American Cinematographer - January 2009 - (Page 22)

Right: Brokendown wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) leans heavily on the top rope while trying to recapture some of his old magic in the ring. Below: The Ram attempts a reconciliation with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). On the Ropes by Claire Walla There’s very little in professional wrestling that screams ‘realism.’ Participants use fake, hyperbolic names (i.e., Sgt. Slaughter); dress in flashy, skintight costumes; and perform an array of choreographed moves that range from Bodyslams to Tombstone Piledrivers. But for Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke), the main character in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, the world outside the ring is painfully real. 22 January 2009 The Wrestler photos by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. We meet The Ram nearly two decades after the peak of his fame. He’s still wrestling, but his real livelihood is a minimum-wage job at a local supermarket. He’s trying to foster a connection with a sympathetic stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), and when his troubles take a turn for the worse, he makes an effort to repair his relationship with his only child, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). In developing a look for The Wrestler, cinematographer Maryse Alberti says she and Aronofsky “wanted to keep the mood of each space,” whether it was a wrestling ring or the Acme Market where The Ram works. Shooting Super 16mm, she avoided filtration and relied primarily on existing light at the locations, bolstering it when necessary. For a scene in which The Ram joins a number of his aging colleagues for an autograph session at a local VFW hall, Alberti “tried to preserve the drabness of the room” by adding only a few Mac 2000s “to get the light up to speed.” She adds, “For the most part, I was not afraid to come in and say, ‘He looks great; I don’t need to do anything,’ or add just one little bulb and say, ‘It looks fine.’” The filmmakers’ decision to shoot Super 16 was influenced by the production’s modest budget, but the graininess of the image also served to create the semi-documentary feel Aronofsky had in mind. The mix of documentary and feature credits on Alberti’s résumé made her “a perfect match for the material,” says the director. “I was excited about the prospect of working with Maryse because she had done features I was a big, big fan of, Happiness [1998] and Velvet Goldmine [1998],

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2008

American Cinematographer - January 2009 Contents Editor’s Note Short Takes: Triangle of Need Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler Close Focus An Old Soul Brothers in Arms A Cut Above Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain

American Cinematographer - January 2008

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