Born in Tahiti on June 21, 1926, Conrad Lofcadio Hall was the son of James Norman Hall, co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty, the cousin of actors Jon Hall and Ben Chapman.
Originally intent on a job in journalism, Hall drifted into the University of Southern Californiaโs cinema school from which he graduated in 1949. He and two classmates formed a production company that produced documentaries and TV commercials. His first credited major film work was as a camera operator on 1955โs East of Eden. Subsequent work as a camera operator included the 1962 version of his fatherโs Mutiny on the Bounty. His first film as cinematographer was 1965โs Moritori for which he received the first of his ten Oscar nominations.
Hall quickly earned acclaim for his rich and complex compositions which were clearly evident in such films as 1966โs Harper and The Professionals (his second Oscar nomination), 1967โs Divorce American Style and In Cold Blood (his third nomination) and 1969โs Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (his fourth nomination and first win), Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here and The Happy Ending. Married to Virginia Schwartz since 1952, the mother of his three children, he divorced her in 1969 to marry actress Katharine Ross who he had met on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They would divorce in 1975.
Less active in the 1970s, Hall lent his distinctive touch to such films as 1972โs Fat City, 1975โs The Day of the Locust (his fifth nomination) and Smile and 1976โs Marathon Man before a lengthy hiatus that ended with 1987โs Black Widow. The following yearโs Tequila Sunrise earned him his sixth Oscar nomination.
A seventh Oscar nomination would come Hallโs way for 1993โs Searching for Bobby Fischer, followed by his eighth five years later for A Civil Action although his compositions for the same yearโs Without Limits were more impressive.
Hall won his second Oscar on his ninth nomination for 1999โs American Beauty thirty years after winning his first, a record stretch in his category.
Married to third wife costume designer Susan Norwash at the time of his death, he would win a posthumous third Oscar on his tenth nomination for 2002โs Road to Perdition. It was accepted by his son Conrad W. Hall, a noted cinematographer in his own right.
Conrad L. Hall died on January 4,2203 at the age of 76.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
IN COLD BLOOD (1967), directed by Richard Brooks
This film is probably the best example of Hallโs meticulous style and brilliant camerawork. His rich black-and-white cinematography throughout multiple locations is absolutely thrilling. It is every bit as important to the filmโs esthetics as are Truman Capoteโs exhaustively researched source material, Richard Brooksโ faithful adaptation and low-key direction and the performances of Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the brutal killers of a rural Nebraska family who come to accept their own impending deaths as payment for their atrocious crimes.
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), directed by John Ford
Hall won his first Oscar for his brilliant cinematography on this late western classic which both compliments and underscores the vision of the filmโs director, George Roy Hall as well as the dynamic performances of the filmโs stars, long-time favorite Paul Newman and emerging superstar Robert Redford. Hall also worked as a stunt man in the filmโs intricate bicycle scene made even more memorable by B.J. Thomasโ warbling of the Oscar-winning โRaindrops Keep Falling on My Headโ. Hall met Katharine Ross, his second of three wives, on the filmโs set.
MARATHON MAN (1976), directed by John Schlesinger
Hallโs handling of different, often difficult locations make this a visually stunning thriller as well as one of the best of the genre. Having received the fifth of his eventual ten Oscar nominations for director Schlesingerโs previous film, 1975โs The Day of the Locust, the two work hand in glove on this largely New York based film boating strong performances from Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider and Laurence Olivier who earned his first and only Best Supporting Actor nomination out of his own total of ten Oscar nods.
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999), directed by Sam Mendes
One of the most gorgeously photographed films of the last two decades, Hall won his second Oscar for his rich compositions, his first in thirty years which remains a record in his category. From the opening shot to the last, this is clearly the work of a master cinematographer which compliments the work of his friend, Director Sam Mendes and enhances the performances of the filmโs cast. Kevin Spacey also won a second Oscar for his lead performance and Annette Bening received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
ROAD TO PERDITION (2002), directed by Chris Columbus
Once again Hallโs stunning compositions are as much a star of Mendesโ gangster film as are the performances of Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig and the rest of a superlative cast. Almost all reviews of the film mention the beauty of Hallโs cinematography. Hall died on January 4, 2003 just as awards for 2002 films were getting underway. He won his third Oscar for it posthumously. It was accepted by his son, cinematographer Conrad W. Hall.
CONRAD HALL AND OSCAR
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – Moritori (1965)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – The Professionals (1965)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – In Cold Blood (1967)
- Oscar – Best Cinematography โ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – The Day of the Locust (1975)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – Tequila Sunrise (1988)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
- Nominated – Best Cinematography – A Civil Action (1998)
- Oscar – Best Cinematography – American Beauty (1999)
- Oscar – Best Cinematography โ Road to Perdition (2002)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.