Why We Should Know Who John Toll Is

When watching Braveheart or Almost Famous, have you ever paused the movie, looked at your screen and thought 'if this were a painting, it would be gorgeous'? Maybe not, but I highly recommend trying it next time. The other night I watched Legends of the Fall  and thought "My god, this movie is beautiful." It seemed like every shot was a work of art. I feel like if I were to watch this film on mute (or maybe only accompanied by the equally beautiful score provided by James Horner), I would enjoy it to the same effect. Even when I watched Tropical Thunder for the fourth time and thought "This was funnier the third time," I can't help but follow that statement with "But man, this just looks incredible."

So what do these movies have in common? Why do they all look so stunning, regardless of content? The answer: John Toll. The cinematographer. When making a movie, everyone has their job. The screenwriter creates the story, the actors portray the characters in that story, the director organizes everyone so it all makes sense eventually, and the producer makes sure he'll get his money back. So who controls how the actual image looks? For the movies previously mentioned, this is John Toll's job. Color, lighting, framing; these are all things the director or producer or screenwriter recommends, but the cinematographer ultimately delivers.

I'll spare this from being a glamorous article filled with magnificent descriptions that only convey some artistic appreciation. I would much rather just point out that when you're watching a movie, and you think "Dude, this looks awesome," and your friends ask how the movie was, you can safely say "Dude, the cinematography was kickass." And give some credit where credit's due.

from The Thin Red Line (1998)

And if you do find yourself saying, or even just thinking that more often than not, I highly recommend a film where the cinematography was done by John Toll. He won an Academy Award in 1994 for Legends of the Fall and again in 1995 for Braveheart, and nominated for The Thin Red Line in 1998. He combines well-constructed shots (meaning the actors are placed somewhere in the shot that makes sense and looks proportionate) and beautiful color palates so that each scene looks like a work of art. If you enjoy that kind of thing, take this article as a recommendation and a dare. Next time you watch a film done by John Toll, I dare you to pause the film, imagine you're looking at  that still frame on a wall in a museum, and try not to be impressed.

For more on John Toll, check out John Toll's IMDB

For more  Movies To Love, check out MoviesToLove by James Knapp

Just to Name a Few
If you like John Toll, you should check out these cinematographers: Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane, 1941), Nester Almendros (Days of Heaven, 1978), Roman Osin (Pride and Prejudice, 2005)