In 1977 British cinematographer Roger Deakins embarked on a career that has spanned more than forty years, working on some of the greatest films in our lifetimes. In his seventies now, Deakins composed Reflections as a look back at his life and work, discussing his personal experiences, his technique, and a life of adventures alongside beautiful photographs that range from the real depths of Africa to visions of a cyberpunk future.
Simply put, Reflections is a gorgeous book. Color photographs decorate and instruct throughout the pages, demonstrating Deakins’ technique and art. Chapters span his career, from the early African documentary films to more recent award-winning works such as Blade Runner 2049 and 1917. Fans of the Coen Brothers will enjoy the retrospectives given on their films, such as famous successes Fargo and No Country for Old Men, as well as lesser-known (but arguably equally excellent) art films Barton Fink and The Man Who Wasn’t There. Thoughtful quotes from an array of sources accompany the pages, drawing from fellow filmmakers (“Film is a reflection of the world we live in, not an escape from it.” — director Sam Peckinpah), books (“You go away for a long time and return a different person—you never come all the way back.” — Paul Theroux in Dark Star Safari), and script from the films themselves (“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.” — from The Shawshank Redemption).
Like most autobiographies, Deakins begins with his parents’ backgrounds before diving into his childhood inspirations, studies, and first films. The early movies, while not reaching the artistic heights to be described later in Reflections, are still fascinating to read about. Here we have the young cinematographer taking his first steps in the industry: from an adaptation of a de Sade novel (Justine, made into the 1977 film Cruel Passion) to a documentary on the open sea (Around the World with Ridgway) and footage of war-torn Zimbabwe (Chimurenga—The War in Zimbabwe).
The second part of Reflections opens with Deakins’ initial collaboration with the Coen Brothers, on 1991’s Barton Fink. Fink was a winner of the Palme d’Or, one of the most prestigious awards in film. Here begins the long-time partnership with the Coens, interspersed with other remarkable films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Kundun, and Jarhead. Later, Deakins began working with animated pictures such as How to Train Your Dragon and Rango.
This book will be of obvious value for the student of cinematography and the film buff. The general reader will have much to enjoy, though some of the terms do get, necessarily, a bit technical. Easily understood observations on the filming process often lead into detailed (but not prolonged) discussions of lighting equipment. Lively stories of working onset and interacting with great actors, actresses, and directors will be more of interest to the general reader; skipping the more technical sections in the text may be recommended. One might also note the increasing sparsity in personal details as the book progresses. This may only be natural: the artist, Deakins, has become successful, and so integrated into his work that his art (the films) has effectively become his life.
Carl Jung remarked in his 1928 seminar on dream analysis that films are superior to any other art form in the ability to depict the nighttime dream: “[movies] are able to produce amazing symbols to show the collective unconscious, since their methods of presentation are so unlimited.” In Reflections we have a master of dreams walking through the history of his personal craft, sharing his knowledge with us. In this scope we have the taste of the unlimited, the vast art of the presentation. It must be kept in mind that a dream is not a disconnect from reality, but another angle of reality. As Deakins himself says, “I am usually drawn to character studies, scripts about real people and the world we live in, not some fantasy.”
Films save the dreams of the past, dreams that take on eternal meaning. In Kundun the character of the Dalai Lama quotes Buddhist philosopher Shantideva: “Just like a dream experience, whatever things I enjoy will become a memory. Whatever is past will not be seen again.” For Deakins, the art of the film is our chance to see again.
NONFICTION
Reflections: On Cinematography
By Roger Deakins
Grand Central Publishing
Published November 11, 2025
