Jack Fisk: An American Cinematheque Retrospective

ABOUT THE SERIES  

Movie magic is a term frequently used but seldom understood. Who creates the magic: a director, an ensemble of actors, a cinematographer, or an editor? Perhaps. Yet the most unsung architect of movie magic is the production designer; a custodian of our collective perceptions.

Jack Fisk is a master of the magic, using his training in painting and sculpture to create a film’s visual rhythm; revealing the unsaid through disguised optical elements. Known for his ambitious sets, often built from scratch or laboriously remodeled to match historical exactitude, Fisk has found himself at the helm of Hollywood’s greatest sites.

He has built lavish worlds for Terrence Malick (DAYS OF HEAVEN, BADLANDS), Paul Thomas Anderson (THE MASTER, THERE WILL BE BLOOD), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (THE REVENANT), and now, Martin Scorsese (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON). He’s tossed torpedo levels in exchange for turn-of-the-century blueprints; traded in tape measures for branches; and built entire Victorian homes in under a month. It is safe to say if he were an actor, he would be method.

Join the American Cinematheque in welcoming Jack Fisk as we tour the meticulously constructed wilds of his career.