Douglas Slocombe: R. I. P (1 Viewer)

[Robin9]

Douglas Slocombe, a very distinguished but strangely uncelebrated cinematographer, has died at the ripe old age of 103!

I first became aware of Douglas Slocombe's talent when I saw The Lion In Winter. I was awestruck by the beauty of his images, and when I looked him up in reference books - there was no Internet in those days: you needed books and magazines - I was amazed that he had worked on so many films. Apparently he started on documentaries in 1939 and soon progressed to feature films such as The Man In The White Suit.

He quickly became famous among his co-workers because he never used a light meter, relying instead on his eyes and judgement.

One person who was aware of Slocombe's talent was Steven Spielberg who hired him for a film starring a little-known actor called Harrison Ford. The film was a huge box-office success and Mr. Spielberg was later gracious enough to say that although Harrison Ford was the star on-screen, Douglas Slocombe was the star off-screen.

From all accounts, Douglas Slocombe was a very likable man. May he rest in peace.

 

[bujaki]

Look up Mr. Slocombe's credits and feel awe for his talent (and longevity). RIP.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Wow... nothing personal but I thought he was already dead (Steven Spielberg kept mentioning him in the past tense on the KOTCS extras).

 

[SAhmed]

RIP Mr Slocombe. Deepest condolences to his friends and family. One of the greats!

Regards,

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

His contribution was the thing I missed the most about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Janusz Kaminski, a terrific cinematographer in his own right, tried to bridge the gap between his style and Slocombe's style, and it never quite worked.

It's an immense accomplishment to make it to 103. Cinema owes him a great debt.