L'amour par terre, Jacques Rivette, 1984
Une visite au Louvre, Danielle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub, 2004
Shoah, Claude Lanzmann, 1985
One of the greatest cinematographers of this or any other era. He died of heart disease at age 73 yesterday.
The cinematographer who worked on the greatest number of masterpieces in the scope of a single career, Lubtchansky was also, put very simply, the greatest cinematographer in the history of the cinema.
ck.
Posted by: craig keller. | May 05, 2010 at 11:09 PM
I just heard about this, and came over here figuring that you'd have something up on him. What an incredible career. And what a loss.
Posted by: Jason M. | May 05, 2010 at 11:53 PM
Would agree to him being the greatest cinematographer in the second half of the twentieth century. The films he shot for Rivette alone would qualify him for that, let alone the rest...
Posted by: nrh | May 06, 2010 at 12:06 AM
It always warms the heart when an artist's last work is done with a close collaborator, and 36 vues du Pic Saint Loup makes for a wonderful swan song.
Posted by: S. Porath | May 06, 2010 at 05:39 AM
S Porath - I was just thinking the same thing. 36 Vues is about as good a swan song as one could hope for. Wry, gentle, wise and beautiful. It has the feel of a final film in many ways - I just assumed that it would be Rivette's and not Lubtchansky's.
Posted by: Jason M. | May 06, 2010 at 06:06 AM
Truly a shame. A cinematographer who worked with Godard on some of the director's most adventurous work (and is responsible for all those jaw-dropping tracking shots in Nouvelle vague) and who closely collaborated with Rivette on so many of that director's major films. What an amazing filmography he amassed. He'll be missed, but he's certainly left behind plenty of images to remember him by.
Posted by: Ed Howard | May 06, 2010 at 08:49 AM
Nouvelle Vague is arguably Godard's most amazingly photographed film (which is saying a lot considering the Coutard collaborations). RIP!
Posted by: michaelgsmith | May 06, 2010 at 12:05 PM
I've been thinkinga bout him lately as he appears in the documentary "L'Enfer de L'Henri-Georges Clouzot." He was one of the camera operators on that great doomed project.
His work with Rivette speaks for itself. I especially love "Duelle."
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | May 06, 2010 at 01:01 PM
This is a major, major loss. His filmmography is jaw-dropping.
Posted by: Richard | May 06, 2010 at 01:02 PM
The remarkable work he did on Garrel's last two films should not go without mention. So I mention it now.
Posted by: Sal C | May 06, 2010 at 04:56 PM