László Kovács (May 14, 1933 – July 22, 2007)
Kovács emigrated to the United States with his lifelong friend Vilmos Zsigmond, who became another great Hungarian-American cinematographer.
For me, perhaps the most indelible image in Kovács' work is the last shot of "Five Easy Pieces" (Bob Rafelson, 1970), a long stationary take of a gray, rainy stretch of Pacific Northwest highway, stuck in the muddy pavement outside an isolated gas station. The only camera movement is a slight pan. All the loneliness, frustration and alienation of the whole movie culminates (in a diminuendo, if that's possible) in this damp, atmospheric image.
Other notable Kovács films include:
"Psych-Out" (Richard Rush, 1968)
"Targets" (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)
"Easy Rider" (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
"That Cold Day in the Park" (Robert Altman, 1969)
"Getting Straight" (Rush, 1970)
"Alex in Wonderland" (Paul Mazursky, 1970)
"The Last Movie" (Hopper, 1971)
"What's Up, Doc?" (Bogdanovich, 1972)
"The King of Marvin Gardens" (Bob Rafelson, 1972)
"Paper Moon" (Bogdanovich, 1973)
"Shampoo" (Hal Ashby, 1975)
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (Steven Spielberg, 1977 -- additional photography)
"New York, New York" (Martin Scorsese, 1977)
"The Last Waltz" (Scorsese, 1978 -- additional photography)
"Ghostbusters" (Ivan Reitman, 1984)
"Mask" (Bogdanovich, 1985)
"Say Anything..." (Cameron Crowe, 1989)
"Radio Flyer" (Richard Donner, 1992)
"My Best Friend's Wedding" (P.J. Hogan, 1997)
I just wanted to say I'm glad you chose FIVE EASY PIECES for Kovacs. We see Nicholson pulling away from us in a truck twice in the film. Once near the beginning playing the piano on the back of a flatbed as he moves inevitably towards his confrontation with his family and past and once at the end, hidden and obscured inside as he moves towards an uncertain future. Kovacs doesn't follow either, just let's them pull away. It's a brilliantly photographed film.
He'll be missed but not forgotten. Rest in Peace.
Now that you mention it, one of those "deeper into movies" moments for me is the ride through Monument Valley in Easy Rider, where Kovacs' camera pans across the landscape at the golden hour until it fades into dusk, twilight, and finally you can only see a vague blue silhouette of the rocks. When I look at a sunset through a car window, I'll usually start hearing "The Weight" in my head.
Laszlo Kovacs was a superb cinematagrapher. Perhaps little known [yet!] that his last film was Torn From The Flag, a documentary film about the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the fall of communism, and includes never-before-seen footage by the late Laszlo. This remarkable film is currently in the race for Oscar recognition. It may be the last film by him to ever get recognized.
The documentary "Torn From the Flag" was well researched and extremely emotional and touching! Definitely a must see for anyone of Hungarian descent or who wants to learn more about the '56 revolution and communism in Europe.
Trailer for "Torn From the Flag":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX1suFnFuy0