Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the 1962 thriller Cape Fear is one of the most aesthetically daring films ever made by a Hollywood studio, a dizzying flurry of twists, quick camera movements and unconventional camera angles designed to convey the emotional states of characters who are dysfunctional at best (the Bowden family, played by Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis), and at worst, psychotic. (Robert De Niro’s famous villain Max Cady).
That Scorsese is able to maintain sustained visual energy and ambition for two hours is nothing short of amazing, making the feat of Apple’s new Cape Fear even more impressive; following Scorsese’s example of being fearless, he also ramps up the visual stylization far beyond what most TV shows or movies would dare, only he has to do it over the course of 10 one-hour episodes. Under the direction of series creator Nick Antosca (“The Act,” “Family Friend”), Cape Fear’s alternate cinematographers, Celiana Cardenas and Eben Bolter, adopt some of Scorsese’s techniques but develop a visual language to create a “Cape Fear” that stands on its own and rarely repeats itself.
“What I love about the show is that each episode is unique,” Cardenas told IndieWire, noting that Antoska’s expansion of the original story—which keeps viewers guessing as to Cady’s intentions and the guilt or innocence of various characters throughout the series—allows her to express different ideas as our perception of and identification with the main characters changes from one episode to the next. “It was important to understand the tone of each episode—where the characters are and whether the camera should be objective or more subjective.”
In the show’s latest episode, Cardenas was able to take the idea of a subjective camera as far as she could have imagined, thanks to a development starring Max Cady – or is it someone else? — puts acid in the Bowden family’s drinks. Cardenas spoke with episode director Trey Edward Schultz about how to properly illustrate the Bowdens’ point, and settled on a number of devices that could alter reality without becoming too self-conscious.
“When you have an acid trip, the first thing that comes to mind is using all sorts of crazy things to distort your image,” Cardenas said. “But I think what happens to the family is more internal than visual.” To convey the family’s inner turmoil, Cardenas settled on a series of devices that were subtle but significant in terms of changing the optics of the series. “The whole series was shot with Atlas Mercury lenses, and we have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. I said, ‘Why don’t we go for something softer and a little dreamier?'”
Celiana Cardenas, AMCC. Courtesy of Apple.
To that end, Cardenas switched from Atlas lenses to vintage 1960s Super Baltars and gradually shifted the aspect ratio from 2.35 to a more vertically oriented frame—the letterbox-size image that audiences have become accustomed to begins to fill most of the HDTV screen when the acid trip begins.
“Maybe you only feel it subconsciously, but I think that’s enough,” Cardenas said, adding that there was another step in changing the show’s visual language for the acid episode: finding a way to show what she described as the feverish quality that was raging inside the characters’ heads.
This feverish feeling comes partly from the plot: it’s summer and the Bouders’ air conditioning is broken. “I wanted to take that feverish feeling and put it on camera,” Cardenas said. “I came up with the idea for these highlights, starting with blue and yellow and ending with orange.”
Cardenas said she took cues from actors who discussed how their characters felt during an acid trip. “We were all working together thinking the same thing.”
For Cardenas, collaborating with actors is crucial because it gives them the space in which they can freely do their best work. “I try to give the actors as much freedom as possible, and of course it’s difficult to give them 360 degrees in which they and the directors can move,” Cardenas said. “But how many films have we seen where the camera might be a little out of focus or the shot might not be quite right, but it doesn’t matter because the acting is amazing? The acting and the story are the most important thing.”
Cape Fear is currently streaming on Apple TV.