Cinematographer John Alton

Born Johann Altmann in 1901 in what is now Hungary, John Alton started out in 1924 working in the lab at MGM studios.  After a few years, he left MGM and traveled abroad to Europe and South America, returning to Hollywood in 1937 with many credits as both a cinematographer and director of Argentine feature films.  When he started his career as a shooter in Hollywood, he quickly became one of the most respected cinematographers, photographing films like the noir classics He Walked By Night, Witness To Murder, and The Big Combo. Alton also photographed classics from other genres, like Father Of The Bride, Elmer Gantry and he won an Academy Award for his first color movie, An American In Paris.  He shot the pilot episode of the classic TV series Mission: Impossible, setting a visual tone that stood for the entire series.  He was a strong personality, and eventually tiring of the Hollywood early morning grind and constant fighting with producers, Alton gave up the business and traveled the world with his wife, eventually passing away in Santa Monica, CA at age 94 in 1996.  John Alton is one of my personal favorites, and many of his shots and set-ups could even stand alone as brilliant still photography.  He was never one for needless camera movement, and his photography and lighting set the mood as few other cinematographers ever did.  My favorite quote of his is "It's not what you light – it's what you DON'T light."

Here's some of his classics:

He Walked By Night (1948)
Border Incident (1949)
Father of the Bride (1950)
The People Against O'Hara (1951)
Witness to Murder (1954)
The Big Combo (1955)
The Catered Affair (1956)
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
Tea and Sympathy (1956)
Elmer Gantry (1960)

Other Alton films worth seeing are: Slightly Scarlet (1956), Count The Hours (1953), Father's Little Dividend (1951).  He's honored in Todd McCarthy's award-winning documentary, Visions of Light, and his work still stands as some of the best of what Hollywood offers, noir or not...