It's an honour to bring you a chat with one of the greatest living cinematographers, the legendary Dante Spintotti (cinematographer of THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS & HEAT). In this bombshell laden discussion, Dante and I discuss joining the film four weeks into production; his contribution to the film's aesthetic and constructing the titanic face-off between Magua (Wes Studi) and Chingachgook (Russell Means).
Dante Spinotti was born in Tolmezzo, Udine, in the northeastern Italian Region of Friuli. He began his career at RAI (Italian T.V.), before that he spent a lot of time in Kenia as cinematographer for his uncle. In 1985, producer
Dino De Laurentiis offered him a chance to work in the USA for the first time with
Michael Mann for the feature
Manhunter (1986). From that experience, Spinotti became one of the most appreciated cinematographers in Hollywood. His particular vision gives a movie a great sense of reality. Among his works are
The Last of the Mohicans (1992) (Academy Nomination),
Heat (1995),
L.A. Confidential (1997) (Academy Nomination),
The Insider (1999) (Academy Nomination), and
Wonder Boys (2000). He married his wife Marcella, and they live in Los Angeles, Rome, and Tolmezzo.