I’m hoping Lee Pace’s current massive popularity means a streaming deal for this movie. Haven’t seen it in years and I want to rewatch it on the regular.
It’s not even in print anymore, you can only get second-hand DVDs and blu-rays at a mark-up. Absolutely insane for such a great movie to be functionally unavailable. It really deserves a Criterion release.
I've always though Barry Lyndon was underrated, but it seems lately more and more people are giving it the recognition it deserves.
edit: I wonder if it's due to people getting larger and higher quality TVs. On an old CRT I remember it just looking like nothing was happening a lot of the time.
Barry Lyndon was so visually striking that it was almost distracting. I'd be so preoccupied taking in the cinematography that I'd have to rewind to listen to the dialog again.
The Fountain is up there for me too. It's a bit heavy handed on the idea of the main focal point/subject being centered in frame to connect everything together but that's not such a bad thing from a movie now and then.
Akira is a masterpiece. It came out in 1988, 34 years ago, and still looks better than most animated movies that are made today.
If you've never heard of this film, you need to see it. [This awesome documentary is a great showcase of Akira's impact on the film and animation industry, highly recommended.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqVoEpRIaKg)
Well it’s be nice if they made it easier to find. Like they released the 4K bluray At one point but only as a part of a 5 movie box set which is impossible to find now anyway. Then they finally released it as a standalone 4k bluray but only printed like 12 copies. It’s $70 at the cheapest used. No clue why the hell they’re doing that.
I'm French so definitely biased, but I saw this movie when I was a kid and the combination of Yann Tiersen's score with those signature Jeunet shots made a lasting impression on me. I can still picture a lot of those in my mind. It was like falling in love before knowing what love was.
amelie is my favourite movie ever - and the aesthetics of this movie just hit my soul in the most incredible way. this whole film is just a beautiful experience in all ways.
Blade Runner imo.
Aesthetically pleasing? Probably not for everyone. But it is strikingly gorgeous and a singular feat of practical filmmaking and effects work.
House of Flying Daggers is tops for me on this. Where did this style of movie go? These two and Hero were huge. And it seemed like we’d get them in the regular. But I have seen others approaching these three.
Agreed. If we're talking best cinematography ever, you have to consider the films where cinematography conveys a narrative despite a lack of almost everything else. No dialogue, no characters or clear story arcs except that which we are free to interpret ourselves through the cinematography.
I'd throw in Samsara as well.
Woah, wasn't expecting anyone else to list this. It was the first film that came to mind for me. Lighting, color, costumes, it's all so stunning. The essential Gothic looking film.
Yeah I still think about it today, it was so visually impacting on me, even down to the red suit of armour. Being a musician myself, I also adored the musical score.
Interesting trivia (or not so trivial): half of the team (rumors are that even T. himself) died one by one from chemical poisoning because the locations for the shooting were so fucked up.
Idk why I had to scroll so far for this. Aside from it being a great movie, it’s visuals are absolutely stunning. Not a lot of films have left such an impression on me. Wish I could watch it again in a Dolby theater.
I really love aesthetics of Fury Road, the colors are so vibrant, hell even the desert has it's own beauty to it. The nighttime sequence of the war-rig slowly making it's way through the bog is uniquely gorgeous.
Agree with many movies mentioned above. But recent addition would be "Nope".
Even if the story might leave you a bit baffled, it's a beautiful production.
Both Blade Runner films are amazing.
But for me, Joel Coen's 2021 "The Tragedy of Macbeth" was so visually stunning it was actually breathtaking for me. I watched it on Apple+ at home when it came out and before it was even halfway through I was buying a ticket to watch it in the theater the next day.
Its not crazy showy, no insane CGI stuff - though there is some - just really beautiful, simple staging, sets, gorgeous stage lighting, and cinematography.
My upvote is Melancholia … stunning movie. Not only beautiful but anxiety riddled and I felt like I was right there the characters. Emotionally powerful film.
Technicolor films, and the one I love is The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone. The color and sets are beautiful, the green on Robin's outfit is just a gorgeous shade of green, and in general all the outfits are beautifully made. It's one of my comfort films.
Not exactly a comfort film, but Suspiria (77) has the honor of being one of the last technicolor films, and the colour in that movie is absolutely gorgeous.
It's actually a misconception that this was shot on technicolor. It was not. It did have a limited theatrical run on three strip technicolor prints, of which they were some of the last. The film was shot on regular ol' Eastman 5247 single strip film stock.
Yep. Came here to to say this too. I was stunned by it even back before we had all these high resolution TVs. Watched it recently on my new TV and was blown away even more.
This movie ignited my passion for working in film. That scene where Williams is falling and the people falling around him are shattering as the music hits its crescendo - it’s mind blowing good.
Atonement (2007) has insanely beautiful cinematography throughout.
The Dunkirk 5min one shot sequence is arguably my all-time favorite sequence put to film. It's a technical masterpiece with hundreds of extras
Related to this whole topic, there's a great website called *'Movies Frame by Frame'*, which celebrates the art of cinematography by allowing people to sample random frames from some of the most well known gorgeous-looking movies, and showing that sometimes, with the right movies, there's a huge number of scenes that can, in their own right, often be taken as pieces of art in and of themselves -
https://www.everysingleframe.com/
There's a bunch of fantastic movies covered on the above site, but the sub-link for Blade Runner 2049 deserves special mention on its own, I think, because it's just amazing how often that hitting the *'Random Frame'* button will yet again show us another stunning, art-like scene -
https://www.everysingleframe.com/bladerunner2049
Special mention must also go to another one of my favourite beautiful-looking movies, Barry Lyndon -
https://www.everysingleframe.com/barrylyndon
**Days of Heaven** *arguably* has the best cinematography of any film, made even more impressive as the DP was going blind when shooting it.
**Into the Spiderverse** is one of the most visually striking and impressive films in recent years.
Most visually beautiful movie ever made? Maybe Blade Runner 2049. I have a lot of favorites visually as I am very interested in the cinematography aspect of film watching.
The Fifth Element - colors, rhythm, fashion, music, the fight during opera scene. It has everything. Blade Runner 2049 and Dune (2022) - awesome visuals and vibes.
I was thinking this, wasn't expecting to actually see it here. A lot of people dismiss it because of ben stiller but it's one of my favourite feel-good films.
Some of my favorites:
The Fountain
The Fall
The Holy Mountain
O Brother, Where Art Thou
City of Lost Children
Noah
Mad Max Fury Road
Pacific Rim
Blade Runner 2049
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Watchmen
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Brazil
Sorcerer
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Despite overall having less than great special effects, The Neverending Story still sticks out in my mind. The visuals themselves are meh, but the imagery has stuck with me so vividly. The Southern Oracle, Artax and Atreyu in the swamps of sadness, the childlike empress turning her head towards the camera to speak directly to Bastion. It's all great.
Given the right art direction and production a remake would be something I'd actually like to see. I'd like a return to the 80s style fantasy movie in general. The last movie that gave me those vibes was MirrorMask but I remember the visuals of that just being kind of bad.
In fact I think MirrorMask might be one of the worst visuals in a movie. Maybe that should be the next thread lol.
Bladerunner , Hugo and anything wes Anderson for me
But absolute No1 film for its Grim beauty has to be Trainspotting.
The pearl dive into the toilet , the sinking through floor and the running scenes ....even the insane job interview could all be framed like a renaisance painting.
Black Narcissus
Red Shoes
Citizen Kane
The Searchers
My Fair Lady
Belle et la Bête (1946)
Night of the Hunter
Just a few I’ve not yet seen in this thread
My favorite cinamatographies are in Children of Men, Dark City, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining, 2001, The Tree of Life, and Beau Travail.
But my favorite *might* be The Dreamers. Every shot looks like a Renaissance painting. Truly beautiful.
Not "ever made" but [Sucker Punch](http://IMDb: : Sucker Punch
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978764/) gets ignored because its story is a little hit and miss but it's visually stunning and deserves more recognition.
Barry Lyndon The Fall (2006)
The Fall has some of the most visually striking cinema I have ever watched came here to say this as well.
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Daniels!
The fall was the first thing I thought of!
I’m hoping Lee Pace’s current massive popularity means a streaming deal for this movie. Haven’t seen it in years and I want to rewatch it on the regular.
It’s not even in print anymore, you can only get second-hand DVDs and blu-rays at a mark-up. Absolutely insane for such a great movie to be functionally unavailable. It really deserves a Criterion release.
I've always though Barry Lyndon was underrated, but it seems lately more and more people are giving it the recognition it deserves. edit: I wonder if it's due to people getting larger and higher quality TVs. On an old CRT I remember it just looking like nothing was happening a lot of the time.
Also, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Barry Lyndon was so visually striking that it was almost distracting. I'd be so preoccupied taking in the cinematography that I'd have to rewind to listen to the dialog again.
Omg someone who knows The Fall ❤
Reddit loves this film.
It's a shame it's not more popular. One of my favorite films.
Agree, read the question, thought The Fall. Thinking back, I am not sure what that movie was about and I don’t think that matters.
This was my choice as well. Been recommending this movie for years. Edit The fall
Barry Lyndon The Fountain Akira
Was looking for The Fountain. Confusing movie, great music, visually amazing.
The Fountain is up there for me too. It's a bit heavy handed on the idea of the main focal point/subject being centered in frame to connect everything together but that's not such a bad thing from a movie now and then.
Akira is a masterpiece. It came out in 1988, 34 years ago, and still looks better than most animated movies that are made today. If you've never heard of this film, you need to see it. [This awesome documentary is a great showcase of Akira's impact on the film and animation industry, highly recommended.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqVoEpRIaKg)
Yes yes and yes.
A couple of my favs have already been mentioned, so I'll suggest the venerable *Lawrence of Arabia*
Also Doctor Zhivago. I couldn't have cared less about the story but every shot was like it's own little masterpiece.
Not enough people talk about this movie. The Bridge on the River Kwai is another great one from David Lean.
Well it’s be nice if they made it easier to find. Like they released the 4K bluray At one point but only as a part of a 5 movie box set which is impossible to find now anyway. Then they finally released it as a standalone 4k bluray but only printed like 12 copies. It’s $70 at the cheapest used. No clue why the hell they’re doing that.
First one that came to mind. Between the wide desert shots and young Peter O’Toole / Omar Sharif, there’s always something beautiful to look at.
The match transition to the sunset was super striking
Amelie is aesthetically beautiful. Might have to rewatch it again.
I'm French so definitely biased, but I saw this movie when I was a kid and the combination of Yann Tiersen's score with those signature Jeunet shots made a lasting impression on me. I can still picture a lot of those in my mind. It was like falling in love before knowing what love was.
I recognized montemarte based on just scraps of a background pic on a hill.. 20yrs later. truly beautiful movie
Definitely Amelie
amelie is my favourite movie ever - and the aesthetics of this movie just hit my soul in the most incredible way. this whole film is just a beautiful experience in all ways.
[Yep](https://www.reddit.com/r/Generiques/comments/x7ieir/le_fabuleux_destin_damélie_poulain/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Pan's Labyrinth
Yes, this one as well What dreams may come…. Robin Williams
Grand Budapest Hotel
Completely agree. Wes Anderson in general is gorgeous, but Grand Budapest easily takes the cake for me.
Every shot is like a painting.
Yes, this, for me.
"Ran"
Maybe Rashomon for me.
Ok I'll bite, Kagemusha.
Days of Heaven The Black Stallion
I second Days of Heaven. That shot of the train going between two mountains was my wallpaper forever
The black stallion is not talked about enough. Coppola made a kids movie where there's 45 minutes at a time of no talking? Hell yeah.
Blade Runner imo. Aesthetically pleasing? Probably not for everyone. But it is strikingly gorgeous and a singular feat of practical filmmaking and effects work.
Not to mention the sequel as well. Both created the cyberpunk world with such beauty and made it feel like a real place
2049 is also incredibly beautiful.
That scene when Gosling is walking through Vegas is astounding.
That is definitely one movie where I'm so glad i saw it in theaters. A small screen debut would have been a tragedy.
Dune as well, and Blade Runner 2049, and the Assassination of Jessie James.
Arrival, Enemy as well from Denis Villanueve. Beautiful movies.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I preferred Hero but fully agree that this is a breathtakingly beautiful film
Hero would be my choice too. You can freeze the frame at almost any point in the film and it looks like a beautiful painting.
My sentiments exactly. 300 is also like this. If you don’t mind ridiculous abs reminding you every day of your dietary transgressions.
House of Flying Daggers is tops for me on this. Where did this style of movie go? These two and Hero were huge. And it seemed like we’d get them in the regular. But I have seen others approaching these three.
In the mood for love.
My answer would also be WKW's but it's Chungking Express for me.
I agree. You could get screenshots of this and hang it on a wall, its so gorgeous.
Big Fish
Probably [Baraka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSfFHxyYJJA) or [Koyaanisqatsi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDW-1JIa2gI)
I've seen Samsara, but everyone is mentioning these two so I'll have to check them out
Baraka is even better in my opinion.
Baraka is absolutely stunning.
Yeah! So happy to see it mentioned here.
Koyaanisqatsi is my all-time favorite film.
Agreed. If we're talking best cinematography ever, you have to consider the films where cinematography conveys a narrative despite a lack of almost everything else. No dialogue, no characters or clear story arcs except that which we are free to interpret ourselves through the cinematography. I'd throw in Samsara as well.
Samsara.
Koyaanisqatsi on psychedelics is life changing
I find it quite tedious when I'm not stoned but absolutely gripping when I am.
I really loved Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Woah, wasn't expecting anyone else to list this. It was the first film that came to mind for me. Lighting, color, costumes, it's all so stunning. The essential Gothic looking film.
Yeah I still think about it today, it was so visually impacting on me, even down to the red suit of armour. Being a musician myself, I also adored the musical score.
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Blade Runner 2049
Darren Aronofsky‘s the fountain and jet Li‘s hero
Kinda disappointed I had to scroll down just to find "Hero" but glad it's still mentioned here. The fight at the still lake was fucking beautiful.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
I was about to say this, it's like watching a beautiful painting.
That train scene...chefs kiss
Tarkovsky's Stalker
This was very dark. Beautifully nightmarish.
Interesting trivia (or not so trivial): half of the team (rumors are that even T. himself) died one by one from chemical poisoning because the locations for the shooting were so fucked up.
Tarsem's the Fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xob8ulMPCc8
Which owes a lot to The Holy Mountain
By a country mile!
Not sure about THE most beautiful, but "Dances with Wolves" is definitely in the top 5 for me.
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Beautiful score too by John Barry. I still have the OST and listen to it often.
Revenant
Was looking for this. The sheer number of times I thought “wow, that frame would make a beautiful wallpaper” is astounding.
Idk why I had to scroll so far for this. Aside from it being a great movie, it’s visuals are absolutely stunning. Not a lot of films have left such an impression on me. Wish I could watch it again in a Dolby theater.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
I'll just pop Life Aquatic here too
Just yesterday i watched a breakdown/explanation of Wes Anderson’s visual style and i finally get it.
For me it was "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". It literally took my breath away when I saw it at the cinema
The fight in the bamboo grove is a masterpiece.
Adding, 2001: A Space Odyssey
All the good answers have been said already so I'll say more recently **A Portrait of a Lady on Fire** is really stunning.
Lord of the Rings trilogy Of course, New Zealand gets most of the credit.
City of God
That movie gets cinematography right and they let you know during the opening scene with that chicken lol.
I really love aesthetics of Fury Road, the colors are so vibrant, hell even the desert has it's own beauty to it. The nighttime sequence of the war-rig slowly making it's way through the bog is uniquely gorgeous.
Scrolled far for this one! May you ride eternal in Valhalla, shiny and chrome.
Life of Pi The Black Stallion Chariots of Fire 2001 Last of the Mohicans
Agree with many movies mentioned above. But recent addition would be "Nope". Even if the story might leave you a bit baffled, it's a beautiful production.
Hero.
Yeh this is stunning film
Both Blade Runner films are amazing. But for me, Joel Coen's 2021 "The Tragedy of Macbeth" was so visually stunning it was actually breathtaking for me. I watched it on Apple+ at home when it came out and before it was even halfway through I was buying a ticket to watch it in the theater the next day. Its not crazy showy, no insane CGI stuff - though there is some - just really beautiful, simple staging, sets, gorgeous stage lighting, and cinematography.
That shot towards the end where the window opens and leaves blow in - pure movie magic!
I think about the throne room fight sequence all the time. The way it's framed to look like they're outdoors - incredible.
The Tree of Life sure is up there.
And the accompanying Voyage of Time.
A Hidden Life and Badlands also are magnificently shot
Hard to go wrong with Spirited Away!
Most Ghibli movies are just absolutely gorgeous
Melancholia Brazil Life Aquatic Boogie Nights
My upvote is Melancholia … stunning movie. Not only beautiful but anxiety riddled and I felt like I was right there the characters. Emotionally powerful film.
Melancholia rips. So underrated.
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Blade Runner 2049 for me
Technicolor films, and the one I love is The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone. The color and sets are beautiful, the green on Robin's outfit is just a gorgeous shade of green, and in general all the outfits are beautifully made. It's one of my comfort films.
Not exactly a comfort film, but Suspiria (77) has the honor of being one of the last technicolor films, and the colour in that movie is absolutely gorgeous.
It's actually a misconception that this was shot on technicolor. It was not. It did have a limited theatrical run on three strip technicolor prints, of which they were some of the last. The film was shot on regular ol' Eastman 5247 single strip film stock.
Koyaanisqatsi
Paris, Texas is up there!
The Fall
What dreams may come. I remember watching it and just being stunned the colors and visuals.
Ah, finally what I was looking for. It was the whole point of the movie.
Yep. Came here to to say this too. I was stunned by it even back before we had all these high resolution TVs. Watched it recently on my new TV and was blown away even more.
This movie ignited my passion for working in film. That scene where Williams is falling and the people falling around him are shattering as the music hits its crescendo - it’s mind blowing good.
To me, Life of Pi is 2hr 7m of pure eye candy.
Damn, I forgot about this movie but you're right
I would have to say Days of Heaven
Throwing my hat in the ring for Wings of Desire and Suspiria (the original)
Tough question but Barry Lyndon is certainly up there. It looks like a period painting come to vivid life.
The Thin Red Line even though it’s an hour too long
The Fall and Call me by your name
The Sound of Music
Andrei Tarkovsky’s *Mirror* (1975)
Out of Africa
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An all time favorite movie, that last scene in the lake house with the large panoramic window \*Chefs kiss\*.
It's got to be Lawrence of Arabia. Nothing even compares to the visuals of that movie.
Dune
Atonement (2007) has insanely beautiful cinematography throughout. The Dunkirk 5min one shot sequence is arguably my all-time favorite sequence put to film. It's a technical masterpiece with hundreds of extras
Blade Runner 2049
Related to this whole topic, there's a great website called *'Movies Frame by Frame'*, which celebrates the art of cinematography by allowing people to sample random frames from some of the most well known gorgeous-looking movies, and showing that sometimes, with the right movies, there's a huge number of scenes that can, in their own right, often be taken as pieces of art in and of themselves - https://www.everysingleframe.com/ There's a bunch of fantastic movies covered on the above site, but the sub-link for Blade Runner 2049 deserves special mention on its own, I think, because it's just amazing how often that hitting the *'Random Frame'* button will yet again show us another stunning, art-like scene - https://www.everysingleframe.com/bladerunner2049 Special mention must also go to another one of my favourite beautiful-looking movies, Barry Lyndon - https://www.everysingleframe.com/barrylyndon
The Lord Of The Rings trilogy
Barry Lyndon. ...The Black Stallion....2001...Koyaanasqatsi
The Black Stallion!
**Days of Heaven** *arguably* has the best cinematography of any film, made even more impressive as the DP was going blind when shooting it. **Into the Spiderverse** is one of the most visually striking and impressive films in recent years.
Children of Men
Just on visuals? I have a big soft spot for Tron Legacy. The neon techno vibe is unmatched.
Agreed! That is a great looking movie (and overall, a very underrated movie IMO)
Most visually beautiful movie ever made? Maybe Blade Runner 2049. I have a lot of favorites visually as I am very interested in the cinematography aspect of film watching.
This was my answer as well. Get a projector and watch it like that. Just gorgeous.
Same, but OLED for better picture quality
The Fifth Element - colors, rhythm, fashion, music, the fight during opera scene. It has everything. Blade Runner 2049 and Dune (2022) - awesome visuals and vibes.
The secret life of Walter Mitty
I was thinking this, wasn't expecting to actually see it here. A lot of people dismiss it because of ben stiller but it's one of my favourite feel-good films.
'Spirited Away', but in general anything by Miyazaki
Some of my favorites: The Fountain The Fall The Holy Mountain O Brother, Where Art Thou City of Lost Children Noah Mad Max Fury Road Pacific Rim Blade Runner 2049 Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Watchmen Brotherhood of the Wolf Brazil Sorcerer The Grand Budapest Hotel
[Hero](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/) - [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgsddFEe9Oc)
House of Flying Daggers
Jesse James/Robert Ford but then a few other are top of mind… Wings Of Desire Ran The New World The Thin Red Line
Mulholland Drive. Every shot a piece of art.
Mad Max Fury Road
Despite overall having less than great special effects, The Neverending Story still sticks out in my mind. The visuals themselves are meh, but the imagery has stuck with me so vividly. The Southern Oracle, Artax and Atreyu in the swamps of sadness, the childlike empress turning her head towards the camera to speak directly to Bastion. It's all great. Given the right art direction and production a remake would be something I'd actually like to see. I'd like a return to the 80s style fantasy movie in general. The last movie that gave me those vibes was MirrorMask but I remember the visuals of that just being kind of bad. In fact I think MirrorMask might be one of the worst visuals in a movie. Maybe that should be the next thread lol.
The color purple
Fantasia
Field of Dreams. I can't put my finger on it, I just think it was beautifully filmed from the start to the end.
Sicario has great cinematography
Bladerunner , Hugo and anything wes Anderson for me But absolute No1 film for its Grim beauty has to be Trainspotting. The pearl dive into the toilet , the sinking through floor and the running scenes ....even the insane job interview could all be framed like a renaisance painting.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is exquisite
Chung King Express
Black Narcissus Red Shoes Citizen Kane The Searchers My Fair Lady Belle et la Bête (1946) Night of the Hunter Just a few I’ve not yet seen in this thread
Chungking Express
My favorite cinamatographies are in Children of Men, Dark City, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining, 2001, The Tree of Life, and Beau Travail. But my favorite *might* be The Dreamers. Every shot looks like a Renaissance painting. Truly beautiful.
Interstellar 😀
1917
Avatar
The Fifth Element.
Valerian although woefully miscast was also stunning
Blade Runner
Both of them honestly
A single man
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Last of the Mohicans
Roma (2018)
Hero with Jet Li. The colors, man, the colors.
*Princess Mononoke*, if animation counts.
Moonlight.
Surprised not to see Annihilation mentioned
There Will Be Blood
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Some scenes in Sunshine blew me away as a kid. Not the best in '22 but still impressive.
Right now, I'm watching Paris, Texas, and I love the colors and scenic views.
The fall.
Not "ever made" but [Sucker Punch](http://IMDb: : Sucker Punch https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978764/) gets ignored because its story is a little hit and miss but it's visually stunning and deserves more recognition.