Shadows, Classic Movies and Caravaggio: Inside the Lush Cinematography of ‘Ripley’

TheWrap magazine: DP Robert Elswit says director Steven Zaillian wanted to convey the stark sociopathy of Tom Ripley in black and white

Andrew Scott in "Ripley" (Netflix)
Andrew Scott in "Ripley" (Netflix)

Director Steven Zaillian might not have used black-and-white cinematography in past projects, but thankfully for him, his director of photography had in a very big way. Cinematographer Robert Elswit (an Academy Award winner for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood”) was the right choice to bring Patricia Highsmith’s expert grifter and murderer Tom Ripley to illustrious B&W life in Netflix’s “Ripley.” And this project was a whole lot easier than the craftsman’s last monochrome effort, George Clooney’s 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which earned him his first Oscar nomination.

That one was shot on film, with its sets painted in black and white using numbers that would correspond to the desired shade of black, grey or white.

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