Wim Wenders - a tribute to
Henri Alekan

Director of Photography
Born on February 10th 1909 in Paris, France
Died on June 15th in Auxerre, Bourgogne, France

Dear Henri.

Whenever I am asked
which professional collaboration I have cherished the most,
during the 20 films or so that I have done,
or what I am the most proud of from that entire time,
I never hesitate to say:
The two films I had the privilege of shooting with Henri Alekan.

I have learned from you all that I know about lights and shadows,
that's for sure,
but much more than that.
You showed me something unbelievable,
somebody that nobody would even dare to say,
let alone teach,
the most beautiful lesson of cinema:
Every shot done without love,
for its subjects or for film itself,
isn't worth a dime.

Yes, you taught me that,
but probably without being aware of it.
You were the living proof
that every gesture, every little act of our craft,
could be done with tenderness and care.
And with curiosity.

I still see you standing next to the camera,
full of never-ending enthusiasm,
always a smile on your face,
your eyes those of a big kid's…
I see you putting your heads together,
you and your marvellous friend and long-time collaborator,
your gaffer Louis Cochet,
with whom you worked together for sixty years!
You didn't even have to talk about the light,
just a few indications with your hands,
a couple of nods,
and off he went running,
eighty years old,
but younger than all the other electricians on the set
at their age of thirty or forty…

I see you measure the light
just by squinting your eyes.
You trusted them more than your spot-meter.

I see you and it all comes back to me:
YOU yourself,
You were the most beautiful lesson of cinema.

Dear Henri.

Wim Wenders and Henri Alekan receiving the
Gilde Prize in Berlin, 1988 for "Wings of Desire"

Henri Alekan and Louis Cochet on the set of 'Wings of Desire'

The following interview with Henri Alekan by Richard Raskin was published in French and under the title "Si tant est qu'il existe des anges réels" in (Pré)publications 141 (November 1993), pp. 41-58. Translation by Richard Raskin.

"If There Is Such a Thing as Real Angels."

Henri Alekan Biography

The State of Things

Wings of Desire

Far Away, So Close

 

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