spiderwort
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@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Jan 3, 2019 16:17:17 GMT
Boris Kaufman was born on August 24, 1897, in Bialystok, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire. He was the brother of Denis Kaufman (a.k.a. Dziga Vertov, famous for directing the landmark Russian film, Man with the Movie Camera (1929)), and also the brother of Russian cinematographer, Mikhail Kaufman.
Boris first became famous as the cinematographer of Jean Vigo's masterpiece, L'Atalante (1934).
He emigrated to Canada during World War II, then moved to New York, supporting himself by shooting short subjects and documentaries before Elia Kazan chose him to shoot On the Waterfront (1954). Kazan wanted Kaufman to inject a kind of realism similar to Italian neo-realism in the film, which he did brilliantly and earned an Oscar for his work.
Kaufman also shot Baby Doll (1956) in B & W for Kazan and received a second Oscar nomination for it.
And he worked with Kazan again in 1961, shooting Splendor in the Grass, this time in color.
In his autobiography, "A Life," Kazan said it was his collaboration with Kaufman that taught him that cinematographers were artists in their own right.
Kaufman also shot Sidney Lumet's first feature, 12 Angry Men (1957), brilliantly utilizing a confined space to create an intense cinematic landscape (with Lumet's great collaboration, of course).
They worked together three more times, all in B & W: The Fugitive Kind (1960),
Long Day's Journey into Night (1962)
and The Pawnbroker (1964).
One of my favorites of his films is the little known, All the Way Home (1963), another B & W beauty.
Kaufman retired in 1970, after shooting Otto Preminger's Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970). He died in New York City in 1980. He was a real artist, whose works influenced directors and cinematographers around the world.
Your thoughts and comments are welcome.
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Post by teleadm on Jan 3, 2019 19:41:45 GMT
Thanks for putting this tribute together! A few other pictures (Not always making Boris cinematography justice though):  Jean Vigo's Zero for Conduct aka Zéro de conduite 1933  The World of Henry Orient 1964, takes great advantage of the colours of New York.  Samuel Beckett's short experminental Film 1965, with Buster Keaton.  Boris Kaufman at work, during 12 Angry Men 1957 Journey into Medicine 1947 documentary with cinematography by Boris Kaufman (not the best copy in the world). |
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spiderwort
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@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Jan 3, 2019 19:54:39 GMT
teleadm Thanks for the added stills, especially from Vigo's short, Zero for Conduct aka Zéro de conduite 1933. I've never had a chance to see it, but I'm led to believe it's a bit of a masterpiece. He was a wonderful director who left us too soon. Thanks also for the documentary short (Kaufman's way of supporting himself until Kazan plucked him from anonymity). It has all the hallmarks of his remarkable talent.
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Post by petrolino on Jan 12, 2019 3:42:57 GMT
'A Propos a Nice' scandalised. Its risque imagery reappears throughout French, Spanish, Portugese and Italian cinemas.
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Jan 12, 2019 3:59:17 GMT
'A Propos a Nice' scandalised. Its risque imagery reappears throughout French, Spanish, Portugese and Italian cinemas. Oh, I'd love to see this. I didn't realize that Kaufman had directed (in this case co-directed) anything. And the only Vigo film I've seen is his feature, "L'Atalante," which I love. Thanks for the introduction to this. Don't know how I missed it when I was doing my research.
Oh, I see that he also directed (solo) a short, "Les Halles centrales" (1927). Have no info about it other than that he directed it. It would be interesting to see both of these. I'm sure they're both quite interesting.
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