Institute
PG | Low level violence
Production Credits
- Directors: Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy, Stuart Samuels
- Script: Todd McCarthy
- Cinematographer: Nancy Schreiber
- Editor: Arnold Glassman
- Cast: Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist, Gordon Willis, Sandi Sissel
- Rights: American Film Institute
- Year: 1992
- Runtime: 92 minutes
- Countries: Japan, United States
- Language: English
- Colour: Colour, Black & White
- Shooting Format: 35mm
- Screening Format: 35mm