WILL Win: “Cold Mountain”
SHOULD Win: “Girl with a Pearl
Earring”
Even though the first “The Lord of the Rings” film
won in this category in 2001, the third installment failed to
garner even a nomination this year, leaving the cinematography race
a little more open.
The most likely winner will be John Seale, whose photography
directing efforts include such films as “Dead Poets
Society,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and
“The English Patient,” for which he also took home an
Oscar. Plus, almost all Academy voters likely saw the mainstream
“Cold Mountain,” which included the kinds of sweeping
panoramic shots most people think of when they think of great
photography.
A less well-known but more deserving film in this category is
“Girl With a Pearl Earring.” Eduardo Serra created so
many stunning images in his photography direction of this film, it
almost seemed like he was channeling painter Johannes Vermeer
““ the subject of the film ““ directly from the beyond
the grave.