Cameraman: The Life And Work Of Jack Cardiff (2010)

96% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(338 ratings)

Jack Cardiff's career spanned an incredible nine of moving picture's first ten decades and his work behind the camera altered the look of films forever through his use of Technicolor photography. Craig McCall's passionate film about the legendary cinematographer reveals a unique figure in British… More Jack Cardiff's career spanned an incredible nine of moving picture's first ten decades and his work behind the camera altered the look of films forever through his use of Technicolor photography. Craig McCall's passionate film about the legendary cinematographer reveals a unique figure in British and international cinema. -- (C) Strand

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Craig McCall
Genres: Documentary, Television

In Theaters: May 13, 2011 Wide
On DVD: Aug 16, 2011
Studio: Independent Pictures

Critic Reviews

Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle
Although we never really learn much about his life outside the movies, by the end of the film we are in awe of his work accomplishments.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"Cameraman" should be required viewing for anyone interested in becoming more visually literate in an ever-more-media-drenched age.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Cardiff was the greatest color cameraman who ever lived.
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
The lack of personal detail can be frustrating. Yet it suits its subject's gentlemanly reserve.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Even with its tightly cropped approach, this is still a fascinating look at a too-neglected craft.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Chiming in for this breezy tribute filled with tantalizing clips is a who's who of admirers, including Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, John Mills and Kim Hunter.
Ian Buckwalter, DCist
It's the images seen through Cardiff's lens that makes Cameraman such a joy to watch.
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper
For the cinéaste, it's required viewing.
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix
Cameraman gives us insight into how and why movies manage to swallow us up for two hours and make us think we understand places, eras, and feelings we've never experienced.
Leonard Maltin, Leonard Maltin's Picks
After years of DVD special features, even dedicated buffs may be somewhat blasé about a film that takes us behind the scenes to explore one man's career...but this is no ordinary documentary, and its subject is no ordinary filmmaker. Jack Cardiff was a...
Brent Simon, Shockya.com
Unfolds in a very liner fashion, and lacks a real spine, but full of some great anecdotes, and shines a light on one of cinema's quiet, under-recognized groundbreakers.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
As captured by McCall, Cardiff has a palpable joie de vivre, an impish way with an anecdote and inventive solutions for capturing images.
David Noh, Film Journal International
The unsurpassed work of cinematographer Jack Cardiff is gloriously featured in one of the best filmmaking documentaries ever made.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
McCall approaches Cardiff with something approaching awe, though his subject views his accomplishments with the good-natured humility befitting a proper English gentleman.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Cameraman is filled with Cardiff's achingly beautiful work, from the furious violet moods of Black Narcissus (1947) and his ballet fantasia The Red Shoes (1948) to Sylvester Stallone's agonized poses in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).
Vadim Rizov, Boxoffice Magazine
This is strictly talking heads fare, broken up with movie clips, stills and home movies; fortunately, Jack Cardiff's ephemera are better than yours.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stephen M

Ah, this one takes me back. I was at college in Cardiff in the late Nineties, and I remember finding out at very short notice - like, that very day! - about a special screening of A Matter of Life and Death, to be followed by a Q&A session with that film's… More
Ah, this one takes me back. I was at college in Cardiff in the late Nineties, and I remember finding out at very short notice - like, that very day! - about a special screening of A Matter of Life and Death, to be followed by a Q&A session with that film's cinematographer, Jack Cardiff. A couple of friends and myself dashed down to this little arthouse cinema tucked away in the suburbs of Cardiff, only to be told that we couldn't possibly get in because they'd already sold out! As arrogant as I was naïve at that time, it probably hadn't even occurred to me that there would be other people interested in seeing this show; surely I was the only Powell & Pressburger fanatic in the whole of the British Isles, let alone the Welsh capital. Anyway, I remember the evening wasn't a complete waste of time because we disconsolately shuffled off to watch 12 Monkeys instead, but I still feel a pang of disappointment at missing out on seeing the great man in person. Apart from the depressing fact that so many of the contributors to this documentary, seventeen years in the making, have, like Jack, now passed on, Cameraman serves as a thoroughly entertaining digest of Jack's autobiography, Magic Hour. If you like what you see here, I urge you to read his excellent book.
Ken S

A doc on a genius whose resume includes The Red Shoes and Rambo. So many more movie to watch.
Byron B

The most amazing thing about Jack Cardiff is the span of his career. This doc doesn't give us a lot of insight into his personal life, but does take us back with images of his parents as extras in early silent films. He was a child actor in silents before moving behind the… More
The most amazing thing about Jack Cardiff is the span of his career. This doc doesn't give us a lot of insight into his personal life, but does take us back with images of his parents as extras in early silent films. He was a child actor in silents before moving behind the camera. Then he was instrumental in developing the use of vibrant technicolor movies in the late '30s and became a major collaborator with Powell and Pressburger in the '40s. He took up directing a handful of movies for the next couple decades before returning to cinematography for good with several thrillers that might seem unexpected based on his earlier work. Many clips and behind-the-scenes shots are shared. Many actors and other filmmakers share stories about working with Cardiff. The talking heads are full of compliments, however unlively, and this doc doesn't go very deep.