Gordon Willis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gordon Willis
Born	Gordon Hugh Willis Jr. (1931-05-28)May 28, 1931 Astoria, New York, U.S.
Died	May 18, 2014(2014-05-18) (aged 82) North Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Burial place	Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne, Massachusetts
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	c. 1970–2014
Known for	The Godfather (1972) The Godfather Part II (1974) Annie Hall (1977) Manhattan (1979) All the President's Men (1976) Interiors (1978) Stardust Memories (1982) Zelig (1983) Broadway Danny Rose (1984) The Godfather Part III (1990)
Awards	Academy Honorary Award (2009)

Gordon Hugh Willis Jr. (May 28, 1931 – May 18, 2014) was an American cinematographer and film director. A cinematographer is the person in charge of how a movie is filmed, including lighting, camera angles, and framing.

Gordon Willis was famous for his amazing work on many movies. He filmed eight movies with director Woody Allen, including Annie Hall and Manhattan. He also worked on six films with Alan J. Pakula, like All the President's Men. He also filmed all three movies in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series.

Other cinematographers said Willis's work was a "milestone in visual storytelling." This means he found a really important way to tell stories visually. One critic said he "defined the cinematic look of the 1970s." This means he created the unique style of movies in that decade. In 2003, a survey placed Willis among the ten most important cinematographers in history.

His Career in Film

Early Life and Starting Out

Gordon Willis was born in Astoria, Queens, New York. His parents were dancers on Broadway theatre before his father became a makeup artist for movies. As a child, Gordon loved films. He first wanted to be an actor. Then he became interested in lighting and stage design. Later, he started taking photos.

During the Korean War, Willis joined the Air Force. He worked in a special unit that made movies. He said he spent four years learning everything about filmmaking. After the Air Force, he became an assistant cameraman. He slowly worked his way up to become a first cameraman about 13 years later. He filmed many commercials and documentaries. Making documentaries taught him to keep things simple. He said, "I'm a minimalist. I see things in simple ways."

In 1969, director Aram Avakian hired Willis for his first movie, End of the Road.

Making Famous Movies

Gordon Willis worked with some of the best directors during a special time in American filmmaking. He helped show the feeling of worry in cities in three movies with Alan J. Pakula: Klute (1971), The Parallax View (1974), and All The President's Men (1976).

He also worked with Hal Ashby on The Landlord (1970) and James Bridges on The Paper Chase (1973). He filmed all three Godfather movies. He also worked with Woody Allen on many films, including Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979).

Willis once said that many directors don't have a good "visual sense." They are good at telling stories but not always at how the movie looks. He said if a director was smart, they would let him "paint" with the camera. He explained that when he started, he did things visually that no one else in Hollywood was doing. He wasn't trying to be different; he just did what he liked.

Working with Francis Ford Coppola

Gordon Willis first said no to filming the first two Godfather movies. But director Francis Ford Coppola told him the movies wouldn't look the same without him. Willis's work on these films was amazing. He used low light and made the film look a bit darker than usual. He also used special lighting to create the old-fashioned, brownish colors for scenes set in the past in The Godfather Part II.

For example, he filmed Marlon Brando (who played Don Corleone) with his eyes hidden in shadow. This was because Brando's makeup looked best when lit from above. Willis said that the colors he chose helped connect all the Godfather films. He gave Coppola credit for hiring him, even though Willis said he wasn't always "easy to deal with."

Working with Woody Allen

Willis started working with director Woody Allen on Annie Hall (1977). Willis said working with Allen was very comfortable. In Annie Hall, he made the romantic scenes in New York look warm. But he made the California scenes look very bright, almost overexposed.

For Allen's movie Manhattan, Willis created a beautiful black-and-white look for New York City. It was Willis's idea to use a wide screen for the film. He said, "We both felt that New York was a black-and-white city."

Willis also worked on other Woody Allen films like Interiors (1978), Stardust Memories (1980), Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). Woody Allen said that Willis helped him become better at the technical side of filmmaking.

Academy Awards and Recognition

For a while, Gordon Willis didn't get nominated for Academy Awards (Oscars), even though he worked on many highly praised films. Some people think this was because he didn't really like Hollywood. Others thought his work was so new and different that it was "ahead of its time." He once said that Hollywood "doesn't have too much good taste."

Later, he was nominated twice for an Oscar. Once for his work on Woody Allen's Zelig (1983), where he made the film look like old 1920s photos. And again for The Godfather Part III (1990). In 2009, he finally received a special Academy Honorary Award for all his amazing work over his career.

Directing and Retirement

Gordon Willis directed one movie himself called Windows in 1980. He later said that directing was a mistake and he didn't really like it. He preferred being a cinematographer. He said he didn't want actors calling him in the middle of the night with problems.

His last movie as a cinematographer was The Devil's Own (1997). He decided to retire because he was tired of waiting for actors and standing in the rain during filming.

His Death and Legacy

Gordon Willis passed away from cancer on May 18, 2014, just before his 83rd birthday. He died in North Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Many people in the film world praised him. The president of the American Society of Cinematographers, Richard Crudo, said Willis "absolutely changed the way movies looked." He added that before The Godfather films, no movie looked quite like them.

Willis's work is remembered for how he used shadows and darker film. He could create amazing feelings with light and dark. His friend, cinematographer Conrad Hall, even called him "The Prince of Darkness." But Willis preferred to talk about "visual relativity." He liked to go from light to dark, or dark to light, to create a special look.

Director Francis Ford Coppola said Willis had a natural sense of beauty, like an artist from the Renaissance period. Willis was praised for making films look like paintings, which helped define the meaning and feeling of the movie.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Gordon Willis para niños