In the annals of American film history, you'll have difficulty finding a filmmaker as influential as Gordon Willis. He's one of the best cinematographers that's ever lived, a man who almost single-handedly invented the look we most quickly associate with the great cinema of the 70s. Low-lit and underexposed, his pictures were rich in shadow play and gloomy frames, a materialization of the decades' paranoia and moral ambiguities. Because of such a characteristic style, he gained the nickname 'prince of darkness,' though maybe we should have called him the king of cinematographers. Both titles feel correct…
Among his closest collaborators, Willis counted directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Alan J. Pakula, Woody Allen, and James Bridges, shooting everything from deconstructed musicals to mafia epics, sprawling westerns to monochrome songs of the city. In these troubled times, perhaps it's a good endeavor to savor cinematic beauty and few films are more beautiful than those that Gordon Willis worked on. Luckily for all of us, many of Willis' greatest feats are available to stream or rent online. Some of them are even new to streaming.
With that in mind, here are some highlights of his filmography and where you can watch them:
KLUTE (1971) Available to stream on the Criterion Channel, fubo TV, and TCM. You can also rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube and others.
THE GODFATHER (1972) You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and others.
THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974) Available to stream on HBO Now, HBO Go, Direct TV, and the Cinemax Amazon Channel. You can also rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube and others.
THE GODFATHER: PART II (1974) You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and others.
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) Available to stream on the Roku Channel. You can also rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube and others.
ANNIE HALL (1977) Available to stream on the Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime, Direct TV, fubo TV, HBO NOW and TCM. You can also rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube and others.
INTERIORS (1978) Available to stream on Hoopla. You can also buy or rent it on Amazon, Apple iTunes, and Vudu.
COMES A HORSEMAN (1978) You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube.
MANHATTAN (1979) Available to stream on Amazon Prime, Direct TV, fubo TV, the HBO Now Amazon Channel and TCM. You can also rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Youtube and others.
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980) Available to stream on Hoopla. You can also buy or rent it on Amazon, Vudu and Apple iTunes.
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981) You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and others.
BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (1984) Available to stream on Hoopla, Tribeca Shortlist, and Pluto TV. You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and others.
THE GODFATHER: PART III (1990) You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and others.
Because we all love to obsess over the Oscars, it's important to point out that Gordon Willis died without ever winning a competitive Academy Award. Despite filming many awards champions, he only got two Oscar nominations in his career, neither of which for any of the 70s classics he lensed. Just to understand the absurdity of it all, consider that the only Godfather movie to be nominated for best cinematography was the often-maligned third chapter.
The biggest recognition Willis received in the form of golden trophies was an Honorary Academy Award given to him in 2010 for "unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color, and motion". Better late than never, we suppose.
Speaking of Willis and Oscars, for what film do you think he most deserved the prize?