Chris Menges BSC, ASC (born 15 September 1940) is a British cinematographer and film director. He is a member of both the American and British Societies of Cinematographers.

Life and career

Menges was born in Kington, Herefordshire, the son of the composer and conductor Herbert Menges. He began his career in the 1960s as camera operator for documentaries by Adrian Cowell, and for films including ''

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'' by Ken Loach and '' If....'' by Lindsay Anderson. '' Kes'', directed by

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, was his first film as cinematographer. Menges was also behind the camera on

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' first feature film '' Gumshoe'' in 1971. After several documentaries and feature films, such as '' Black Beauty'' (1971), '' Bloody Kids'' (1978), ''The Game Keeper'' (1980), ''Babylon'' (1980) and ''

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'' (1982), Menges became notable for more ambitious works, for which he was critically acclaimed. In 1983, Menges received his first

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination for the

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film '' Local Hero'', and only a year later won his first

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the film '' The Killing Fields'' about the

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. He continued his work with helmer Roland Joffe, and Menges won his second

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

in 1986 with the historical drama '' The Mission''. He also shot a television play titled ''Made in Britain'', starring Tim Roth, in 1983. In 1988, Menges made his directorial debut with '' A World Apart''. This film was celebrated at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and won three major awards. His second film as director, '' CrissCross'' with

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, received critical acclaim, but was a box-office flop. In 1996 he moved back behind the camera to shoot the award-winning films ''

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'' (directed by Jim Sheridan) and '' Michael Collins''. For the latter, he received his third Academy Award nomination in 1997. Menges also made documentaries. In the early 1970s, he went to Burma with British film maker Adrian Cowell to shoot ''The Opium Warlords'', a film about the drug trade. After the release of the documentary in 1974, the Burmese government was said to have put a price on their heads. Menges is mentioned in the book ''Conversations with Cinematographers'' by David A. Ellis, published by

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

Filmography

Cinematographer

Documentary film Feature film

Director

Documentary film * ''Wild and Free Twice Daily'' (1969) * ''East 103rd Street'' (1981) (Also producer) Feature film * '' A World Apart'' (1988) * '' CrissCross'' (1992) * '' Second Best'' (1993) * '' The Lost Son'' (1999)

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards BAFTA Awards American Society of Cinematographers Los Angeles Film Critics Association National Society of Film Critics New York Film Critics Circle Other awards

References

External links

Chris Menges at Screenonline
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menges, Chris 1940 births Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners English cinematographers English film directors English people of German descent Living people People from Kington, Herefordshire