Cinematographer wins posthumous Oscar

Cinematographer Conrad Hall won a posthumous Oscar for his work on Road to Perdition. Actress Julia Roberts put her hand over her heart when she announced his name.

Hall died of bladder cancer in January aged 76. It was his third victory from 10 nominations.

Considered an expert in the use of light, Hall filmed nearly three dozen movies in a career that stretched over 50 years. He also won Oscars for 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1999’s American Beauty.

Born and raised in Tahiti, Hall was the son of James Norman Hall, co-author of the novels Mutiny on the Bounty and The Hurricane.

“His body and his mind may have been here in America making movies, telling stories, but deep down his heart was with the Tahitians,” said his son, Conrad W Hall, who followed his father into cinematography.

The younger Hall said he joined his father’s profession as a way for them to spend more time together.

“When we got to work on films together, he became the man that I always wanted him to be,” Hall said backstage at the Kodak Theatre. “I would never have traded my father for any other father in the world.”