Zsigmond’s superb photography greatly enhances the central mystery of the film. The scene of Jack holding the lifeless Sally against the background of the fireworks is extraordinary. I truly miss Zsigmond’s artistry in today’s current filmmaking.
I was 22 when "Blow-Out" was released, and it played in the same giant state-of-the-art theater where "Star Wars" and "Alien" had opened (and ran forever) a few years earlier. It blew me away then, so I didn't even know it wasn't a "hit." Box office grosses were not something the general public even knew about, unless you had a subscription to Daily or Weekly Variety. Zsigmond's wide-screen imagery (and John Lithgow's haunting variation on his previous De Palma villain performances) was so spellbinding it never even occurred to me that the film had not been a smashing success. It may be De Palma's most personal and deeply felt picture -- a kind of confession, really. I'd rank it with "Carrie," "Phantom of the Paradise" and "Dressed to Kill" among his best.
Zsigmond’s superb photography greatly enhances the central mystery of the film. The scene of Jack holding the lifeless Sally against the background of the fireworks is extraordinary. I truly miss Zsigmond’s artistry in today’s current filmmaking.
I was 22 when "Blow-Out" was released, and it played in the same giant state-of-the-art theater where "Star Wars" and "Alien" had opened (and ran forever) a few years earlier. It blew me away then, so I didn't even know it wasn't a "hit." Box office grosses were not something the general public even knew about, unless you had a subscription to Daily or Weekly Variety. Zsigmond's wide-screen imagery (and John Lithgow's haunting variation on his previous De Palma villain performances) was so spellbinding it never even occurred to me that the film had not been a smashing success. It may be De Palma's most personal and deeply felt picture -- a kind of confession, really. I'd rank it with "Carrie," "Phantom of the Paradise" and "Dressed to Kill" among his best.
What?