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A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Alfred Hitchcock |||
Alfred Hitchcock

This is perhaps an obvious choice, however, most people tend to overlook the Master of Suspense’s early work as well as the relevancy of his last film as a key element in the continuing transition and development of the genre he defined.

One of Hitchcock's early triumphs, this predecessor to the mistaken identity man on the run scenario Hitchcock turned to time and again, stars Robert Donat as the innocent wrongly accused of murder and pursued by both the police and enemy spies. This is the first example of Hitchcock’s mastery over the suspense tale, giving us a glimpse of the greatness to come.

Considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest works, this story of two men who meet by chance on a train and frivolously discuss swapping murders is a prime example of a common Hitchcock theme of the man who suddenly finds himself within a nightmare world over which he has no control. You can easily see how this film lays the ground work for the more popular “North by Northwest”.

Alfred Hitchcock's final film is a light-hearted thriller involving phony psychics, kidnappers and organized religion, all of which cross paths in the search for a missing heir and a fortune in jewels. Here, Hitchcock has brilliantly developed his signature form to include the now common, and often overused, device of plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist. Widescreen!

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Oscar Handicap 2012: Cinematography

By EdwardHavens

February 24th, 2012

For this article, we will examine how the directors of photography stack up against each other.

Oscar Handicap 2012: Cinematography

(For explanations as to how our scoring system works, make sure to read our first article in the series, Best Picture of the Year, linked at the bottom of this article.)

The discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images, the Cinematographer works with the director to decide the overall look of the film. Purists have lamented the rise of digital intermediate technology, where the director and cinematographer can fine-tune the look of individual scenes and even single frames by computer, is quickly killing the fine art of cinematography, but until the Academy creates a Best DI category, this is what we'll have to deal with.

The Breakdowns
1) Oscar winning cinematography has come from lensers also nominated for the same award at the BAFTAs 29 of the last 33 ceremonies (87.88%). Advantage: The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, War Horse
2) Shooters of stories predominantly set outside the past twenty years have won 28 of 33 (84.85%). Advantage: The Artist, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse
3) As long as you're not the nominee in the lowest grossing film at the time of the nominations, you've won 27 of 33 (81.82%). Advantage: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse
4) Cinematography winners have come from films whose directors have also been nominated 26 of 33 (78.79%). Advantage: The Artist, Hugo, The Tree of Life
5) Cinematography awards have been given to films also nominated for Best Art Direction 25 of 33 (75.76%). Advantage: The Artist, Hugo, War Horse
5) Winners here have come from Best Picture nominees 25 of 33 (75.76%). Advantage: The Artist, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse

By The Numbers
While there is no denying Emmanuel Lubezki's camerawork for Terrence Malick was nothing short of phenomenal, it is not the obvious front runner from a historical numbers point of view.
The Artist (Guillaume Schiffman): +1, +2, -3, +4, +5, +6 (139 for 198, 70.20%)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Jeff Cronenweth): +1, -2, +3, -4, -5, -6 (84 for 198, 42.42%)
Hugo (Robert Richardson): +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 (160 for 198, 80.81%)
The Tree of Life (Emmanuel Lubezki): -1, +2, +3, +4, -5, +6 (118 for 198, 59.60%)
War Horse (Janusz Kaminski): +1, +2, +3, -4, +5, +6 (141 for 198, 71.21%)


All articles in this series:
Best Picture of the Year
Best Director
Best Actor and Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress
Best Cinematography
Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Animated Feature
The Technical Categories