Do we dream in color?  The experts say 80% of the time we do.  The artists who worked in this medium not only enhanced the films they participated in but elevated the art form itself.  So, with these lofty words, I give you “The Twenty Greatest Films in Color” (Cinematography).

In no particular order…

1. “2001” (1968)  Geoffrey Unsworth.  Visually, this landmark film cannot be overestimated.
2. “Apocalypse Now” (1979)  Vittorio Storaro.  Filmed by the Italian maestro, this surrealistic Jungian jungle journey is a stunner.
3. “The Godfather” (1972)  Gordon Willis.  Executives were alarmed when they saw how dark Willis had lit the film.  He changed cinema forever.
4. “Black Narcissus” (1947)  Jack Cardiff.  Made on a sound stage, Cardiff convinces us they are in the Himalayas.  Amazing…
5. “Wild at Heart” (1990)  Frederick Elmes.  Even more visually astonishing than “Blue Velvet”, Lynch’s frequent collaborator creates a hellish road comedy for the ages.
6. “The Last Emperor” (1987)  Vittorio Storaro.  Filming in the actual forbidden city, Soraro paints a complex and illuminating portrait of China.
7. “The French Connection” (1971)  Owen Roizman.  The menace of the New York streets pulsates thru Roizman’s lens.
8. “E.T.” (1982)  Allen Daviau.  Delicate and textured, the cinematography is surprisingly underrated.
9. “Rear Window” (1954)  Robert Burks.  The camera is literally a character in this precise, yet mesmerizing work.
10. “Taxi Driver” (1976)  Michael Chapman.  This Dostoevsky like-tale casts a neon glow to the inferno in which the main character is engulfed.
11. “American Graffiti”  (1973)  Haskell Wexler.  Filmed almost entirely at nighttime, Wexler paints a vibrant world of cool cars and cool cats.
12. “The Day of the Locust” (1975)  Conrad Hall.  By desaturating the color scheme, Hall creates images that suggest Goya.
13. “McCabe and Mrs. Miller” (1971)  Vilmos Zsigmond.  Like a beautiful painting, Zsigmond’s camera captures the stunning beauty of nature, contrasting with the monstrous actions of man.
14. “Days of Heaven” (1978)  Nestor Almendros.  Nature and man clash in this pictorial masterpiece.
15. “Fanny and Alexander” (1983)  Sven Nykvist.  Bergman’s longtime cinematographer creates some beautiful imagery in his final work.
16. “Catch 22” (1970)  David Watkin.  This famous English cinematographer brought a surrealism to this failed Hollywood attempt at a literary classic.
17. “Barry Lyndon” (1975)  John Alcott.  A watershed of cinematography using candlelight, Alcott made a living painting come to life.
18. “Goodfellas” (1990)  Michael Ballhaus.  Red is the dominant color in this brilliant film, signifying both their delicious meals and their countless killings.
19. “Do the Right Thing” (1989)  Ernest Dickerson.  In this modern day urban “Our Town”, Dickerson tones match the ambitions of the young director.
20. “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)  Freddie Francis.  The desert was definitely a collaborator under the poetic eye of Mr. Francis.