The Adelphi Collection: Miss Tulip Stays the Night / The Great Game

VISONS OF LIGHT
The Art of Cinematography
A film by Arnold Glassman

In the century that cinema has existed, audiences have become increasingly familiar with the names and faces of the men and women who made our movies; from D W Griffith to Steven Spielberg, directors' names have been widely known to their audiences, and the cult of the movie star is almost as old as cinema itself. Often overlooked, however, and seldom less a contributor to the final cut than a director, editor, writer or star, is the cinematographer - the DP, the lightening cameraman - the man, or woman, who creates the image to be recorded in that artificial eye, the camera.

Visions of Light goes some considerable way towards redressing that oversight. A study in cinematography, this 90 minute programme features interviews with no less than 29 lighting cameramen and directors who acknowledge and illustrate their influences, their mentors, and inspiration over 100 film clips, and who share with us some of their tactics and secrets.

The programme was originated in a revolutionary format of HDTV (High Definition Television) in an on-screen ratio of 14:9. The many film clips were transferred from their original 35mm prints onto the new high definition format, and these are presented in their original aspect ratios. Included among the programme's many contributors are Ernest Dickerson, Haskell Wexler, Vittorio Storaro and the late Nester Almendros, to whom this film is dedicated.