Oscar Profile #261: Conrad L. Hall

Born in Tahiti on June 21, 1926, Conrad Lofcadio Hall was the son of James Norman Hall, co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty, the cousin of actors Jon Hall and Ben Chapman.

Originally intent on a job in journalism, Hall drifted into the University of Southern California’s cinema school from which he graduated in 1949. He and two classmates formed a production company that produced documentaries and TV commercials. His first credited major film work was as a camera operator on 1955’s East of Eden. Subsequent work as a camera operator included the 1962 version of his father’s Mutiny on the Bounty. His first film as cinematographer was 1965’s Moritori for which he received the first of his ten Oscar nominations.

Hall quickly earned acclaim for his rich and complex compositions which were clearly evident in such films as 1966’s Harper and The Professionals (his second Oscar nomination), 1967’s Divorce American Style and In Cold Blood (his third nomination) and 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (his fourth nomination and first win), Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here and The Happy Ending. Married to Virginia Schwartz since 1952, the mother of his three children, he divorced her in 1969 to marry actress Katharine Ross who he had met on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They would divorce in 1975.

Less active in the 1970s, Hall lent his distinctive touch to such films as 1972’s Fat City, 1975’s The Day of the Locust (his fifth nomination) and Smile and 1976’s Marathon Man before a lengthy hiatus that ended with 1987’s Black Widow. The following year’s Tequila Sunrise earned him his sixth Oscar nomination.

A seventh Oscar nomination would come Hall’s way for 1993’s Searching for Bobby Fischer, followed by his eighth five years later for A Civil Action although his compositions for the same year’s Without Limits were more impressive.

Hall won his second Oscar on his ninth nomination for 1999’s American Beauty thirty years after winning his first, a record stretch in his category.

Married to third wife costume designer Susan Norwash at the time of his death, he would win a posthumous third Oscar on his tenth nomination for 2002’s Road to Perdition. It was accepted by his son Conrad W. Hall, a noted cinematographer in his own right.

Conrad L. Hall died on January 4,2203 at the age of 76.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

IN COLD BLOOD (1967), directed by Richard Brooks

This film is probably the best example of Hall’s meticulous style and brilliant camerawork. His rich black-and-white cinematography throughout multiple locations is absolutely thrilling. It is every bit as important to the film’s esthetics as are Truman Capote’s exhaustively researched source material, Richard Brooks’ faithful adaptation and low-key direction and the performances of Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the brutal killers of a rural Nebraska family who come to accept their own impending deaths as payment for their atrocious crimes.

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), directed by John Ford

Hall won his first Oscar for his brilliant cinematography on this late western classic which both compliments and underscores the vision of the film’s director, George Roy Hall as well as the dynamic performances of the film’s stars, long-time favorite Paul Newman and emerging superstar Robert Redford. Hall also worked as a stunt man in the film’s intricate bicycle scene made even more memorable by B.J. Thomas’ warbling of the Oscar-winning “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”. Hall met Katharine Ross, his second of three wives, on the film’s set.

MARATHON MAN (1976), directed by John Schlesinger

Hall’s handling of different, often difficult locations make this a visually stunning thriller as well as one of the best of the genre. Having received the fifth of his eventual ten Oscar nominations for director Schlesinger’s previous film, 1975’s The Day of the Locust, the two work hand in glove on this largely New York based film boating strong performances from Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider and Laurence Olivier who earned his first and only Best Supporting Actor nomination out of his own total of ten Oscar nods.

AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999), directed by Sam Mendes

One of the most gorgeously photographed films of the last two decades, Hall won his second Oscar for his rich compositions, his first in thirty years which remains a record in his category. From the opening shot to the last, this is clearly the work of a master cinematographer which compliments the work of his friend, Director Sam Mendes and enhances the performances of the film’s cast. Kevin Spacey also won a second Oscar for his lead performance and Annette Bening received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

ROAD TO PERDITION (2002), directed by Chris Columbus

Once again Hall’s stunning compositions are as much a star of Mendes’ gangster film as are the performances of Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig and the rest of a superlative cast. Almost all reviews of the film mention the beauty of Hall’s cinematography. Hall died on January 4, 2003 just as awards for 2002 films were getting underway. He won his third Oscar for it posthumously. It was accepted by his son, cinematographer Conrad W. Hall.