One of the preeminent American cinematographer of the 1970s, Vilmos Zsigmond (1930–2016) was the D.P. of choice for directors seeking a visual style of poetic realism. Robert Altman, Michael Cimino, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg were among the directors who were drawn to Zsigmond’s ability to create indelible, larger-than-life images, with radiant lighting and vividly textured compositions. He was a quintessential “See it Big” director who used the movie screen as a canvas for his astonishing work.

See It Big! is an ongoing series organized by Reverse Shot editors Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert, Chief Curator David Schwartz, and Associate Film Curator Eric Hynes.