"Whatever Roger wanted, he should get."
That's from Emily Blunt, speaking of perhaps my favorite auteur currently plying his trade in the cinematic universe, cinematographer Roger Deakins.
Yes, I realize that we tend to speak only of directors when we say "auteur," but if we mean "an artist whose style and practice are distinctive," then he's mostly definitely an auteur. The moment I saw the trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Sicario, I thought to myself "That's terrifying. And incredibly tense. And gorgeous. It's GOT to be Deakins!"
And it was.
Speaking of Sicario, here's a fascinating interview with the film's trio of stars -- Blunt, Brolin, and Del Toro -- in which they spend a bit of time talking about Deakins' contributions to the film (and what it feels like to have him on set). I'm particularly struck by the respect they have for him. And by the hilarious story about his email to Brolin.
There's a longer Collider interview with the master himself, and it's great and you should definitely watch it. But this one seems a bit more unique to me, because it's not highlighting his craft so much as it is the incredibly high place he holds amongst his creative peers.
I just hope that translates to a little golden statue some day. Will tomorrow be that day? Probably not, because Emmanuel Lubezki and The Revenant happened. But I can wait for a bit longer, I suppose. Just as long as he keeps giving me gorgeous things to look at while I wait.