What is key, for me and a lot of other cinematographers, is a love of cinema, which allows us to adapt to being supervised by different directors, each of which generates his own universe. – Pierre Lhomme

Pierre Lhomme (b. 1930) began his film career in the mid-1950s as an assistant to two master cinematographers: Henri Alekan and Ghislain Cloquet. His early career advanced in parallel to that of Alain Cavalier, whom he’d met during his military service. Lhomme filmed Cavalier’s 1958 short An American and his first feature, Le combat dans l’île. Shortly thereafter, he received a phone call from Chris Marker, who asked him to shoot the film that became Le Joli Mai, thus initiating a profound friendship and professional collaboration.

Lhomme went on to work with a number of emerging French directors – Jean Eustache, Patrice Chéreau, Bertrand Blier – as well as one film each with established masters Robert Bresson and Jean-Pierre Melville. As his reputation spread internationally, he would also work with Dusan Makavejev and, several times, with James Ivory. Although much of his work features naturalist lighting, he has proved himself adept at any number of kinds of filmmaking, from Marker’s in-the-streets documentary to Merchant-Ivory costume drama.

The HFA is excited to welcome Pierre Lhomme here to accompany screenings of Le Joil Mai and Army of Shadows. — David Pendleton