Welcome to Login

Michael Chapman

Former camera operator and assistant to cinematographer Gordon Willis who has worked several times with Philip Kaufman and whose crisp, powerful images proved integral to several Martin Scorsese pictures, most notably the gritty black-and-white of "Raging Bull" (1980) and the atmospheric, intense neon color of nighttime New York in "Taxi Driver" (1976). As a director, Chapman has been less effective, though "All the Right Moves" (1983) enjoyed some success. His next directorial effort, "The Clan of the Cave Bear" (1986), may well have been the first feminist cave woman movie but many found it laughable. Chapman continued working as director of photography for mainstream big-budget films like "Kindergarten Cop" (1990), culminating in his Oscar nomination for the cinematography of "The Fugitive" (1993) and his inclusion in the acclaimed documentary on "the art of cinematography," "Visions of Light" (1992). Michael Chapman died on September 20, 2020 at the age of 84.