

User Score
0 votes
On April 8, 1894, a young princess from the Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, to the great joy of the heir to the Russian throne, Nicholas, finally agrees to convert to Orthodoxy and become his wife. So begins the story of the family of the last Russian emperor. Their letters, diary entries, drawings, photographs and documentary films of the pre-revolutionary years create a kind of family chronicle.
Director
Writer
Status
Released
Original Language
RU
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.