Page 23 - Fujifilm Exposure_44 Damned United_ok

FUJIFILM MOTION PICTURE • THE MAGAZINE • EXPOSURE • 21
“I NEVER TRY TO MIMIC PAINTINGS; THERE JUST HAS TO BE A SUBLIMINAL REFERENCE TO ART.”
THE DP VIEW
DARIUS KHONDJI AFC ASC
Stephen and I talked about the period, the mood, the atmos- phere and the look. Our dis-
c“u s s i o n s e m b r a c e d t h e w o r k o f M a x Ophuls and Jean Renoir as well as Bertolucci’s The Conformist, even though not the same period, as well as impressionist paintings. Colette is, after all, an impressionist writer in a way. But I never try to mimic paintings; there just has to be a sub- liminal reference to art, it has to haunt the mood.
The setting of the film – 1906 when Europe was on the brink of moving into modernity – also in- formed my approach. Madame Peloux (Kathy Bates) is stuck in the past whereas Léa (Michelle Pfeiffer) looks forward and this contrast be- tween their characters inspired the lighting. At Léa’s house, the camera is luminous, light and mobile, and free. But when we go to Madame Peloux’s home, which is dark and oppressive and crammed with ex- pensive but vulgar objects, the cam- era is static and heavy.
Before this, I didn’t really know I loved shooting in Paris! Maybe it was the period setting, maybe it was Stephen’s approach, but this
film was much more exciting to
be involved with than many
others I’ve worked on. ”