The sun sets every single day, without delays or interruptions. It’s all just part of the universe’s natural cycle that we don’t pay much attention to, and maybe even take for granted sometimes. Still, few things are as naturally beautiful or inherently awe-inspiring as sunsets, either. At face value, they’re just really pleasant to look at, but on a deeper level sunsets contain the power to evoke a range of emotions. And if you’re lucky enough to take a picture of a sunset in all its natural splendor and upload it to Instagram, your social media will be the best around that day.
Naturally, sunsets also lend themselves perfectly to art and visual media. As feasts for our eyes, few images are as striking, which makes them irresistible to some creators looking to grab our attention. However, sunsets can also be interpreted symbolically; perhaps to mark the end of a journey, a passage of time, or an era, for example. In some instances, they also signify danger due to the arrival of imminent darkness and danger. The next time you’re looking at the sun going down and admiring its beauty, please bear in mind that vampires will be waking up and preparing for a night of feasting on your fellow members of humankind. That being said, sunsets are so cool that the risk of being eaten is worth it.
Filmmakers clearly understand the appeal of sunsets, though, hence why they’ve used them time and time again to enhance their works in a variety of ways. And given that images of sunsets have contributed so much to the art of cinema, we decided it was time to honor them. Obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive collection of all the incredible sunset shots out there, but we have selected forty-five favorites that showcase filmmaking at its most visually spectacular and evocative. Additionally, this is the only list we’ve published where comedies about amateur stuntmen can co-exist alongside gory horror fare, prestige historical dramas, and sci-fi epics without seeming out of place. That unlikely unity alone makes sunsets worth praising.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
DP: Alan Hume ⏐ Director: Richard Marquand
War Horse (2011)
DP: Janusz Kamiński ⏐ Director: Steven Spielberg
Dersu Uzala (1975)
DP: Asakazu Nakai, Fyodor Dobronravov & Yuriy Gantman ⏐ Director: Akira Kurosawa
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
DP: Sven Nykvist ⏐ Director: Ingmar Bergman
Flesh and Blood (1985)
DP: Jan de Bont ⏐ Director: Paul Verhoeven
The Monster Squad (1987)
DP: Bradford May ⏐ Director: Fred Dekker
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)
DP: Toyomichi Kurita ⏐ Director: Takashi Miike
King Kong (2005)
DP: Andrew Lesnie ⏐ Director: Peter Jackson
Harold & Maude (1971)
DP: John A. Alonzo ⏐ Director: Hal Ashby
The Zero Theorem (2013)
DP: Nicola Pecorini ⏐ Director: Terry Gilliam
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
DP: Freddie Young ⏐ Director: David Lean
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
DP: Dan Mindel ⏐ Director: J.J. Abrams
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
DP: Bill Pope ⏐ Director: Sam Raimi
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
DP: Daniel Pearl ⏐ Director: Tobe Hooper
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
DP: Massimo Dallamano ⏐ Director: Sergio Leone
Tales from Earthsea (2007)
Director: Gorō Miyazaki
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
DP: Dean Cundey ⏐ Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
The Rock (1996)
DP: John Schwartzman ⏐ Director: Michael Bay
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
DP: Douglas Slocombe ⏐ Director: Steven Spielberg
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
DP: Sharon Calahan, Mahyar Abousaeedi⏐ Director: Peter Sohne
Vampires (1998)
DP: Gary B. Kibbe ⏐ Director: John Carpenter
Days of Heaven (1978)
DP: Néstor Almendros ⏐ Director: Terrence Mallick
Domino (2005)
DP: Daniel Mindel Christensen ⏐ Director: Tony Scott
Hercules (1997)
DP: Rasoul Azadani ⏐ Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Tombstone (1993)
DP: William A. Fraker ⏐ Director: George P. Cosmatos
Before Midnight (2013)
DP: Christos Voudouris ⏐ Director: Richard Linklater
Hot Rod (2007)
DP: Andrew Dunn ⏐ Director: Akiva Schaffer
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
DP: Gilbert Taylor ⏐ Director: George Lucas
Jurassic Park (1993)
DP: Dean Cundey ⏐ Director: Steven Spielberg
Easy Rider (1969)
DP: László Kovács ⏐ Director: Dennis Hopper
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
DP: Guillermo Navarro ⏐ Director: Robert Rodriguez
Unforgiven (1992)
DP: Jack N. Green ⏐ Director: Clint Eastwood
Sicario (2015)
DP: Roger Deakins ⏐ Director: Denis Villeneuve
The Green Ray (1986)
DP: Sophie Maintigneux ⏐ Director: Eric Rohmer
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
DP: Douglas Slocombe ⏐ Director: Steven Spielberg
Walkabout (1971)
DP & Director: Nicolas Roeg
Titanic (1997)
DP: Russell Carpenter ⏐ Director: James Cameron
Apocalypse Now (1979)
DP: Vittorio Storaro ⏐ Director: Francis Ford Coppola
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
DP: Roger Deakins ⏐ Director: Andrew Dominik
Armageddon (1998)
DP: John Schwartzman ⏐ Director: Michael Bay
Gone with the Wind (1939)
DP: Ernest Haller ⏐ Director: Victor Fleming
Badlands (1973)
DP: Tak Fujimoto, Brian Probyn, Stevan Larner ⏐ Director: Terrence Malick
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
DP: Andrew Lesnie ⏐ Director: Peter Jackson
E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (1982)
DP: Allan Daviau ⏐ Director: Steven Spielberg
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
DP: John Seale ⏐ Director: George Miller
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