Francis collaborated with David Lynch again on Dune (AC Dec. ’84). Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, the dark science-fiction fantasy is set in the far future, as a young man recognizes his inner spiritual power and leads an oppressed people against their enemies. The cinematographer recalls, "Because I had worked with David on The Elephant Man, we didn’t have to discuss the lighting plans a great deal, since I knew the things he’d like. David thinks in black-and-white, so we went very low in key for color, though sometimes hardly as low as he’d had liked to go. I never said no to David on anything, but when he wanted something too dark, I had to put the brakes on. In a sense, the visual effects work was the primary difference between the two films."
Featuring stunning photography and production design, Dune was shot in Todd-AO 35 over the course of a year at Mexico City’s Churobusco Studios. Seeking to bring out background detail and desaturate colors to create a more monochromatic image, Francis again employed the Lightflex, which also helped the cinematographer determine his lighting approach for the production’s many intricate sets and expansive locations. Utilizing the device’s ability to open up shadows, Francis could effectively create a four-stop exposure range, even while using the contrasty high-speed stocks available at the time. This allowed him to use far less fill light, yet shoot at deep stops. Additionally, he could tint scenes in the appropriate hues by inserting gels into the Lightflex’s filter slot, an invaluable tool given the myriad worlds depicted in Dune.
However, the complicated production on the visual effects-heavy film was hardly to Francis’ liking, particularly since so much of the image-making process would be completed by others in post. "I don’t care much for effects pictures," he admits. "But David and I had become close friends after The Elephant Man, and I did it because of that friendship."
The gripping Civil War drama Glory (AC Nov. ’90) was based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw (portrayed in the film by Matthew Broderick), an officer in the Union Army who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers against the Confederate forces. Seeking an authentic feel for this historical story, Francis and director Edward Zwick studied period stills by the famed photographer Matthew Brady and others. The starkblack-and-white images suggested a realistic approach devoid of filtration or sepia tones, relying instead on the credibility of the locations and production design to simulate the era. Photographically, Francis rendered Glory simply and honestly, with much of the intimate drama revealed in the light and shadow playing upon soldiers’ faces.
During the film’s conclusion, Shaw and his troops engage in a fateful nighttime battle, which the production staged on the beaches of Jekyall Island, located off the coast of Georgia. Twin Muscos were set hundreds of yards away to create a soft overall ambiance, while assorted pyrotechnic and lightning effects dramatically lit the landscape. The extreme contrast was dampened with the Lightflex, which additionally allowed Francis to shoot at higher stops. The added depth of field allowed the camera to clearly record the human drama. "I’m a great believer in the futility of war," the cinematographer says, "and I believe we captured that idea quite well in several parts of Glory. That was always in the back of my mind."
Earning the Academy Award for this picture made Francis one of the few cinematographers to have won for both black-and-white and color work.
Francis later shot the remake of Cape Fear for director Martin Scorsese (AC Oct. ’91), who had specifically sought the out the cinematographer due to his well-established ability to create a sense of Gothic atmosphere with high-contrast lighting. However, the cameraman has another theory as well: "Scorsese was a good friend of Michael Powell’s toward the end of his life, and Marty looked after him. Micky was a fan of mine, and I’ve sure he put in a good word for me."
Shooting the film in Panavision anamorphic, Francis again sought to utilize deep focus in order to keep the audience anxiously searching the frame for the psychopathic Max Cady (Robert De Niro), who frequently lurked in the shadows. "The only problem we had on that film was in getting quality lenses," he adds. "Nobody had shot in anamorphic for years and years, but when we started that picture, everybody suddenly wanted to do it! It was very difficult to get good lenses.
"Scorsese is another director who has shot the film in his head before you’ve exposed a single frame of film," Francis remarks. "Sometimes you can talk him into something, though. There was one scene with Bob De Niro where he’s talking on the phone, hanging upside-down from a bar strung across a doorway. I suggested that we start the shot upside down, tight on his face, and then rotate the camera as we track backwards so the room would become upside-down. We did that with a Panatate remote head, and Marty just fell madly in love with the thing."
Though most of the picture was shot on location in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, the harrowing climax, a brutal fight set aboard an out-of-control houseboat drifting down the Cape Fear river in the midst of a storm, was shot in a specially built studio tank facility. Adding to the scene’s excitement was Francis’ use of the Panatate, which was employed to create violently twisting and rolling camera moves that enhanced both the fight’s visceral impact and the storm’s fury. "We used it so often that I told Marty, ’If I could afford it, I’d buy you one of these for your birthday!’" the cameraman says with a hearty chuckle.
Looking back on his career, Francis ponders the technological changes that have been made since his start in the 1930s. Scoffing at the notion that cinematography is an inherently technical field, he offers, "If someone says to me, ’I loved that shot, how did you light it?’, I’ll think they’ve lost the point. My explanation doesn’t mean a thing because there are 20 ways to light a shot and get the same result. Why you do something is far more important that how. The cinematographer is a storyteller, and his main job is to communicate with the director and get his ideas on the screen. I just always insist on having a wonderful operator and wonderful gaffer. I can tell them what I have in my mind and they’ll know what to do, with me just adding a few touches later."
Evincing a grin, Francis concludes, "There are no rules and there is no formula to filling the frame to please everybody. I’ve got this corny saying though: ’There are three types of photography: good photography, bad photography and the right photography. The right photography is what tells the story best.’"
