Erwin Hillier (2 September 1911 – 10 January 2005) was a German-born

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

known for his work in

British cinema British cinema has significantly influenced the global film industry since the 19th century. The oldest known surviving film in the world, ''Roundhay Garden Scene'' (1888), was shot in England by French inventor Louis Le Prince. Early colour ...

from the 1940s to 1960s.

Early career

Born in Germany to English-German Jewish parents (original surname Hiller), he studied art in Berlin in the late 1920s. Impressed by Hillier's paintings, the director

F. W. Murnau Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of cinema's most influential filmmakers for his work in the silent era. An e ...

offered him a job as camera assistant on '' Tabu'' (1931), but Hillier's father intervened because of Murnau's homosexuality. Fortunately, Murnau recommended him to director

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

UFA studios UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. The original UFA was established as on December 18, 1917, as a direct response t ...

, who employed him on his classic '' M'' (1931). Soon after he moved to Britain to pursue a career in film. In Britain, he worked as a camera assistant for Gaumont Pictures, where he worked with

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

. He later moved to

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

, working on ''

The Man Behind the Mask ''The Man Behind the Mask'' is a 1936 UK, British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward (actor), Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt (actor), George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter ...

'' (1936) with

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company Powell and Pressburger, The Archers, they together wrote, produced ...

, who noted his "insane enthusiasm". His debut as

came with ''

Lady from Lisbon ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

'' (1942).

Work with The Archers

Impressed by his work on ''

The Silver Fleet ''The Silver Fleet'' is a 1943 British World War II film written and directed by Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley and produced by Powell and Pressburger under the banner of "The Archers". Plot Early during the Second World War, the Nazis ove ...

'' (1943) for their Archers Film Productions,

Powell & Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...

('The Archers') hired Hillier as cinematographer on ''

A Canterbury Tale ''A Canterbury Tale'' is a 1944 British film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price and Sgt. John Sweet; Esmond Knight provided narration and played two small roles. For the post-war Americ ...

'' (1944), a film about which Powell later said Hillier "did a marvellous job". Despite Powell's recent work with the three-strip

Technicolour Technicolor is a color film process. Technicolour ( BrE) or Technicolor (AmE) may also refer to: Music * ''Technicolour'' (Disco Inferno album), 1996 * ''Technicolor'' (Marlango album) * ''Technicolor'' (Parachute Band album), 2008 * ''Tecnic ...

film process, war shortages meant a return to the black-and-white stock with which Hillier was familiar. The film is a mixture of British realism and the German

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

use of extreme light and shade which Hillier has been trained in, and is remembered for its depiction of the English landscape. In his autobiography, Powell recalled his obsession with clouds; he often begged for filming to be delayed until a cloud had appeared to break up a clear sky. His next film ''

I Know Where I'm Going! ''I Know Where I'm Going!'' is a 1945 romance film directed and written by the British filmmakers Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey, and features Pamela Brown (actress), Pamela ...

'' (1945), again with The Archers, continued the style of its predecessor. It features Hillier's technical accomplishments, including mixing studio shots with exteriors, concealing the fact that

Roger Livesey Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'', '' ...

, the film's male lead, was working in London while the film was being shot in Scotland. With the war at an end, Powell & Pressburger at last had access to colour film. They asked Hillier to share cinematographic duties with the experienced

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

cameraman

Jack Cardiff Jack Cardiff (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to film ...

on '' A Matter of Life and Death''. Unwilling to be sidelined, he declined, bringing his intensely creative partnership with Powell & Pressburger to an end.

Post-war career

Hillier made his first colour film '' London Town'' (1946), starring

Sid Field Sidney Arthur Field (1 April 1904 – 3 February 1950) was an English comedy entertainer who was popular in the 1940s. Early years Field was born in Ladywood, Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Albert (a candlemaker) and Bertha (a dressmak ...

, although he often returned to work in black and white, typical of many British films of the 1940s and 1950s. His films retained a distinctive expressionist influence in both mediums. He worked for director Michael Anderson on '' Private Angelo'' (1949), the first of many collaborations. The last was to be opulent ''

The Shoes of the Fisherman The Shoes of the Fisherman may refer to: * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (novel), a 1963 novel by the writer Morris West * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel {{disambiguation ...

'' (1968). Their best remembered film is '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), featuring some aerial photography by Hillier. He continued to work until 1970. He died in London in 2005, aged 93 leaving a widow, a daughter, and sister Gerda Ehrenzweig.

Selected filmography

* '' Sing as You Swing'' (1937) * ''

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

'' (1938) * ''

'' (1942) * ''

Rhythm Serenade ''Rhythm Serenade'' is a 1943 British musical film directed by Gordon Wellesley and starring Vera Lynn, Peter Murray-Hill and Julien Mitchell. George Formby, then under contract to Columbia, served as associate producer. Plot A teacher goes to w ...

'' (1943) * ''

Welcome, Mr. Washington ''Welcome, Mr. Washington'' is a 1944 British drama film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Barbara Mullen, Donald Stewart (actor), Donald Stewart and Peggy Cummins. It was written by Jack Whittingham based on a story by Noel Streatfeild, ...

'' (1944) * ''

'' (1945) * '' They Knew Mr. Knight'' (1946) * '' The Mark of Cain'' (1947) * ''

Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill ''Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Marius Goring, David Farrar, Greta Gynt, Edward Chapman and Raymond Huntley. It is based on the 1911 novel of the same title by Hugh Walpole ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Interrupted Journey ''The Interrupted Journey'' is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Valerie Hobson, Richard Todd, Christine Norden and Tom Walls. It was written by Michael Pertwee. Plot John North, a struggling writer, plans ...

'' (1949) * '' Shadow of the Eagle'' (1950) * '' The Rival of the Empress'' (1951) * ''

The Woman's Angle ''The Woman's Angle'' is 1952 British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Edward Underdown, Cathy O'Donnell and Lois Maxwell. It was written by Arliss, Mabbie Pool and Frederick Gotfurt based on the 1940 novel ''Three Cups of Coffe ...

'' (1952) * ''

Father's Doing Fine ''Father's Doing Fine'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring Richard Attenborough, Heather Thatcher, and Noel Purcell, and featuring Sid James. It was written by Anne Burnaby based on the 1948 play ''Little Lam ...

'' (1952) * '' The Dam Busters'' (1954) * '' Chase a Crooked Shadow'' (1958) * '' Go to Blazes'' (1962) * ''

Sammy Going South ''Sammy Going South'' (retitled ''A Boy Ten Feet Tall'' for its later US release) is a 1963 British adventure film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, photographed by Erwin Hillier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Fergus McClelland and Consta ...

'' (1963) * ''

The Quiller Memorandum ''The Quiller Memorandum'' is a 1966 British neo noir eurospy film filmed in Deluxe Color and Panavision, adapted from the 1965 spy novel '' The Berlin Memorandum'', by Elleston Trevor under the name "Adam Hall", screenplay by Harold Pinter, ...

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1968)

References

External links

*
Erwin Hillier
at screenonline.
Obituary
from

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

.
Obituaries
at th
Powell & Pressburger pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillier, Erwin 1911 births 2005 deaths English cinematographers German cinematographers Film people from Berlin Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom German people of English descent