On the Stunning Visuals in The Power of the Dog

“The incredible natural landscapes of The Power of the Dog provide an unsettlingly beautiful backdrop to Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. Nary a frame in Western tragedy, shot by fast-rising [Australian] cinematographer Ari Wegner, feels difficult to look at – the blood on a stalk of wheat, a Hula-Hoop twirling in the dark of the night – even as each functions as a kind of ominous sign to come,” David Canfield writes for Vanity Fair.

Campion and Wegner discuss “a handful of definitive shots” with Canfield, which were captured during the making of the movie.

“Finding ways to evoke beauty while complementing the often brutal narrative was always the main balance to find,” Canfield writes.

“‘It looks real. It feels real. And what’s going on in the drama is allowed to be leant on and believed,’ Campion explains.”

Original article by David Canfield, Vanity Fair, December 10, 2021.

Photo by Kirsty Griffin/Netflix.