Oswald Norman Morris, (22 November 1915 – 17 March 2014) was a British

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 to his colleagues by the nicknames "Os" or "Ossie", Morris's career in cinematography spanned six decades.

Life and career

Morris was raised in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

(now the

London borough The London boroughs are the current 32 districts of England, local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present ...

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil pari ...

) and attended the

Bishopshalt School Bishopshalt School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status based in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It has specialisations in music and the performing arts. Between 2013 and 2014, the school was used for scenes in the BBC si ...

. His interest in film began at an early age; during summer vacations, he would work as a

projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

at the local cinema. After leaving school in 1932, he began working in the film industry at

Wembley Studios Fountain Studios was an independently owned television studio in Wembley Park, north-west London, England. The company was last part of the Avesco Group plc. Several companies owned the site before it was bought by Fountain in 1993. Originally ...

as an unpaid gofer for

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 ...

, among others, eventually graduating to the positions of clapper boy and camera assistant on

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...

. By his 20s, Morris was a

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

, first at Wembley, and later at Elstree Studios. His career was interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he served as a radio operator and navigator before becoming a

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, flying Lancaster bomber raids over Italy, France and Germany. He completed 30 operational tours before being transferred to Transport Command for the duration of the war. Prior to his discharge and the resumption of his career, Morris participated in the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

. He achieved the rank of flight lieutenant and winning both the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Force Cross.The Oscars Connection!
Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 30 July 2021.Great Cinematographers; Oswald Morris
www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 30 July 2021. After his war service, Morris worked at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

as an assistant to such people as

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...

and

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

at their company, Cineguild. He was the camera operator for Lean's ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'' (1948). He first acted as director of photography on '' Golden Salamander'' (1950). Neame called Morris "probably the greatest cameraman in the world." Morris collaborated with director

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

on eight films, beginning with ''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

'' (1952) and also including ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'' (1956). Although his previous experience with

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 ...

had been limited, Morris devised many stylish effects for ''Moulin Rouge'' by employing diffused and filtered light, fog and bold color choices, and his innovations drew critical praise. For ''Moby Dick'', Morris developed what David Peloquin has called a "retro-silvered pictorial" that "was designed to capture the look of nineteenth-century whaling prints with their muted colors and silver sheen." Morris wrote in his autobiography that he and Huston wanted a "soft wash" effect "in which we would etch in the characters." To achieve this, in prints for the original release, colour was effectively printed over a black-and-white image using two negatives. As cinematographer for

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a jo ...

's '' The Entertainer'' (1960), his name was incorporated into the story in a scene in which a radio transmission mentions the fictional 'Sergeant Ossie Morris'. Morris received three nominations for the

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...

for his work on the musicals ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' (1968), ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' (1971) and ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' (1978), winning for ''Fiddler on the Roof''. Morris' brother Reginald H. Morris was also a cinematographer based in Canada. Morris was a fellow of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

and was named an officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1998. He published his

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

s, ''Huston, We Have a Problem: A Kaleidoscope of Filmmaking Memories'' (), in 2006. In his later years, Morris participated in a film course at

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The universi ...

. Morris was married twice. His first marriage to the former Connie Sharp produced three children, Gillian, Christine and Roger. The marriage lasted from 1939 until she died in 1963. In 1966, Morris married Lee Turner, a member of the continuity production staff on the

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

film of ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' (1967). This marriage lasted until she died in 2003. Morris was among the interviewees in the book ''Conversations with Cinematographers'' by David A. Ellis. Morris died on March 17, 2014, at the age of 98 at his home in

Fontmell Magna Fontmell Magna is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, close to the chalk hills of Cranborne Chase, on the A350 road south of Shaftesbury and north of Blandford Forum ...

, Dorset, England. His survivors included his three children, 10 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.

Honours

In June 2009, the recently completed central building of the National Film and Television School was officially named the Oswald Morris Building in his honour.

Additional credits

*''

The Card ''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. Like much of Bennett's best work, it is ...

'' (1952) *''

'' (1952) *'' So Little Time'' (1952) *'' Beat the Devil'' (1953) *'' South of Algiers'' (1953) *''

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England, and for many years he was the arbiter of British men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King ...

'' (1954) *''

The Man Who Never Was ''The Man Who Never Was'' is a 1956 British espionage thriller film produced by André Hakim and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame and features Robert Flemyng, Josephine Griffin and Stephen Boyd. It is b ...

'' (1956) *''

'' (1956) *'' Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison'' (1957) *''

A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the a ...

'' (1957) *'' Look Back in Anger'' (1959) *'' The Entertainer'' (1960) *'' Our Man in Havana'' (1960) *'' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961) *''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

'' (1962) *'' The Pumpkin Eater'' (1964) *'' Of Human Bondage'' (1964) *'' Mister Moses'' (1965) *'' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965) *'' The Hill'' (1965) *'' Life at the Top'' (1965) *''

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' is a 1963 Cold War spy fiction, spy novel by the British author John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a United Kingdom, British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux Defection, defect ...

'' (1965) *'' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967) *''

'' (1967) *''

'' (1968) *'' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1969) *'' Scrooge'' (1970) *''

'' (1971) *'' Sleuth'' (1972) *'' Lady Caroline Lamb'' (1972) *'' The Mackintosh Man'' (1973) *''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'' (1974) *'' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974) *''

The Odessa File ''The Odessa File'' is a thriller by English writer Frederick Forsyth, first published in 1972, about the adventures of a young German reporter attempting to discover the location of a former SS concentration-camp commander. The name ODESSA ...

'' (1974) *'' The Man Who Would Be King'' (1975) *'' Equus'' (1977) *'' The Seven-Per-Cent Solution'' (1977) *''

'' (1978) *'' Just Tell Me What You Want'' (1980) *'' The Great Muppet Caper'' (1981) *''

The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...

'' (1982)

Awards and nominations

*1953

British Society of Cinematographers The British Society of Cinematographers (abbreviated B.S.C. or BSC) is an organisation formed in 1949 by Bert Easey (23 August 1901 – 28 February 1973), the then head of the Denham and Pinewood studio camera departments, to represent British c ...

Golden Camera (''Moulin Rouge'', winner) *1956 British Society of Cinematographers Golden Camera (''Moby Dick'', nominee) *1965

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 ...

for Best British Cinematography, Black-and-White (''The Pumpkin Eater'', winner) *1966 British Society of Cinematographers Golden Camera (''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'', winner) *1966 BAFTA for Best British Cinematography, Black-and-White (''The Hill'', winner) *1967 British Society of Cinematographers Golden Camera (''The Taming of the Shrew'', winner) *1967 BAFTA for Best British Cinematography, Black-and-White (''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'', winner) *1969

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 Best Cinematography (''

'', nominee) *1971 British Society of Cinematographers Golden Camera (''

'', winner) *1972 Academy Award for Best Cinematography (''

'', winner) *1972 BAFTA for Best Cinematography (''

'', nominee) *1974 BAFTA for Best Cinematography (''Sleuth'', nominee) *1976 BAFTA for Best Cinematography (''The Man Who Would Be King'', nominee) *1979 Academy Award for Best Cinematography (''The Wiz'', nominee) *1999 American Society of Cinematographers International Award (winner)

References

External links

* *
Oswald Morris at AllMovie.com

Sandra Brennan, ''Allmovie'', short biography of Oswald Morris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Oswald 1915 births 2014 deaths BAFTA fellows Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners British cinematographers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Ruislip Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II British World War II pilots British World War II bomber pilots People associated with Bournemouth University