'Godfather' cinematographer Gordon Willis dies

20 May 2014 - 13:16 By Sapa-AP
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
THE GODFATHER: Marlon Brando, as the godfather, receives a message
THE GODFATHER: Marlon Brando, as the godfather, receives a message

One of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, Gordon Willis has died at 82.

Suzanne Berestecky of the Chapman Cole & Gleason funeral home in Falmouth confirmed Monday that he died and that the home is handling arrangements. Details on Willis' death were not immediately available.

Willis was nicknamed ‘The Prince of Darkness’ for his subtle but indelible touch on such definitive 1970s releases as The Godfather, Annie Hall and All the President's Men. He retired after the 1997 movie The Devil's Own.

Through much of the 1970s, Willis was the cameraman whom some of Hollywood's top directors relied on during one of filmmaking's greatest eras. Francis Ford Coppola used him for the first two Godfather movies, and Alan J. Pakula for Klute and All the President's Men.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now