Slawomir Idziak, the Polish cinematographer of the latest Harry Potter movie, The Order of the Phoenix', has won acclaim for his contribution to the summer blockbuster.
The New York Times noted that the outstanding strengths of the film were the production design and the cinematography, which were "frequently astonishing in their aptness and sophistication."
Commenting on the previous film's dark aura, another paper added that Idziak had taken 'that darkness to a whole new level."
Given the famed Polish tendency towards the gothic, it seems that Idziak was the right man for the movie. The 52 year old first grabbed the film world's attention as Krzysztof Kieslowski's cameraman in A Short Film About Killing. In that film, Idziak's signature use of coloured filters greatly enhanced the film's haunting quality. In more recent times he has shot Andrew Niccol's Gattaca and Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Dawn.
Slawomir Idziak is one of several Polish cinematographers to have made it internationally, most of them graduates from the Lodz film school. Janusz Kaminski shot Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, and Witold Sobocinski worked regularly with Roman Polanski.
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