71
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfFantastical is what we get: Cameraman is filled with Cardiff's achingly beautiful work.
- 75The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinDirector Craig McCall approaches Cardiff with something approaching awe, though his subject views his accomplishments with the good-natured humility befitting a proper English gentleman.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickLegendary is an overworked adjective, but surely it applies to Jack Cardiff, the British cinematographer whose awe-inspiring resume includes some of the most beautiful Technicolor films ever shot, among them "The Red Shoes," "Black Narcissus" and "Stairway to Heaven."
- 75Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrThe movie clips are luscious, as you'd expect, and Cardiff's own "home movies," shot on various movie sets with a 16mm camera, catch the gods during downtime.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleIn Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, we learn about the visionary filmmaker through his body of work and insightful interviews with such luminaries as Martin Scorsese and Kirk Douglas as well as Cardiff himself.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckInformative and insightful for films buffs without sacrificing accessibility to the casual fan, "Cameraman" is essential viewing for anyone interested in film history.
- 70Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonDirector Alan Parker (still living) nicely describes the tightrope teeter of Cardiff's hothouse imagery: "It's great art, and then it will be kitsch, and then it will be art again." Or is he summing up cinema itself?
- Interviews with Martin Scorsese, Lauren Bacall, Kim Hunter and the film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, Powell's widow, among others, are fascinating, though we learn almost nothing about Cardiff's personal life.
- Craig McCall's affectionate "Life & Work" doesn't dig deep on the biographical side, and the lack of personal detail can be frustrating. Yet it suits its subject's gentlemanly reserve.
- This is strictly talking heads fare, broken up with movie clips, stills and home movies; fortunately, Jack Cardiff's ephemera are better than yours.