“A tawdry downtown Magic Club – all unholy reds and phosphorescent greens – where Madonna and Rosanna Arquette finally meet: ‘Nice work, stranger.’ Or the slow nocturnal crawl of backseat shadows crossing the face of drugdealer Willem Dafoe, out on a run. Or an avenging Terence Stamp fractured between opal LA twilight and lamplit-caramel motel nights. These images, from the first films I remember shot by Ed Lachman, still stain my memory. And the vow I made to myself that someday maybe I too could join forces with this sorcerer of light and alchemist of color.” (Todd Haynes)
Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste
Extracts from the speech by director Todd Haynes during the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ed Lachman at the awards night of the American Society of Cinematographers in February 2017 in Los Angeles. Lachman has shaped the American film scene as well as auteur cinema for over 30 years – with films like Desperately Seeking Susan to Erin Brockovich to Carol – without ever having resorted to easily recognisable formulas. He has worked many times in Europe, first with Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders, in recent years with Ulrich Seidl. When Jean-Luc Godard wanted to film in the 1980s in the United States – who did he call? Ed Lachman. Because he wanted something new, a look towards the future.
As a tribute to Lachman and his never tiring look forward, KINO DER KUNST presents an overview of the photographic works of this cinematographic legend. His Polaroids, his most famous movie stills, but also little-known photo trips to the depths of the United States or remote areas in Africa.