The man who subtly redefined supernatural plots

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Long before teasers became perfect prologues for thrillers, a soft-spoken cinematographer launched his first venture as a director in 1964. The film titled ‘Bhargavinilayam’ – which received an A certificate– seemed to be a forbidden fruit. Rumours spread that a vampire, with long hair and blazing eyes, pierced human flesh with her long nails and sucked blood in the film.
Aloysius Vincent, the gifted bloke he was, didn’t try much to clear the air. Youngsters watched the film secretly and on screen they found a magical title with burning letters instead of grainy ones that flashed like lightning. Instead of a ghost, they saw the spirit of a beautiful young woman chatting with a writer.
She smiled charmingly, wrote letters that oozed poetry and Vincent told a tale of lost love that stirred viewers. Instead of creaky doors and howling winds, they saw objects floating in the air and music streaming in from oblivion.
The film, which deftly combined gothic elements had adeptly redefined the image of a ghost, went on to become one of the greatest hits in Malayalam cinema. The concept of a man chatting with a spirit was brought with much conviction on screen at a time when Malayalam cinema was condemned for its technical inferiority.
“He was a master at creating special effects. I watched the film recently and I was awed in the very same way when I saw it during childhood,” said cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan. When Mani Ratnam wanted Santosh to crank the camera for his masterpiece Iruvar, Santosh spent days with Vincent to recreate the cinematic ambience of 1950s in Tamil cinema.
K G George once remarked that Bhargavinilayam was the first movie in India to make use of a structural design that was unique to Western cinema. Vincent had entrusted the camera to his dear disciple Bhaskar Rao for the film. “Still he was behind each and every shot. He literally made poetry with the design of interiors in black and white. He was the one who made me. He was the teacher who always placed much faith in me,” said Madhu who has acted in many of Vincent’s films.
Vincent always had an eye for unusual subjects, locales and he had respect for women characters. He was spot on finding the perfect house for Bhargavinilayam at an obscure village in Thalassery. In Nadi, he told the stories of families who spent their summer on houseboats in Aluva. He composed frames in such a way that water played a key backdrop to crucial events in Nadi and Triveni. “No one actually believed you could make a film out of it. He had a knack of universalizing themes,” said scriptwriter John Paul.
Vincent was known for his big heart, but he would explode like a volcano in pursuit of perfection. A gentle rub of forefinger on the tip of the nose was a signal of his impending outburst. “Although we had heard that was a volcano at work, I knew him to be a gentle soul. We have always marvelled at the way he created special effects using camera, something we could never do ,” said cinematographer Venu.
Vincent will be buried at the Quibble Island Cemetery at 4 pm after a mass at St Joseph Church in Nungambakkam on Thursday.