Robert Burks
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Leslie Robert Burks, A.S.C. (July 4, 1909 – May 11, 1968) was an American cinematographer who worked in many genres, in both black-and-white and color, and who collaborated a number of times with Alfred Hitchcock.


Biography

Robert Burks was born in Chino California on July 4, 1909. Aged nineteen, he found work as a special effects technician in the Warner Brother's Lab, the industry's largest special effects facility at the time. Burks rose through the ranks at Warner Bros, first promoted to assistant cameraman in 1929, and then on to operating cameraman in 1934 and special effects cinematographer by 1938. He was finally promoted to
Director of Photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
in 1944. With his last promotion at age 35, Burks became the youngest fully accredited DP in the industry. Burks ultimately left Warner Bros alongside Alfred Hitchcock in the fall of 1953 in favor of a move to
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
. Burks' first Director of Photography credit was ''
Jammin' the Blues ''Jammin' the Blues'' is a 1944 American short film made by Gjon Mili and Norman Granz in which a number of prominent jazz musicians re-create the jam-session atmosphere of nightclubs and after-hours spots. It features Lester Young, Red Callen ...
'' (1944), a short film featuring leading jazz musicians of the day. Burks is best known for his cinematography in a number of collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In his twenty five years as a DP, Burks worked on 55 features. Notable credits include ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...
'', ''
Beyond the Forest ''Beyond the Forest'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by King Vidor, and featuring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, and Ruth Roman. The screenplay is written by Lenore Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film marks Dav ...
'', ''
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
'', ''
The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...
'', ''
The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...
'', and ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
''. In 1968, Burks died at the age of 58 alongside his wife, Elisabeth, in a fire at their home in Huntington Harbor, California.


Legacy


Cinematographic style

Burks' cinematography is notable for its wide stylistic range, with his skills as a technician informing his photographic versatility. This cinematographic range gave Burks an ability to support strong directorial vision with techniques and stylistic choices that tended to remain "invisible" to the viewer, rarely calling attention to themselves. Burks' time in special effects played a large part in the meticulous planning he did before arriving on set. From the beginning of his career, Burks' was known for a high level of involvement in the pre-production of the films he worked on, something that was uncommon for cinematographers at this time. He would next utilize miniature models of each of the films sets in order to pre-plan every lighting and camera setup in the film. This high level of planning bolstered Burks reputation for accuracy and precision when it came to technical set ups that were often unconventional. According to film scholar Christopher Beach, Burks' artistic risks resulted in some of the most visually striking films of all time. Burks was nominated for four Academy Awards, including both best black and white photography and best color photography. Burks' only Oscar win was for ''To Catch a Thief'', which is renowned as "a magnificent example of VistaVision technique." When describing Burks,
Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...
, ASC, stated that, "his work is thoroughly excellent in every respect...
e is E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
honest, straightforward, resourceful and, in the true sense, a gentlemen."


Cinematography in ''The Wrong Man'' (1956)

Burks' cinematography in the black and white photography of Hitchcock's ''The Wrong Man'' has been described as "bleakly neorealist," but its precise visual style is hard to pinpoint, instead falling "somewhere between documentary realism and film noir, with elements of Italian neorealism and moments of modernist expressionism." Hitchcock initially intended the film to be highly realist and shot entirely on location in such a way that it felt incredibly documentary, a notion that is in keeping with the films basis in a true story. Ultimately, this was not the case, and ''The Wrong Man'' required technical flexibility, as it was shot both on location in New York City and on set in Hollywood, despite appearing to be entirely on location. The demands of on location shooting in New York relied on a lighting scheme of small portable Garnelite lamps, a new invention at this time, while the remainder of the film shot in Hollywood depended on an innovative lighting scheme to imitate the naturalistic style of the on location footage. Beyond the basic level of creating uniform lighting schemes from one location to the next, Burks' lighting style was highly intertwined with the thematics and mood of the film. He frequently utilized the lighting scheme in ''The Wrong Man'' to create a cross hatched shadow that "invoked the dominant theme of imprisonment and... of crucifixion". This visual style was supported by frequent extreme camera angles and wide angle lenses that, unlike most of Burks' photography, did call attention to themselves and, in doing so, imbued the film with a notable noir quality. These highly crafted and precise technical and artistic decisions diverge from the explicitly realist documentary style Hitchcock initially sought, and Beach notes that they reflect Burks' flexibility and capability to capture the essence of the narrative mood with his photography.


Cinematography in ''The Birds'' (1963)

''The Birds'' was highly reliant upon Burks' background in special effects, and is often considered to be his greatest technical achievement. Of the film's 1,500 plus shots (three times more than the usual number of shots in a production of the period), more than 400 were either trick or composite shots. The film has an affinity for closeups, particularly of
Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930) is an American actress, animal rights activist, and former fashion model. A successful fashion model who appeared on the front covers of ''Life'' and '' Glamour'' magazines, among others, Hed ...
, often employing heavy diffusion and a lighting scheme that utilizes a frontal slightly off-camera key that was directional in addition to an eyelight next to the camera as well as some backlight. One of the greatest challenges lay in the realism of the birds themselves, which were initially all mechanical models intended to appear natural. Burks was not satisfied with the look of these fake birds, and instead proposed the use of a combination of real birds and special effects that would allow the birds to appear more realistic. Along with special effects editor Brad Hoffman, Burks used his knowledge of special effects to manipulate pre-existing footage of birds that could then be utilized in the film. In the end, Burks spent over a year planning, shooting, reshooting, and overseeing special effects on ''The Birds'' to create what is now seen in the final cut. Burks' was also involved in one of the film's most famous and technically impressive scenes, which occurs at its conclusion in the shot of the Brenner's driveway. It required a combination of thirty two different exposures as well as one of Whitlock's matte paintings. Hitchcock stated, "If Bob Burks and the rest of us hadn't been technicians ourselves the film would have cost $5 million nstead of $3 million" Brad Hoffman further lauded Burks' contribution, saying the film "never could have been made ithout Burks It was his persistence in doing these shots over and over that made ''The Birds'' the classic it is today."


= Cinematography in ''Marnie'' (1964)

= ''Marnie'', the final collaboration between Hitchcock and Burks, is often referenced as Burks' greatest cinematographic achievement. The film plays with extremes of color as well as exploring the manipulation of telephoto and wide-angle lenses, garnering reactions that were equally extreme. While some lauded the film for its experimental nature, others found the radical style "audacious" and "visually clumsy." The film was highly indicative of the art cinema movement of the 1960s, and according to James Morrison in the ''International Directory of Films and Filmmakers'', the film's experimental style was ahead of its time. In terms of color, "the film avoids warm and bright colors, instead emphasizing subdued tones that would allow for the selective use of two primary colors: red and yellow." This experimentation with color was particularly effective in flashback sequences, where tones were highly desaturated to evoke the feeling of a long suppressed memory. Burks' voyeuristic camera movement in the film was more radical than anything he had done previously, alternating between "tightly framed compositions shot with 50mm fixed lenses and striking camera moves, including backward and forward zooms, elaborate tracking shots pans, crane shots, Dutch angles, and even the combination zoom and dolly shot." As in ''The Birds,'' the film also uses extreme close ups of Tippi Hedren. According to Hitchcock biographer Donald Spoto, the director gave Burks "unusual instructions about photographing her face – the camera was to come as close as possible, the lenses were almost to make love to her. For a scene in which she is kissed by Sean Connery, the close-up is so tight, the frame filled so fully with pressing lips, that the tone is virtually pornographic."


Burks and Hitchcock

Burks is best known for his collaborative relationship with director Alfred Hitchcock, acting as cinematographer on twelve of Hitchcock's films in the 1950s and 1960s. Burks' prior experience with special effects complemented Hitchcock's own affinity for special effects . The pair's partnership began with Hitchcock's 1951 '' Strangers on a Train,'' which garnered Burks his first Oscar nomination. The pair's collaborations also include: '' I Confess'' (1953)'',
Dial M For Murder ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was b ...
'' (1954, 3-D, Warner Color)'',
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...
'' (1954, Technicolor)'',
To Catch a Thief '' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The film stars Cary Grant as a retired cat burgl ...
'' (1955, VistaVision, Technicolor)'',
The Trouble with Harry ''The Trouble with Harry'' is a 1955 American Technicolor black comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes was based on the 1950 novel by Jack Trevor Story. It starred Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred N ...
'' (1955, VistaVision, Technicolor)'', The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956, VistaVision, Technicolor)'',
The Wrong Man ''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True St ...
'' (1956)'',
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...
'' (1958, VistaVision, Technicolor)'',
North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture ...
'' (1959, VistaVision, Technicolor)'', The Birds'' (1963, Technicolor)'', and
Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...
'' (1964, Technicolor). Hitchcock's own proficiency in special effects made his directorial style a good match for Burks, allowing for cinematographic experimentation, as his writing often prompted "unusual camera imagery."


Other collaborators

In addition to Hitchcock, Burks did work with a number of other directors on multiple projects:
Delmer Daves Delmer Lawrence Daves (July 24, 1904 – August 17, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He worked in many genres, including film noir and warfare, but he is best known for his Western movies, especially '' Broke ...
: ''
To the Victor ''To the Victor'' is a 1948 drama film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Dennis Morgan and Viveca Lindfors. The plot concerns an American black-marketeer who falls in love with a Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name ...
, A Kiss in the Dark,'' and '' Task Force''
Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...
: '' Hitler Lives!'' and '' Star in the Night''
King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
: ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...
'' and ''
Beyond the Forest ''Beyond the Forest'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by King Vidor, and featuring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, and Ruth Roman. The screenplay is written by Lenore Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film marks Dav ...
'' Gordon Douglas: '' Come Fill the Cup,'' '' Mara Maru,'' and '' So This is Love (The Grace Moore Story)''
John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
: ''
Hondo Hondo may refer to: Places * Rio Hondo (disambiguation), the name of several locations, derived from the Spanish word for "deep" Canada * Hondo, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Hondo, New Mexico, an unincorporated co ...
,
The Boy from Oklahoma ''The Boy from Oklahoma'' is a 1954 American western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Will Rogers, Jr., Nancy Olson and Anthony Caruso. It was produced and distributed by the major studio Warner Bros. Plot Cast * Will Rogers, J ...
''
Robert Mulligan Robert Patrick Mulligan (August 23, 1925 – December 20, 2008) was an American director and producer. He is best known for his humanist dramas, including ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), '' Summer of '42'' (1971), ''The Other'' (1972), '' Same ...
: '' The Rat Race'' and '' The Great Imposter'' A particularly important relationship was that of Burks and operative cameraman Leonard J. South, who worked alongside Burks on all twelve films he photographed for Hitchcock. Another important Hitchcock collaborator, screenwriter
John Michael Hayes John Michael Hayes (11 May 1919 – 19 November 2008) was an American screenwriter, who scripted four of Alfred Hitchcock's films in the 1950s. Early life Hayes was born in Worcester, Massachusetts to John Michael Hayes Sr. and Ellen Mabel Hayes ...
, stated that Burks "gave Hitchcock marvelous ideas ndcontributed greatly to every picture e shotduring those years."


Other important works

In the early years of his career as a DP at Warner Bros, Burks worked on reputable projects with esteemed directors including '' Task Force'' (Delmer Daves, 1948)'',
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...
'' (King Vidor, 1949)'',
Beyond the Forest ''Beyond the Forest'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by King Vidor, and featuring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, and Ruth Roman. The screenplay is written by Lenore Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film marks Dav ...
'' (Vidor, 1949)'',
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
'' (Irving Rapper, 1950)'', and The Enforcer'' (Bretaigne Windust and Raoul Walsh, 1950)''.'' Burks' cinematography on ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...
'' was recognized by the Motion Picture Academy on the short list for the ten best photographed black and white films of 1949.


Filmography


Films as special effects photographer

* ''
Marked Woman ''Marked Woman'' is a 1937 American dramatic crime film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Jane Bryan, Eduardo Ciannell ...
,'' 1937 * '' Brother Orchid,'' 1940 * ''
A Dispatch from Reuters ''A Dispatch from Reuters'' is a 1940 biographical film about Paul Reuter, the man who built the famous news service that bears his name.''Harrison's Reports'' review; November 2, 1940, page 174. Story behind Reuters Paul Reuter starts a messe ...
, 1940'' * '' They Drive by Night,'' 1940 * ''The Story of Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet,'' 1940 * '' King's Row,'' 1941 * ''Highway West,'' 1941 * ''
In This Our Life ''In This Our Life'' is a 1942 American drama film, the second to be directed by John Huston. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1941 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Ellen Glasgow. The cast included the establis ...
,'' 1942 * '' Arsenic and Old Lace,'' 1944 * ''
Pride of the Marines ''Pride of the Marines'' is a 1945 American biographical war film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Al Schmid in World War II, his heroic stand against a Japanese attack during the Battle of Guadalc ...
,'' 1945 * '' God Is My Co-Pilot,'' 1945 * '' Night and Day,'' 1946 * ''
The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...
,'' 1946 * '' The Two Mrs. Carrolls,'' 1947 * ''
My Wild Irish Rose ''My Wild Irish Rose'' is a 1947 film directed by David Butler. It stars Dennis Morgan and Arlene Dahl (in her debut film). It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1948. Plot A fictionalized biopic of Chauncey Olcott, the movie traces the rise ...
,'' 1947 * '' Possessed,'' 1947 * '' The Unfaithful,'' 1947 * '' Cry Wolf,'' 1947 * ''
The Unsuspected ''The Unsuspected'' is a 1947 American mystery film, mystery film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Ted North, Constance Bennett, Joan Caulfield, and Hurd Hatfield. The film was based on a novel by Charlott ...
,'' 1947 * '' The Woman in White,'' 1948 * ''
Key Largo Key Largo ( es, Cayo Largo) is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and is the largest section of the keys, at long. It is one of the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the keys connected by ...
,'' 1948 * ''
Romance on the High Seas ''Romance on the High Seas'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''It's Magic'') is a 1948 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film debut. Busby Be ...
,'' 1948 * ''
Smart Girls Don't Talk ''Smart Girls Don't Talk'' is a 1948 crime film directed by Richard L. Bare and starring Virginia Mayo and Bruce Bennett. Plot When small-time hood Johnny Warjack and his gang hold up the Club Bermuda, a nightclub/gambling den, he is recognized. ...
,'' 1948 * ''
John Loves Mary ''John Loves Mary'' is a 1949 comedy film directed by David Butler and written by Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal and Jack Carson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 19, 1949. It's ba ...
,'' 1949 * '' The Younger Brothers,'' 1949 * ''
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima ''The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima'' is a Warner Color feature film made in 1952. It was promoted as a fact-based treatment of the events surrounding the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima, in Portugal, in 1917. It stars Susan Whitney as Lúc ...
,'' 1952


Films as cinematographer:

* ''
Jammin' the Blues ''Jammin' the Blues'' is a 1944 American short film made by Gjon Mili and Norman Granz in which a number of prominent jazz musicians re-create the jam-session atmosphere of nightclubs and after-hours spots. It features Lester Young, Red Callen ...
'', 1944 * ''
Make Your Own Bed ''Make Your Own Bed'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Francis Swann, Edmund Joseph and Richard Weil. The film stars Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Irene Manning, Alan Hale, Sr., George Tobias and Robert S ...
'', 1944 * '' Escape in the Desert'', 1945 * '' Hitler Lives!'', 1945 * '' Star in the Night'', 1945 * ''
To the Victor ''To the Victor'' is a 1948 drama film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Dennis Morgan and Viveca Lindfors. The plot concerns an American black-marketeer who falls in love with a Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name ...
,'' 1948 * '' A Kiss in the Dark,'' 1948 * '' Task Force,'' 1949 * ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...
,'' 1949 * ''
Beyond the Forest ''Beyond the Forest'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by King Vidor, and featuring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, and Ruth Roman. The screenplay is written by Lenore Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film marks Dav ...
,'' 1949 * ''
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
,'' 1950 * '' Room for One More,'' 1951 * ''
Close to My Heart ''Close to My Heart'' is a 1951 American drama (film and television), drama film directed by William Keighley, written by James R. Webb (based on his novel ''A Baby for Midge''), and starring Ray Milland and Gene Tierney. Plot Brad Sheridan (Mill ...
,'' 1951 * '' The Enforcer,'' 1951 * '' Strangers on a Train,'' 1951 * '' Tomorrow is Another Day,'' 1951 * '' Come Fill the Cup,'' 1951 * '' Mara Maru,'' 1952 * '' I Confess,'' 1953 * ''
The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colo ...
,'' 1953 * ''
Hondo Hondo may refer to: Places * Rio Hondo (disambiguation), the name of several locations, derived from the Spanish word for "deep" Canada * Hondo, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Hondo, New Mexico, an unincorporated co ...
,'' 1953 * ''
The Boy from Oklahoma ''The Boy from Oklahoma'' is a 1954 American western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Will Rogers, Jr., Nancy Olson and Anthony Caruso. It was produced and distributed by the major studio Warner Bros. Plot Cast * Will Rogers, J ...
,'' 1953 * '' So This Is Love,'' 1953 * ''
Dial M for Murder ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was b ...
,'' 1954 * ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...
,'' 1954 * ''
To Catch a Thief '' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The film stars Cary Grant as a retired cat burgl ...
,'' 1955 * ''
The Trouble with Harry ''The Trouble with Harry'' is a 1955 American Technicolor black comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes was based on the 1950 novel by Jack Trevor Story. It starred Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred N ...
,'' 1955 * '' The Man Who Knew Too Much,'' 1956 * ''
The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...
,'' 1956 * ''
The Wrong Man ''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True St ...
,'' 1956 * ''
The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...
,'' 1957 * ''
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...
,'' 1958 * '' The Black Orchid,'' 1958 * ''
North By Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture ...
,'' 1959 * '' But Not for Me,'' 1959 * '' The Rat Race,'' 1960 * '' The Great Imposter,'' 1960 * ''
The Pleasure of His Company ''The Pleasure of His Company'' is a 1961 comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds, directed by George Seaton and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the 1958 play of the same name by Samuel A. Taylor and Cornelia Otis S ...
,'' 1961 * ''
The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...
,'' 1962 * '' The Birds,'' 1963 * ''
Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...
,'' 1964 * '' Once a Thief,'' 1965 * ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
,'' 1965 * '' A Covenant with Death,'' 1966 * '' Waterhole #3,'' 1967


Academy Awards

Nominee - Best Black and White Photography '' Strangers on a Train'' 1951 Nominee - Best Color Photography ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...
'' 1954 Winner - Best Color Photography ''
To Catch a Thief '' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The film stars Cary Grant as a retired cat burgl ...
'' 1955 Nominee - Best Black and White Photography ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
'' 1965


References


External links and further reading

* * *"Hitchcock Blonde" by Stephen Pizzello. ''American Cinematographer;'' Oct 2012; 93,10; Screen Studies Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Burks, Robert 1909 births 1968 deaths American cinematographers Accidental deaths in California Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Deaths from fire in the United States People from Chino, California