MovieChat Forums > The Ladykillers (1956) Discussion > Lighting quality varies throughout?

Lighting quality varies throughout?

posted 13 years ago by jh66
3 replies | jump to latest

I've seen this wonderful film on many different TV's now, and have noticed the same thing- at certain parts of the film, a few shots seem to almost silhouette the characters onscreen? Is this just it being an 'old film' or the camera lighting couldn't "balance"?

I noticed it in one of the interior shots when the gang are waiting in the room downstairs whilst the Major is doing away with Mrs Lopsided?

Then I noticed it when one-round held the gun against Louis and the Professor by the railway track- these extended scenes seemed to suffer from the contrast mostly? As the camera is pointing over One-round's shoulder, the other two were in almost total silhouette, and I was missing Guinness's brilliant facial expressions as he gestured One Round to shoot Louis?

If it is a film glitch, have the dvd's been digitally restored?

[–] robhiphop 12 years ago

The silhouettes are almost certainly deliberate. Each of the gang members is shown to be "lurking in the shadows" in turn, in order to enhance the sense of sinister menace. Contrast with the character of Mrs. Wilberforce, who is always shot in the light.

The lighting is very unusual in this film. Very dark and shadowy. You almost never see that in a comedy.

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[–] jh66 12 years ago

I appreciate that the film was deliberately given a moody silhouette some of the time, to emphasise the criminal's characters, but in the end scene (One Round pointing the gun at Prof and Louie)and others, the lighting is definately not deliberate, and blotted out their expressions.

I think it's a mistake, as I think the director tried to make a "night time scene". The brightness of the background (smoke and landscape over the tunnel wall) took lighting precedence over the 'darkness' lighting reading from two men and the waist-high wall?

[–] bigbluecheese 12 years ago

I just came on here to say the same thing and see if anyone else noticed (or if it was just my copy!) towards the end in particular the lighting is all over the place. I dont know if it is supposed to be because a big storm passed over but it goes from darkness outside to almost daylight

It will happen this way