American Cinematographer - March 1995 - 48

In Maria

Candelaria,

Figueroa's
allegorical
interpretation
of the elements

marked the

beginnings of
his remarkable

photographic
style.

contract

here.'"

under contract, Toland had to

Figueroa recreated the
very precise gestures of the direc¬

disputes with Sam
Goldwyn, with whom he was
drop the film. When he apolo¬
gized to Ford, the director asked
him if there was anyone else who
could photograph the picture
with the strength of Mexican
painting and engraving and
Toland replied, "In Mexico there
is

one cameraman

who is stron¬

than I am: Gabriel Figueroa."
Figueroa took quickly to
working with Ford: "The first
day of work with Ford we went
ger

mendous precision. 'I never get
behind the camera,' he said, 'nor
do I see rushes. I see the faults
here. I don't need to go

to a pro¬

see what I've
was as sure as
that. He had a fabulous security
about him. We discussed the next

jection room to
done wrong.' He

and he said to

shot, and then for the rest of the
film he let me put the camera
wherever I wanted."
Ford has said that The

It's

day. Tabasco. There's sun.
Strong. Establishing shot. Put the
camera where
you want.' I ar¬
rived the next morning at seven
and began to light everything.
When Ford arrived, I asked him,

'Would you
camera

like to check out the
angle?' He answered,

'Me? I'm only the
what lens do you

director! But
have?' 'Forty

millimeters,' I said. He replied,
'Then your

46

hands, then threw

them up in the air and said, "I still
can't tell after 75 films what a lens
will do! But Ford knew with tre¬

'We begin here tomorrow.

to the location
me,

tor with his

American

frame cuts here and

Cinematographer

Fugitive is his favorite film, espe¬
cially for its photography. He
immediately offered Figueroa a

said, 'Raoul Walsh accuses you of
being a communist, but there's
nothing you can do about it
because McCarthyism is very
strong right now, above all in
Hollywood.' Ford called me up
and said 'I'm very sorry, they
didn't grant you a permit. We'll
cancel the contract.'
"He

paid me the remain¬
ing three years of my contract,"
said Figueroa. "There was no
other filmmaker who had

a

heart

as Ford's."
With the success of The
Pearl and the The Fugitive,

as

big

Figueroa received other proposi¬
tions from Hollywood through
his agent Paul Kohner. In 1948
Toland died, and Figueroa was
offered the remainder of his
tract with Sam

Goldwyn: five

three-year contract, but when
they attempted to shoot their sec¬
ond film, this time in the U.S.,
Figueroa was denied working
papers. "I have a letter that

years

Toland sent to

life here in Mexico which

when this

hap¬
pened," Figueroa revealed. "He

March 1995

me

con¬

with another five optioned.
Figueroa took three days to think

about it before
"It

turning it down.

great contract, the best
Hollywood. But I had my

was a

one

in

precious:

my

was

wife and family, my
American Cinematographer - March 1995

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