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Yes, I was about to say that Spielberg's blocking (and of course how that works with the cinematography/editing decisions) is a lot more nuanced than what we get in NTTD. Otherwise I can definitely see where the other poster is coming from about NTTD feeling very Spielberg-esque purely from the cinematography itself.
I think the issue is that Nolan and Deakins feel like different artists. The most obvious difference is their views on digital and film cinematography (Nolan being very much set in his ways about the latter, while Deakins has been famously open and accomplished in the former, usually preferring to work with it). Nolan is also a director more focused on ideas but often makes technical decisions that can take the viewer out of the film (ie. the sound design decisions of Tenet and a few of his other films) while Deakins is very much a technically accomplished cinematographer whose main focus is engaging the viewer emotionally. I'm really not sure if they'd work together all that well.
That said, I'm all for Deakins coming back. Wonderful cinematographer. Just as long as it's with the right director.
Hoyte sometimes gets it right. Dunkirk and Interstellar were far better in that regard. Saw him once, btw, in Prague. Relevant? Nop ;) I prefer Wally Pfiser work on the Nolan films. The Prestige and Inception had far, far better cinematography, IMO.
Maybe with the exception of Interstellar I’ve found the rest of his work with Nolan to be pretty monochromatic. I think the Amalfi Coast portions of Tenet is probably the most Bondian feeling thing he’s shot, possibly including Spectre.
I have to rewatch Tenet. It's interesting, I have almost no will to rewatch Tenet and NTTD. Really. They both hurt me a bit, enough to keep me away. I still haven't revisited NTTD since I saw it in the theatre. First time that happened was with DAD. And I've tried to come back to that one over the years and failed continuously. I'll watch the Amalfi scenes in Tenet. And NTTD's first third. At some point, that is.
One of the issues I actually have with NTTD is that it can too kinetic at times which gives off the wrong type of feeling for many scenes. The staircase shootout during the finale is an example. It just doesn't feel like Bond is in danger because everything from the choreography to the long take/ the camerawork looks too polished. It's very stylised but not in a way that works for the story. It's almost cartoonish I'd argue (which is fine for certain films, Kingsmen and Atomic Blonde did it very well, but for this particular scene there needed to be more tension).
SF is a very stylised film as well in terms of cinematography, don't get me wrong. But even the fight between Bond and Patrice in Shanghai has a lot of tension to it which the more subtle camera movement and long take enhances. Whenever I watch it I still find myself leaning forward with the expectation of one of them falling over the ledge.
It's great. It's still a long take, but it's so subtle that it just lets the fight play out with the two silhouetted. That whole section of the film feels very Vertigo-esque to me, and I can imagine that was the visual reference Deakins and Mendes went from when planning those scenes.
Appreciate we are going off topic, but the whole “Jellyfish” sequence is amazingly put together. I’d also add Newman’s score and the sound mix (the whirring of the glass cutter) really add to the tension of the scene.
Deakins has already said he doesn't want to do a Bond movie again.
Damn it! :(
The worst offender of this for me is the shootout sequence in the street in Cuba in NTTD. It's way too mechanical.
I personally love that final tracking shot but I can see where some of these complaints are coming from.
My only gripe with the fight on the boat is that I'm not buying CraigBond being fought to a standstill by the Book of Mormon. I know he's been out of the game for five years, but come on - he's the guy, etc!