Ep# 45 - Haskell Wexler in the 60s

There’s an argument to be made for the idea that Haskell Wexler was one of the founding fathers of modern cinema. With his emphasis on handheld cameras, naturalistic on-location shooting and dramatic lighting, Wexler stands out as one of the few true auteur cinematographers. Between his iconic visuals and his clear interest in and emphasis on political themes and social justice, his body of work acts as both a mirror for the decade and loudspeaker to progressive values.

Wexler remains a major influence to cinematographers to this very day – so who better to focus on for Cinema60’s first cinematographer-themed episode? Starting with his black and white beginnings, Cinema60 traces his narrative and documentary films through the decade, eventually culminating in Medium Cool – a proto-New Hollywood hybrid film that incorporates most every theme and camera trick he learned throughout the decade.

In this episode, Bart and Jenna take on the roles of George and Martha as they play “hump the cinematographer” while trying to slowly tear each other apart through psychological torture.

(Side note: We had horrible technical problems during this episode so apologies if it sounds rougher than usual, but also… tough.)

The following films are discussed:• The Hoodlum Priest (1961) Directed by Irvin Kershner Starring Don Murray, Keir Dullea, Cindi Wood

• America America (1963) Directed by Elia Kazan Starring Stathis Giallelis, Frank Wolff, Linda Marsh

• The Best Man (1964) Directed by Franklin Schaffner Starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Ann Sothern

• The Bus (1965) Directed by Haskell Wexler Hour-long documentary

• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) Directed by Mike Nichols Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal

• In the Heat of the Night (1967) Directed by Delbert Mann Starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Lee Grant

• Medium Cool (1969) Directed by Haskell Wexler Starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz

Briefly mentioned:

• The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) Directed by Norman Jewison Starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke