Before the board of governors voted him an honorary Academy Award last month, Gordon Willis was renowned as both the most influential cinematographer of his era, and the one of the most unjustly overlooked craftsmen in Oscar history. In one seven-year stretch in the 1970s, Willis was the director of photography on a seven movies that received 39 nominations and won 19 Oscars, including three best-picture awards – all without a single nomination for Willis himself.
Finally, after being passed over when he did groundbreaking work on such visually iconic films as “The Godfather” and “Manhattan,” Willis got his first nod for “Zelig,” the sixth movie he’d made with Woody Allen; he later picked up a second nomination for “The Godfather Part III,” the last and least entry in that Francis Coppola saga. His reputation among critics and fellow cinematographers, meanwhile, far outstripped his meager recognition from the Academy: "His work was a milestone in visual storytelling," cinematographer William Fraker once told the Boston Globe.
Known as a master of light and shadow, a cinematographer who made greater use of darkness than anyone who came before him, and a demanding collaborator who wielded great power on a set, Willis is now 78. He lives in Massachusetts, and spoke to the Wrap this week about his career, his latest honor, and his odd relationship with the Oscars.
How’d you find out about the honorary Oscar?
The Academy called. It was, like, 11 o’clock at night. Sort of caught me off guard there, because it came out of the blue. It was a very nice surprise. Kind of dazzling, actually.
Have you been to many Oscar shows in the past?
I’ve never been to an Oscar ceremony, actually. I’ve been nominated three times by the British academy and twice by the American academy, but I’ve never attended. It’s something that I never really got that excited about. I'll go to this one, though. In this case you know you’re getting the award, so that’s fun.
In the past, especially during the 1970s, the Academy got lots of attention for not nominating you.
Yeah, it caused quite a storm here and there. And I suppose it was disappointing once or twice. But I’ve had more than my share of fair. I’ve had a lot of attention from film critics and newspapers here and there, which is fine. I enjoy it. But I think it’s a mistake if you measure what you do by anything of this sort. It’s nice to have it, but it shouldn’t be your benchmark.
Do you think that the two movies for which you were nominated, “Zelig” and “The Godfather Part III,” are among your best?
No. Especially “Part III.” The first two “Godfather” films were very, very good, but to go home again on the third one was probably a mistake. And “Zelig” – yeah, I’m proud of “Zelig,” but it’s not a benchmark visually.
