The fact that this masterpiece got nothing except cinematography nod at the oscars as Robert Eggers was not even mentioned for best director was proof that these award shows don’t honor genuine pieces of artistic expression.
The worst part is that the Lighthouse probably didn't get the nomination for what makes it great. They probably just saw it was black and white and decided that equates cinematography.
The Lighthouse had the most oppressive, stifling, paranoid atmosphere in a film I've seen since The Thing, and I would definitely rank them equally as some of the best psychological horror films ever made.
HelloOutsiders he got nominated for special effects since the effects team could only nominate one person at the time rather than multiple people, like they do now. Since Kubrick oversaw the special effect process, they thought he should be nominated and as a result, he won.
Saw it twice with friends, none of them had a grasp at what it was about and due it didn't like it. Meanwhile I was there mesmerized by every second of the film, and my 2nd time around I loved it even more.
Same. The shot I end this essay with. Where Winslow in dancing so hard he starts spouting gibberish... I've felt that feeling. Not to that extent, but I know what it is. This film allows you to see - feel what a complete descent into that world is like. It's chaos. You won't walk away "getting" it, and some people just don't get that.
The idea of writing stories to an atmosphere is such a great perspective, really helped me to understand film in a new way! You forget sometimes that cinema is a visual medium-people can become so obsessed with making the most compelling story possible that their screenplays look better as novels than real films. So interesting !
I feel like the first shot of Willem and Robert standing and looking towards the camera says everything you need to know about this movie. It’s awkward and unsettling and somehow it has a confusing quality that stretches out throughout the entire movie. God what a masterpiece.
Robert Eggers looks at cinematography nom: you're fond of me filming anit ye? I've seen it! You're fond of me filming!!! Eggers: Say it! Say it! Academy: and the oscar goes to Roger deakins for 1917 Eggers: DAMM YE!! LET NEPTUNE STRIKE YE DOWN OSCARS!! HHHAAARRKKKKK!!!
Check 1917 is a Masterpiece as well !!!Maybe not as Necessary and Impressive as this but is like the Very idea of lighthouse For PURE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE!!!Check it out!
@@isaackmojica8302 Already seen it. I thought it was good, but I felt the one shot got in the way of the film being more engaging at times and the characters weren't memorable enough for me to be invested in their journey
Around minute 5:45 - that’s a valid point. Although for me it was actually the coming and going of the foghorn sound that did the trick. Found myself thinking from “I haven’t heard the foghorn in a while” to “oh here it is again”, “how long has it been”. Mission accomplished Mr Eggers & Team!
I have just finished watching Lighthouse, I am genuinely very mad that it was snubbed by so many awards. William Dafoe is one of the best actors ever existed and Robert Pattison is the definition of perfection.
@@rickardkaufman3988 I get that it was a challenge to make it all one shot and if you base it on the technical factors, yeah, it should win, but visually it really isn't too impressive. One shot films are movies with good editing. And the editing really wasn't that great anyways.
I was just listening to the lumberjack song that they dance to... then this video was uploaded -- thank you for shining more light on this gem of a film, Thomas
Surprised you didn’t mention the soundtrack it had a lot of thoughtful stuff that added to the feel. Also the sound design has a specific “heartbeat” that it evokes throughout (the beginning with the waves/boat)
Curious if your sentiment about b&w movies includes: Ivan's Childhood, Persona, or Seconds? After I had discovered those movies I forgot I ever thought of b&w movies as different from contemporary color movies. Guess I'll throw Eraserhead and Dr. Strangelove in that mix as well.
Ever see a film that just seems like it was always destined to be made? Like, every minute aspect down to the finest detail is just so perfectly placed and so needed, with a sum greater than all of the parts, countless plausible interpretations, and a lasting impression for years to come (I'll never get that final image out of my eyes, jesus), making it hard to believe there was a human behind it all that had to come up with it beforehand? Yeah, this is one of those movies.
Yeah like even the year this movie was released feels like the right time you know like I always get the feeling good movies like this where always destined to be made idk it’s weird.
after watching this movie i left the cinema and immediately had a panic attack. it was just so viscerally horrifying and really captured what the subconscious can feel like in the midst of depression, or grief, or anything of that sort. a masterpiece but i would most definitely never watch it again
You know, everything about this film grabbed me in an instant. A great film is a great film, I grew up watching some tv shows and cartoons in black&white, the aesthetics of the frame and cinematography alone told me the story. The Lighthouse is one the greatest films to witness. Good job on this video
One of those movies where, by the time it got to the shot of the two of them standing looking at the camera, I knew I was going to love the movie, not matter what ended up happening.
It has been said but it needs to be said again and again so that the consensus overwhelms Robert Eggers and he goes mad and understands that he NEEDS to make 'At the Mountains of Madness' or any adaptation of Lovecraft in an attempt to save his soul.
Thank you. This gave me few ideas and kicked some creative notes how to work on my future film projects and how to rework one of my completed short films. The emphasis on atmosphere in the movie is what drew me to this film, so thank you for your analysis. I really enjoyed the part where you mention and I agree with you that it is important to create a kind of world where audience feels and believes that such place exited long before and will exist long after the film was shot.
I just saw this today, never got to see it in theatres. Really wish I had now. This movie is great at tension, atmosphere. I never knew where it was going, I was actually confused, like I tried to wrap my brain around what was happening. Rarely do I experience those things in movies, but this movie did it. This is, by far, my favourite movie of 2019.
Willem Dafoe is absolutely outstanding in this. I love how he got involved simply by saying in an interview that he'd like to work with Eggers. Eggers saw it then reached out.
Great video. The foghorn definitely will stay with me. Really haunting film. And strangely humorous. Sad that the Oscars didn't give more nods. This film is a rare gem.
This movie requires multiple viewings to get the most out of it. When I first saw it in the theater I left a bit disappointed because the trailers gave me such high hopes, but I keep going back to it because of its ambiguity and mystery. It is a beautifully shot movie and Defoe does an amazing job, but I still feel like it didn't live up to its full potential. There is such a thing as too much ambiguity--like the light at the end. I've heard many interpretations and come up with my own, but none of them seem satisfying.
Eggers still has a long career ahead of him. He'll win an Oscar eventually, and when that day comes, he'll simultaneously be considered one of the all time greatest, and things will all fall into place. he's just too talented to go completely unnoticed
Exactly what I thought, its a real successor in building such an atmosphere and world as its main focus. Doctor Sleep's script was written by King himself so of course its only focus is story not a purely atmospheric experience. And as this video mentions, that what The Lighthouse and also The Shining have, consistent atmosphere where the story can be interpreted a number of ways. Doctor Sleep fails at that.
@@clanofclams2720 what a retarded argument. My opinion clearly means I have seen the Lighthouse, and know that Eggers is not Kubrick. The cinematography style is not similar. The writing isn't similar. The directing in general is not similar. The only similar shit is the brooding atmosphere and characters going crazy. But that isn't the same style. Many other director's have done the same thing. And the remake will literally never happen, because it makes no logical sense to. We don't need a talented director trying to emulate another talented director.
If there is anyone that can challenge Deakins for this year's Best Cinematography it's Blaschke - though Eggers would deserve part of that award. Really wich more Oscar voters were as knowledgeable as you.
I was certain Willem Dafoe or Robbat Battinbat would get Oscar nominations. I thought so many more behind this modern classic of pure cinema would get nominated for their standout achievements. Nobody else is making films like this anymore. All of Eggers films feel like Bergman got a Hollywood budget.
please don't laugh too hard at me but I was rewatching this for like the 8th time yesterday and it kinda made me think "this is shot as though Wes Anderson was having a bad LSD trip"
I'll say it again, here... the movie is mundane if not obtuse in plot. The speech is used to hide its simplicity in story arc, and why Mr. Defoe keeps reiterating the dialog is "elevated speech" in every publicity jaunt, in order to reinforce the desired perspective, rather than the reality. The speech is not "elevated" but it's rather common, and indicative to the people speaking in the time they spoke it. Vernacular and metaphor does not equate to "elevated". The "atmosphere" is completely illusory. The writer knew by filming technique and verbal prestidigitation it would make average people feel smarter about themselves. The movie appeals to one's (inflated) ego, not intellect.
Great video Thomas but I have one question ... As this hasn't had a home release yet, where are you getting your footage from? Do the studios offer you a version of the film on download much like a critic would receive?
I get the novelty gimmick of pretending to be all one shot in 1917 is flashy and appealing to brain drained Oscar voters, but I still think this is one of the biggest snubs of the decade. This film is a cinematographer’s dream. It is a cinematographer’s movie. It had the best photography of any movie last year, or last decade. What a travesty.
