Fans of filmmaking and film history should set their DVRs for the upcoming, Independent Lens episode, a documentary on cinematography legends Laszlo Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond. I say upcoming as it airs in my market today on Tuesday, November 17. From the Independent Lens website:
Two Hungarian film students escaped communist Hungary in 1956, with little more than a camera and a shopping bag full of film. Over the next 50 years, Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond would reinvent Hollywood moviemaking for an entire generation—and maintain an iron-clad friendship along the way.
I’m looking forward to this program as these are two DPs who crafted the images in a lot of legendary cinema. Both Kovács and Zsigmond have been working as cinematographers for nearly 50 years so they have lived and worked through a lot of changes in Hollywood and the imaging business. I wonder what they think about the digital transition/revolution that we are currently living/working in? It’s nice to see Independent Lens air such a program that steps away from the sort-of “activist” programming that they often choose. There’s a dedicated section on the Independent Lens website about the film that includes information on the program, the making of (which looks to include lots of interviews with those who have worked with them over the years), and a talkback section where you can post a question for Zsigmond that might be chosen for an answer. Be sure and check the local listings if you need to find out when it will air in your area. Hopefully you haven’t missed it.
And up next looks to be another great doc on Independent Lens, Objectified. It’s a study of products and industrial design from the makers of the popular 2007 documentary Helvetica.
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“I wonder what they think about the digital transition/revolution that we are currently living/working in? ”
I hope you realize that Laszlo Kovacs passed away in July 2007? The question made it seem that they were both still around.
Wanted to let readers know that we’re crowd-sourcing an interview with Zsigmond this week, so if you have a question for Vilmos, ask it here: http://bit.ly/3ISrkr
er, make that: http://bit.ly/46AUkw
The art of cinematography is painting with light; and both Kovacs and Zsigmond have painted masterpieces that will continue to transcend through generations.
When I learned of Kovacs passing, I immediately thought of his beloved friend Zsigmond.
I had the pleasure of hearing both of them speak about their journeys.
“Both Kovács and Zsigmond have been working as cinematographers for nearly 50 years so they have lived and worked through a lot of changes in Hollywood and the imaging business. I wonder what they think about the digital transition/revolution that we are currently living/working in?”
Well…
I don’t think that it bothers Laszlo much…he passed on in 2007.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve just set my DVR.
It seems from your writing that you might not be aware that Laszlo Kovacs died in 2007.
Thanks for those comments all and I must feign embarrassment that I had forgotten that Kovacs had passed away. I remember watching a little tribute on some news program when he died but that totally escaped me when posting this piece.
I bet he’s looking down on the crazy technical times we are living in and either wishing he was here to work with all these new cameras … or maybe laughing at how much more simple shooting film was!
After seeing this film, I can’t believe I didn’t already know who Kovacs and Zsigmond were. As a huge fan of a number of the films they worked on, I think it’s a tragedy that more people don’t know who they are and I hope this documentary changes things.
Even for people who aren’t cinemaphiles, there’s lots of good stuff in this documentary – just the story of their friendship and escape from Hungary was interesting enough. The breathtaking footage they have of the Soviet invasion really strikes an emotional nerve.
I also loved the film’s musical selections. JJ Johnson’s “Seven Days in Tahiti” was a perfect mood setter to conjure up 1960s Hollywood, and I’ve always been a big fan of Jolie Holland was happpy to hear “Sascha” in the end credits. Overall, a great job by everyone involved.
Laszlo was a passionate film maker and he loved doing documentaries.
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