# What is the best film shot by Gordon Willis?

> The Prince of Darkness lit gangster epics, neurotic New York comedies and paranoid thrillers with the same fearless command of shadow. From sepia-soaked sagas to stark black-and-white, which frame wins? Cast your vote!

*By YPB Team · Published June 19, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-film-shot-by-gordon-willis*

---

## Current results (3 votes)

1. **The Godfather** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 crime epic, famed for Willis's shadowy, amber-toned 'prince of darkness' lighting.
2. **The Godfather Part II** — 0% (0 votes · score 724/1000)
   Coppola's 1974 sequel, where Willis's sepia period scenes and chiaroscuro deepened the saga's visual language.
3. **The Parallax View** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 611/1000)
   Pakula's 1974 paranoia thriller, noted for Willis's bold compositions and ominous use of negative space.
4. **Zelig** — 0% (0 votes · score 597/1000)
   Allen's 1983 mockumentary, where Willis painstakingly recreated vintage newsreel and photographic styles.
5. **Interiors** — 0% (0 votes · score 596/1000)
   Allen's austere 1978 drama, lit by Willis in cool, muted tones echoing Ingmar Bergman.
6. **The Godfather Part III** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   The 1990 conclusion to the trilogy, with Willis returning to complete the family's operatic saga.
7. **Pennies from Heaven** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   The 1981 musical drama whose lavish, painterly imagery earned Willis an Oscar nomination.
8. **Klute** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Alan J. Pakula's 1971 neo-noir thriller, an early showcase of Willis's daring use of darkness and shadow.
9. **All the President's Men** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   The 1976 Watergate thriller, where Willis used deep focus and stark fluorescent light to evoke newsroom realism.
10. **Presumed Innocent** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Pakula's 1990 legal thriller starring Harrison Ford, given a tense, shadowed look by Willis.
11. **Broadway Danny Rose** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Allen's 1984 comedy shot in grainy black-and-white, a warm character study lensed by Willis.
12. **Manhattan** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   Allen's 1979 black-and-white love letter to New York, among Willis's most celebrated cinematography.
13. **Annie Hall** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   Woody Allen's 1977 romantic comedy, lit by Willis with naturalistic intimacy that won Best Picture.
14. **The Purple Rose of Cairo** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   Allen's 1985 fantasy about a film character stepping off the screen, glowingly photographed by Willis.

Tags: movies, classics, cinematography, gordon willis