I try to get the cinematographer involved with the story, I tell him what I want to accomplish and try to convey a feeling for what I think it should look like, because the style grows out of the material, and so the style changes really with each picture.
(Eastwood in an interview with Ric Gentry published in
Millimeter, December 1980, reprinted in
Clint Eastwood: Interviews, p. 64)
Bruce Surtees was the cinematographer of
The Beguiled,
Play Misty for Me,
Dirty Harry,
Joe Kidd,
High Plains Drifter,
The Outlaw Josey Wales,
Escape from Alcatraz,
Firefox,
Honkytonk Man,
Sudden Impact,
Tightrope and
Pale Rider. Do you notice the cinematography styles to be different for each of these films, fitting the mood of each story? If so, how do you feel this is accomplished in
High Plains Drifter? Discuss any particular cinematography elements that you were especially impressed with in this film.
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