Dick Pope dies, aged 77

Dick Pope
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British cinematographer Dick Pope, long-time collaborator of Mike Leigh, had died, itā€™s been announced. A very sad loss.


Some really awful news to wake up to this morning. Cinematographer Dick Pope has died at the age of 77. Ahead of the filming of what turned out to be his final movie, Hard Truths, Pope said heā€™d recently he’d undergone heart surgery.

Hard Truths – and it’s a superb film – has thus proven to be his final collaboration with writer/director Mike Leigh, and the pair have been at the heart of some of British cinema’s most notable films. They came together on 1990’s Life Is Sweet, and were regular collaborators from that point onwards.

Pope also, across a career that stretched nearly 50 years, worked with filmmakers such as Mike Newell, John Sayles, Gurinder Chadha, Christopher McQuarrie, Richard Linklater and Barry Levinson.

The news of his passing came from an announcement from the British Society Of Cinematographers. It wrote in a statement that “Dick had a reputation for being a wonderful collaborator and someone who was passionate about the artform of Cinematography. He was keen to embrace new technologies and ideas while also ensuring the skills and crafts of those that came before him werenā€™t lost.”

Dick Pope also recorded a couple of terrific conversations with James and Roger Deakins for the Team Deakins podcast. In those episodes, Pope explores his fascinating career and the many projects he worked on. Here’s the first of those chats.

Hard Truths arrives in UK cinemas in January 2025, and is already being talked about as a strong candidate for this year’s awards season. It’s such sad news that the person who shot the movie isn’t going to be able to see it get the acclaim it deserves.

Rest is peace, Dick Pope. Our thoughts are very much with his friends and family.

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