Nominated for an Oscar in 2007 for The Black Dahlia, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond is now starring in his own buddy flick alongside Hungarian compatriot Lászlo Kovács.
By FilmStew Staff, FilmStew.com
Though Laszlo and Vilmos sounds like the name of a bad internationally co-produced buddy film, it is actually part of the secondary title string of the new documentary No Subtitles Necessary, which will premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. It chronicles the parallel 50-year careers of famed DP's Lászlo Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond, who both emigrated to the United States in 1957 as political refugees.
"There is poetic justice in this film premiering at Cannes," suggests the documentary's director James Chressanthis. "Lászlo shot Easy Rider, an ultra-low budget, counterculture film that was a favorite with critics and fans at Cannes in 1969. It is a perfect return to the place that launched the career of Lászlo Kovács and then, in turn, his artistic brother Vilmos Zsigmond. They became legends in their own time."
Chressanthis gathered more than 50 hours' worth of interview footage to put together No Subtitles Required. Among the dozens of film industry colleagues interviewed for the film are Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jon Voight, Haskell Wexler, Sandra Bullock and Barbra Streisand.
Remarkably, Chressanthis only started putting the doc together in February of this year, so he should be congratulated for finishing it in time for Cannes to then choose it. Among his other credits are shooting additional footage for Chicago, the Emmy nominated special Life with Judy Garland and the current TV series Ghost Whisperer. Up next as a cinematographer for commercials and music video veteran Chressantis is the Renee Zellweger-Harry Connick Jr. film Living Proof.
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