~ 50 Great Cinematographers ~

[MysteRy]

35 - John Alton



Alton was responsible for shooting many of the classic film noirs of ‘30s and ‘40s, and was a fan of using unconventional camera angles (see He Walked By Night (1948) and The Big Combo (1955)).

He also wrote a book, Painting With Light, which detailed his unconventional approach to shooting films.

Greatest Achievement: An American In Paris (1951), which won him his only Oscar.

Photo: Director Allan Dwan, Arlene Dahl and cinematographer John Alton on set of Slightly Scarlet (1956)

[MysteRy]

34 - Thomas Mauch



A German filmmaker who has worked with Werner Herzog on numerous occasions, Mauch’s extensive filmography comprises of 98 films as director of photography.

Greatest Achievement: 1972’s Aguirre, The Wrath Of God.

Despite what was, according to all involved, one of the worst movie shoots ever, Mauch succeeded in creating one of the most visually stunning films ever.

[MysteRy]

33 - Michael Chapman



Chapman cut his teeth as a camera operator on films like Jaws (1975) before graduating to cinematographer just in time to work with Martin Scorsese on his phenomenal Taxi Driver (1976).

His work is typified by punchy colouring and contrasts, and he was celebrated for his improvisational skills on set.

Greatest Achievement: There’s no doubt that Taxi Driver looked amazing, but it was Raging Bull (1980) – with the improvised rigs that strapped cameras onto actors – that showed Chapman’s real flare for ingenuity.

[MysteRy]

32 - Gianni di Venanzo



Prolific throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, Venanzo worked with some of the greats of Italian cinema before he died of viral hepatitis aged just 45.

Greatest Achievement: Federico Fellini’s slick, black-and-white 8½ (1963).

Not only does it sound fantastic (Nina Rito croons on the soundtrack), thanks to Venanzo it looks fantastic, too.

Photo: Gianni Di Venanzo with director Michelangelo Antonioni at work on Il grido (1957)

[MysteRy]

31 - Slawomir Idziak



Idziak’s early career is characterised by intimate European films, most notably those of director Krzysztof Kieślowski.

In more recent years, though, Idziak has worked on mainstream films like Black Hawk Down (2001), Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007) and Gattaca (1997).

Greatest Achievement: Three Colours: Blue (1993), a sensory masterpiece that challenges as much as it engages.

[MysteRy]

30 - Raoul Coutard



A filmmaker prominent in the French New Wave, Coutard worked with directors Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut.

His documentary-style lighting and handheld camerawork was emblematic of the New Wave movement.

Greatest Achievement: Though his CV is varied and full of gems, it was Vivre Sa Vie (1962) on which Coutard created a free-hanging ceiling light system that meant Godard could improvise at will.

[MysteRy]

29 - Tonino Delli Colli



Colli shot the first ever colour Italian film in colour in 1952 when he made Totò a colori with director Steno.

His varied CV includes the exceptional likes of 1997's Life Is Beautiful (his last film before his death), Once Upon A Time In America (1984) and controversy-courter Salo (1975).

Greatest Achievement: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966), which kick-started a collaboration with Sergio Leone.

[MysteRy]

28 - Janusz Kaminski



Spielberg’s cinematographer of choice, Kaminski has worked on 13 of his films – including last year’s historical biopic Lincoln (2012).

Greatest Achievement: War stories are Kaminski’s forte, the cinematographer having landed two Oscars for Schindler’s List (1992) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Stylistically, they’re worlds apart – which says a lot for his skill with a lens.

[MysteRy]

27 - Geoffrey Unsworth



After working as a camera assistant, Unsworth graduated to director of photography with 1946 musical The Laughing Lady before becoming a connoisseur of black and white filming – no matter what the genre.

Later, he’d go full colour in style with 1978’s Superman.

Greatest Achievement: He was overlooked by the Academy for his stunning work on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) because it was Stanley Kubrick who got the credit for the film’s visuals.

[MysteRy]

26 - Rudolph Maté



After starting out in film in Hungary, Maté moved to Hollywood in the 1930s to work on films like Laurel and Hardy’s Our Relations (1936) and Stella Dallas (1937).

Greatest Achievement: It was Maté’s early work on Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928) that really impresses.

The film was acclaimed as a landmark moment in filmmaking, not least because of its luscious visuals.

[MysteRy]

25 - Stanley Cortez



Celebrated for his often outrageous (but nonetheless boundary-pushing) experimentation, Cortez caught Orson Welles’ eye with 1941’s The Black Cat, and worked with Welles on the visually stunning (and aptly-titled) The Magnificent Ambersons (1942).

Greatest Achievement: The Night Of The Hunter (1955) drew on German expressionist cinema, most particularly in the motif of irises.

The film’s now lauded as a gorgeously dark thriller, with some of its most memorable images – Shelley Winters’ hair underwater, for instance – credited to Cortez.

Photo: Stanley Cortez and director Fritz Lang at work on Secret Beyond the Door (1948)

[MysteRy]

24 - Hal Mohr



After studying European filmmaking following the First World War, Mohr translated and developed a lot of European concepts to Hollywood cinema.

His love of symbolism and shallow lighting ensured films like A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) and Phantom Of The Opera (1943) were moody and absorbing.

Greatest Achievement:
* The Jazz Singer (1927), the first ever talkie.

* In 1935, Hal Mohr became the first and only person to win an Academy Award without officially being nominated. He won Best Cinematography, via a write-in vote, for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

[MysteRy]

23 - Jordan Cronenweth



Esteemed by the International Cinematographers Guild as one of the 10 most influential cinematographers ever, Cronenweth’s illustrious career included the varied likes of Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Altered States (1980) and a number of U2 documentaries.

Greatest Achievement: Undoubtedly Blade Runner (1982).

Cronenweth and Ridley Scott were a match made in sci-fi heaven, blushing a future world in noir shadows and blasting rain.

Photo: Jordan Cronenweth, and Harrison Ford on the set of Blade Runner.

[MysteRy]

22 - Nestor Almendros



A favourite of director François Truffaut, Almendros began working with the New Wave filmmaker when two of his short films were banned in Cuba, where he’d lived since his teens.

Greatest Achievement: Terrence Malick's Days Of Heaven (1978) set him up in Hollywood in 1978.

He got on particularly well with Malick because of the director’s love of natural lighting.

Photo: Néstor Almendros, François Truffaut on the set of L'enfant sauvage (1970).

[MysteRy]

21 - Ted McCord



Influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt, there are echoes of master cinematographer Greg Toland in McCord’s work, probably because Toland mentored him.

Greatest Achievement: McCord’s love of gothic shadows is never more evident than in The Sound Of Music (1965), an opulent (if admittedly sentimental) masterpiece.

Photo: Director John Huston and Ted McCord resulted in the visually striking The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). This is their only collaboration.