Legendary cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins (“The Assassination of Jesse James,” “Sicario,” “Skyfall”) has weighed in on this year’s Oscar race for the category he’s nominated in.
Speaking to Deadline at the British consul general’s reception, he says several films which had the best cinematography last year are missing from this year’s Oscars list.
When asked what film had the best cinematography last year, he says it was one that “hasn’t been nominated” before going on to say:
“It’s The Batman. That’s the best work in my view. The reason it wasn’t is pure and simple: snobbery. There’s this unfair tendency to avoid the Marvel universe and the other popular universes.”
Famed lenser Greig Fraser, who also shot “Rogue One” and “Lion,” handled the cinematography on “The Batman”. Deakins also singled out Claudio Miranda who served as director of photography on “Top Gun: Maverick”:
“[Maverick] is another one that was shut out. It comes down to the work. Good work is good work whatever the genre.”
Frasier won the Oscar last year for his work on “Dune: Part One” and Miranda won his over a decade ago for “Life of Pi”.
Deakins himself won for both “1917” and “Blade Runner 2049,” and is nominated again this year for “Empire of Light” which will compete with “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” “Elvis” and “Tar”.
The Oscars air tonight.
