Gordon Willis, who passed away last Sunday, shot some of the most iconic films of the 1970s. Called “The Prince of Darkness,” Willis loved to film dark shadows with minimal lighting. His style was influenced by the Expressionist movement in Germany and American Film Noir. He never won an Academy Award, only being nominated twice. Three films he shot, however, took home the Academy Award for Best Picture (The Godfather, The Godfather 2 and Annie Hall).
Say what you will about Woody Allen now (both professionally and personally), but during his prime Allen was an expert at picking the right people for his films. When the inspiration for Manhattan came to him, he spoke to Willis about how the film would look in black and white, hoping to show NYC the way he always looked at it growing up. The NYC native Willis agreed, and their collaboration became one of the Allen’s most memorable films (even if Allen did try to stop it from being released). To honor the late Gordon Willis, we look back at one of his finest achievements as a cinematographer. Here are ten NYC locations for Manhattan.
1. Elaine’s
The post Tribute to Gordon Willis: 10 NYC Film Locations for Woody Allen’s Manhattan first appeared on Untapped Cities.