Biografía y filmografía

John Alton

John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period. He started out in Los Angeles as a lab technician in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman within four years. He moved to France with Ernst Lubitsch to film backgrounds for The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and ended up staying for one year heading the camera department of Paramount Pictures's Joinville Studios. In 1932 he moved to Argentina where he shot many Spanish-language films and designed the country's first sound film studio for Lumiton and Argentina Sono Film.

He returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s, with two dozen film credits, and became one of the most sought after cinematographers in American cinema.

Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. His style is most notable in the film noirs: He Walked by Night, The Big Combo, The Amazing Mr. X, T-Men, and Raw Deal.

Alton also photographed many color movies including Slightly Scarlet (a color film noir).

Fotos

Películas (103)

'S Wonderful: Creating An American in Paris

2008 · Self (archival footage)

Mystery Street: Murder at Harvard

2007

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light

2006 · Self

Glorious Technicolor

1998 · Self (archive footage)

Dark and Deadly: Fifty Years of Film Noir

1995 · Self

Birdman of Alcatraz

1962 · Director of Photography

Elmer Gantry

1960 · Director of Photography

12 to the Moon

1960 · Director of Photography

Lonelyhearts

1959 · Director of Photography

The Brothers Karamazov

1958 · Director of Photography

Designing Woman

1957 · Director of Photography

The Teahouse of the August Moon

1957 · Director of Photography

Tea and Sympathy

1956 · Director of Photography

The Catered Affair

1956 · Director of Photography

Slightly Scarlet

1956 · Director of Photography

Tennessee's Partner

1955 · Director of Photography

Pearl of the South Pacific

1955 · Director of Photography

Escape to Burma

1955 · Director of Photography

The Big Combo

1955 · Director of Photography

The Steel Cage

1954 · Director of Photography

Cattle Queen of Montana

1954 · Director of Photography

Passion

1954 · Director of Photography

Silver Lode

1954 · Director of Photography

Witness to Murder

1954 · Director of Photography

Duffy of San Quentin

1954 · Director of Photography

Take the High Ground!

1953 · Director of Photography

I, the Jury

1953 · Director of Photography

Count the Hours!

1953 · Director of Photography

Battle Circus

1953 · Cinematography

Apache War Smoke

1952 · Director of Photography

Washington Story

1952 · Director of Photography

Talk About a Stranger

1952 · Director of Photography

An American in Paris

1951 · Additional Photography

The People Against O'Hara

1951 · Director of Photography

Father's Little Dividend

1951 · Director of Photography

Grounds for Marriage

1951 · Director of Photography

Devil's Doorway

1950 · Director of Photography

Mystery Street

1950 · Director of Photography

Father of the Bride

1950 · Director of Photography

Captain China

1950 · Director of Photography

Border Incident

1949 · Director of Photography

Reign of Terror

1949 · Director of Photography

Red Stallion In The Rockies

1949 · Director of Photography

The Crooked Way

1949 · Director of Photography

He Walked by Night

1949 · Director of Photography

Hollow Triumph

1948 · Director of Photography

The Amazing Mr. X

1948 · Director of Photography

Canon City

1948 · Director of Photography

Raw Deal

1948 · Director of Photography