Top Lighting in Godfather

In a previous post, I mentioned that top lighting can lend a dramatic effect to a character by concealing his eyes. Since the eyes are the chief agents of expression, the character's thoughts are left in doubt.

A good example is the lighting on Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, in The Godfather.

(Video Link) The director of photography for the film, Gordon Willis used it in several scenes, and he also underexposed the film. 

Willis explains that he needed to use overhead lighting to bring out Brando's unique makeup. "I got a lot of criticism," Willis admits, "because they said, well, you can't see Brando's eyes....You saw this mysterious human being thinking about something, or about to do something, but you didn't really know what the hell was going on." 

Previously on GurneyJourney: Top Lighting