American Cinematographer - January 1993 - 37

Nykvist Continues Storied
Career With Chaplin
by David Heuring
Sven

Nykvist

grew up near

Stockholm, the

son

of

a

minister

whose

hobby was still photogra¬
phy. Between missionary trips to
Africa, the elder Nykvist taught
Sven the basic skills of the craft in

his homemade darkroom.
In the late 1920s, the ardu¬
ous

too

journey to Africa was deemed
dangerous

The distinguished director
biographical epic, titled
Chaplin, is Sir Richard Attenborough,
and his presence on the set is com¬
manding. According to press mate¬
rial for the film, Attenborough saw
his first Chaplin film, The Gold Rush,
at age 11, and from that moment
dreamed of acting as a career. Rob¬
of the

Moira Kelly (as Oona, Chaplin's be¬

loved last wife).

Attenborough, whose di¬
Win¬
ston, A Bridge Too Far, Magic,
Gandhi, A Chorus Line and Cry Free¬
rectorial credits include Young

dom, seems well-suited for the film.

Nykvist's well-known preference
for small-scale, low-tech filmmak¬

ing, on the other

for children.
Sven stayed in

hand, stands in

Sweden,

phy, but not be¬
fore he caught
sight of the

elaborate set be¬
fore him, which
is packed with
130 crew mem¬
bers and half a
dozen movie
stars of high

young enter¬
tainment form,
cinema.

magnitude, sur¬
rounded by the
dazzling accou¬

contrast to the

and
eventually at¬
tended a school
for photogra¬

trements

Although
his father found

frivolous and

Holly¬
Despite
the spectacle,
Nykvist's

sinful, for

wizened eyes

(Marisa Tomei)

drawn, of
course, to the

plays the damsel

wood.

motion
to be

tain

pictures
generally
cer¬

light diver¬

are

sions he would make an exception
and allow his children to attend.

light.
In his auto¬

the comedies of

biography "The
Magic Lan¬
tern," Ingmar
Bergman said
the following
with regard to
Nykvist, his
longtime col¬

Charlie

are

Chaplin.
Five decades later, Nykvist

the opulent main hall of the
Pebble Beach House in Arcadia,
scans

California, where he is about to

JDaamveids

photograph a detailed filmic recre¬
episode from Chaplin's
life
an
episode that unfolded
during the same period Nykvist
spent working in a darkroom half
ation of an

laborator:

-

a

world away.
Directed

by
Attenborough
Produced by
Richard Attenborough and Mario Kassar
Director of photography,
Sven Nykvist, ASC
Sir Richard

"Sometimes I

probably

do mourn the fact that I no longer
make films. This is natural and it

Downey, Jr. plays the film's title
role, and the supporting cast in¬
cludes Kevin Kline (as Douglas
Fairbanks), Paul Rhys, Penelope

passes. Most of all I miss working
with Sven Nykvist, perhaps be¬

Ann Miller, Diane Lane (as Paulette

cause we are

Goddard),

Aykroyd,
Geraldine Chaplin (who portrays
her real-life grandmother) and

vated

January 1993

American

ert

Dan

both utterly capti¬
by the problems of light, the
gentle, dangerous, dreamlike, liv¬
ing, dead, clear, misty, hot, violent,

Cinematographer

Opposite: Mabel
Normand

in distress in
this recreation
of a Mack

Among their earliest cinematic
memories

byPhot s

of

1930s

Sennett Studios

picture. This
page, topM
young Charlie
(Tom Bradford)
comforts his

mother

(Geraldine

Chaplin, the
director's reallife

daughter).

This page,
bottom: On the
streets of

London,

Attenborough
(right, in red
parka) stands by
as Nykvist
(sitting to left of
camera) and
operator Kevin
Jewison frame
the next shot.

35
American Cinematographer - January 1993

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