Jose Ferrer as the Count Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in fin de siècle Paris: What Huston's romanticized biography lacks in compelling plotline it makes up for in stunning design. Cinematographer Oswald Morris had waged fierce battles with the Technicolor consultants who were contractually required to advise on every film made with their process. His soft diffused look, echoing the palette and texture of Toulouse-Lautrec's work, was at odds with Technicolor's insistence on crisp, bold colors. Tensions with Technicolor ran so high that Morris received a letter from the company disclaiming any responsibility for the look of the film. John Huston's response to Technicolor's consultant-“so, fuck her!”-let Morris take Hollywood color lighting and filter work in a new direction. His design of Toulouse-Lautrec's suicide attempt set the standard for psychological nuance. The shocker is that Morris's cinematography was never even nominated for an Academy Award. (But then this was the year the Academy gave Singin' in the Rain the brush.)