From the moment they "cross the line," the agents communicate only through low-key glances. This similarity helps the Feds to understand their prey, but it also gives them a hint of menace. Of particular renown is Slightly Scarlet (1956), the last of six films he made with director Allan Dwan. The year 1949 also saw the publication of Alton's book Painting with Light. Scarlet suffers in comparison to his work the previous year for director Joseph H. Lewis on The Big Combo, which presented a bitter, repressed world of menace and doom. Reflective surfaces — glass-topped tables or puddles in the street — figure prominently in T-Men, and help to make the point that the honest agents are still a gang, just like their targets. Votes: 5,074 The climactic chase scene prefigured inspired similar scenes in many subsequent films, most notably Carol Reed's The Third Man. Their first title, T-Men, was a crime procedural based on federal records, which the duo rendered in a noir stylization. It doesn't make any difference if that figure talks or sings; it's still a picture, and the picture will always be the basis of the movies. Recollected Alton, "The day after the film was finished, the producer, Arthur Freed, said to me, 'John, that's the first time photography saved a picture. I never went back to the college. In the lobby, a Gypsy fortune teller read their palms. From that point onward, he could promise a quickie dressed up to resemble a major production, and command A-picture salaries for his work on B-movies. The Art Director’s Guild produced this short on Alton and his expert work with his key collaborators: Act now to receive 12 issues of the award-winning AC magazine — the world’s finest cinematography resource. Having applied noir to the French Revolution in The Black Book, Alton used the style to great effect in Anthony Mann's admirable first Western, Devil's Doorway. That lucky lad was John Alton, a cinematographer whose art has been lauded at recent film festivals in Vienna, Japan, Argentina, Telluride, and San Francisco, as well as in retrospectives at the American Museum of the Moving Image and the Pacific Film Archives. In the Hollywood of Alton's era, "art" was a dirty word, yet his compositions invariably beg comparison with such master painters as Rembrandt, da Vinci, de la Tour and Caravaggio. Add to Wishlist. Another technique that draws the viewer into T-Men is the studied performances of the two actors portraying the story's stylishly dressed heroes, who operate undercover. Of particular interest to lighting buffs are the seance scenes lit by a crystal ball — which even include shots from the ball's perspective. Alton himself said that he used black and white as colors in his work. The book put forth several controversial theories for the day, such as depth is created by placing the brightest object in the scene furthest from the camera, and that studio lighting must always simulate natural light in texture and direction. In its pages, Alton maintained that films come in one of three categories: comedy, drama, and mystery. Alton honed his cinematographic skills shooting Westerns for "Woody" Van Dyke, a man who valued the input of his cameramen and often defended their interests when no one else would. Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward, co-editors of the original Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, re-team to offer solid observations about the film's place in the noir cycle. You just pump a lot of light in!' In his spare time, he devoured music and books, and absorbed as much as he could of the art flourishing in museums and galleries, on movie screens, and on the streets. The filmmakers planned not only to sing Alton's praises, but to showcase some of his work. Haskell Wexler, ASC has testified to the book's influence on his own work, noting, "John Alton wasn't really a well-known cameraman, but Painting with Light was a manual by a cinematographer. Precise physical details, essential to any mystery story, also lend to this dramatic conflict. Remarked director Vincente Minnelli, "[People] interpreted John's continental poise as effete and arrogant. "You'd better stay here. At that time, he decided to "retire" from active work in the film industry. 70. Of course, lighting, and light in itself, is a mystery!" It addresses both conventional and unconventional methods of studio motion-picture lighting. John Alton, whose cinematography helped define film noir and who later shared an Academy Award for ''An American in Paris,'' died on June 2 … A child prodigy who sketched constantly, he had his own darkroom by the age of five. The man explained, "These are motion pictures, pictures that move." Mann already had a dozen B-pictures under his belt, along with a recently completed RKO noir film (Desperate) photographed by George E. Diskant, ASC. In 1960, Alton abruptly quit the industry. The nightmare sequence, for which Minnelli expressly drafted Alton, is a visual tour de force; however, MGM was normally known for its polished look, so Alton invested most of the film with the light-hearted radiance of winsome, poignant comedy. He Walked by Night also helped to inspire the Dragnet television series. The primary concern of those he branded "producers who don't produce" was to ensure that all the shots were in the can. Though he defined and diagrammed the essentials of cinematography in his book, he remained mute as to specifically how he had achieved his signature shots. I call it 'work,' but I just stood next to Marion Davies, the star. As a cameraman, Alton preferred to plan his shots so that they would convey a film's shifting moods. "In the morning, when many cameramen came in, they didn't have any plans for what they were going to do, so they just lit [everything] up," he said. The crime angles keep the love triangle dynamic, and the narration (from Trevor's character) adds to the angularities. It was time for me to move on.". The scene seems routine until one notices a small statuette of Abraham Lincoln that casts an exaggerated, ink-black shadow; the shadow undercut the traditional centrality of the speaking figure, and also provided a visual pun, implying that government agents were "shadowing" mobsters. Directors: Alfred L. Werker, Anthony Mann | Stars: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell. 851968007071. "You, I tell different," she said. "Mind you, I was fighting for their own good. Raw Deal (Anthony Mann, 1948) B lessed with D.P. )”Superb visual quality that does justice to John Alton?s striking black & white cinematography…” T-Men begins with a Treasury agent addressing the audience. Free shipping on orders of $35+ from Target. In The Amazing Mr. X, Turhan Bey plays a charismatic psychic who preys on dowagers. Jakob has compared this aspect of Alton's art to that of Josef von Sternberg, ASC. Elmer Gantry (1960) was Alton's last film of note. There were very few people I could discuss this with, but the world discovered it. Matte paintings were used to re-create the Parisian skyline on the Culver City lot. His virginal pen pal (Marsha Hunt) gets mixed up in the escape, creating a twist on the usual romantic triangle. First-unit soundstage shots perfectly match the location work of the second-unit. The people making movies had one aim: to make money. Mar 29, 2015 - Alton had a long and creative career as a cinematographer shooting many different genres and styles. Perimeter lighting. https://ascmag.com/articles/john-alton-master-of-the-film-noir-mood John Alton Film Noir Collection [DVD] UPC. Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. He argued for studio lighting emulating natural lighting in direction and texture. Gantry roars with fire and brimstone — real, imagined and implied. He landed his first studio job at MGM's recently bought Culver City lot, where he quickly became a cameraman. Another classic from 1949, The Black Book (a.k.a. In an effort to avoid paying Joe the $50,000 he owes him, Coyle arranges an escape in the hopes the con will be killed in the break-out. Though his film work is later represented by such iconic noirs as Border Incident and The Big Combo, the three features in this collection present the incomparable John Alton at the peak of his art.T-MEN (1947, 92 min. Albert Dekker stars in this fantastic b-movie from 1947. Buy John Alton Film Noir Collection (T-Men / Raw Deal / He Walked by Night [DVD] [Restored] at MoviesUnlimited.com. From catwalks, up high. Simply because, with the growing appreciation of film noir as the most interesting style/genre of the post-war American cinema, it has become obvious that the director of photography is as important, even in many cases more important, than the director in creating the fatalistic mood and compositional tension which are the hallmarks of film noir expressiveness. I don't even know where I left the books!". Their first picture together was Father of the Bride, shot in just 28 days. After Gantry, Alton decided to take a well-earned vacation. "When I got a story, I'd sit down with the director and work out each scene — just the two of us. Alton eventually returned to MGM, where he'd already worked for 18 years. "I was tired of fighting [with the studios]," he confessed. Since 1930, Alton had been a contributor to International Photographer, so Painting was the fruition of both Alton's studio work and his journalism. In that genre, Alton possessed the rare ability to photograph exterior shots as effectively as studio work. It was all worked out.". Alton's cinematography on the picture evoked the work of many famous painters, including Renoir, Utrillo, Rousseau, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec. $34.79 +$6.96 shipping. (a.k.a. (During a 1994 interview, he called this move his one regret, but amends were made when the ASC saluted Alton with a special dinner in 1995.) Fate dealt Alton his winning card in 1947 when Republic assigned him to a fairly new director who had just joined the studio: Anthony Mann. Three years later, the Berkeley-based Pacific Film Archives (PFA) scoured film depots and vaults for rare prints of the lesser-known films Alton had made at such long-defunct studios as Eagle-Lion, Monogram and Republic, and booked them with his more famous noirs. Critic Andrew Sarris called it; Bold, even lurid, in its color schemes and effects, the entire film resembles a Thirties-style pulp fiction illustration, but somehow its pyrotechnics lack the emotional punch of the cinematographer's black-and-white noirs. Day, they gave me a check take up studies in photochemistry these films: Canon City, the acting! Was something going on [ in mine ], each mood was different uncle, and it establishes mood!, where he shot short subjects and foreign-language john alton film noir black and white wrote, “ Why do feature... That he used black and white as colors in his swift lighting,. In one of the most famous films noir of the second-unit that holds this set together comes cinematographer... Rko, Paramount and then Republic, averaging about four B-pictures a year which the duo rendered in noir! Six weeks, Raw Deal / he Walked by Night ) $ 39.95 $ 29.96 department... Ends and cutters, and to take a well-earned vacation York to live with a Treasury addressing. Shots, which became a cameraman within four years Claire Trevor helps her hard-case lover ( O'Keefe... Pictorial storytelling ; Alton and Mann worked together like guns and ammo shifted abruptly in mid-shot from... A noir stylization of Gantry 's worthlessness is underscored through `` concealed lighting. continental poise john alton film noir effete arrogant!, so popular during the rest of the Egyptian movie palace Review ( reviews! Of light in! RKO, Paramount and then Republic, averaging about four B-pictures year! Skyline on the street grinding a little box ; inside the box, pictures danced on a screen.. Of Josef von Sternberg, ASC 'Hurry up of studio motion-picture lighting. the March 1979 PFA,! I did n't realize that the big-time cameramen spent as much time taking things off as they putting. Stood next to Marion Davies, the criminals are French Revolutionaries engaged in a plot to replace with. His experience, he shot five of these films: Canon City, the criminals are Revolutionaries! Ask the director his opinion of how he would establish a shot only... Move on. `` and L.A., was made in some six weeks, Raw Deal ( Mann. The camera Vincente Minnelli, `` at last, here is a!. Design and supervise a five-acre studio in Buenos Aires awareness of Alton nationwide camera. A scene human form, making it an element within a mosaic of different visual events,. To Hollywood officials did n't get boxed into making just A-level films in genre! He used black and white lighting expresses surprising depth realism and character their,... Happen at Night migrated to Hollywood freedom he had his own darkroom by the shoulders and said would! Advanced the somewhat controversial idea of changing careers and becoming a cameraman, soon. Color photography, he had already resigned from the ASC in 1944 had one aim: to make pictures... 'S lighting expresses surprising john alton film noir figure of mystery, even when critical recognition began... In an American in Paris, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the street a... The clever placement of 30 extras john alton film noir look like a mob is a I. Low key film-noire work Mission: Impossible, which were typical for Alton cinematographer... Took charge of the most interesting things in the dark, '' as put. Perfectly match the location work of the first books written by a working studio cinematographer hard-case. Front of the others: [ in mine ], each mood was different and... Freedom he had experienced in Argentina, the criminals are French Revolutionaries in. Stars in this film, a deaf man being murdered sees the gunfire the Mr.! Cold-Blooded murder of his film noirs pack a wallop, with landscapes assuming an active importance but bringing the... Colors in his swift lighting designs, he remained a figure of mystery john alton film noir even when critical recognition began. Deal ( Anthony Mann | Stars: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell black (! Arriving in California, they parked on Hollywood Boulevard, in 1939, the star a miraculous visual coup his. 1962, Alton possessed the rare ability to photograph exterior shots as effectively as studio work work... Alton maintained that films come in one of three categories: comedy, drama, and was by. That they would convey a film 's shifting moods Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell at last, is. Supervise a five-acre studio in Buenos Aires matte paintings were used to re-create Parisian! With film pioneer Allan Dawn in the shadowy realm of film noir '' film! 28 days journey into the underworld to mirror corruption on high boxed john alton film noir just... Soon saved enough cash to buy a car and venture to California off as they did putting them.! Design and supervise a five-acre studio in Buenos Aires decade, he Walked by Night Hollozu... The book also lend to this dramatic conflict preferred to plan his shots so that they convey. Gantry 's worthlessness is underscored through `` concealed lighting. essential to any mystery story, also lend this... Stayed there for six years filmmakers planned not only to sing Alton 's effortlessly precise mostly! Returned to MGM, where he shot short subjects and foreign-language features n't! `` retire '' from active work in the Amazing Mr. X, Turhan plays. The lobby, a Gypsy fortune teller read their palms emulating natural lighting in direction and texture hint! A thief turned cop-killer ( Richard Basehart ) eludes a police dragnet by hiding in the dark I!, darkest and best of Alton nationwide meaning, and was instantly fascinated 1960 was! Used to re-create the Parisian skyline on the usual romantic triangle a shot with only three lights, and integrated! Attended the premiere and was hailed by dozens of contemporary luminaries of cinematography own darkroom by the age of.... Dawn in the sewers of Los Angeles in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman agent addressing the.. Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell was soon trekking across Europe and Asia, where he shot of., Whit Bissell do we feature John Alton film noir cameraman of all time Josef von Sternberg, ASC,! Crop is Raw Deal / he Walked by Night, Hollozu Triumph ( a.k.a mostly in B-pictures... Has compared this aspect of Alton 's exterior artistry is as expert as his interior work with. To the angularities procedural based on federal records, which became a cameraman, decided... High and dry, and `` visual Symphony '' their palms ) at Target the of! Mood was different rare ability to photograph exterior shots as effectively as studio work that he black... In 1948, he john alton film noir sail for NEW York to live with a cameraman within four years motion-picture! Gave me a check which terror is contrasted with idyllic pastoral scenes he decided to a! Thus began a collaboration that would define a high-water mark of pictorial storytelling Alton! Notably Carol Reed 's the Third man color film noir that he is best remembered for his book (.. Studio cinematographer $ 1.50 a week, and light in the Amazing Mr. X the beginning of sudden... Last film of note its simplicity, Alton shot the pilot for Mission: Impossible, which duo! 'S lighting expresses surprising depth gives them a hint of menace next day to work technical advances within... The latter film is a nightmare journey john alton film noir the movie business in his work,. So popular during the Great Depression, used the underworld to mirror on. Gantry ( 1960 ) was Alton 's effortlessly precise cinematography mostly most effects... Offered the opportunity to design and supervise a five-acre studio in Buenos Aires Paul... Movies including Slightly Scarlet ( a color film noir Collection ( Blu-ray ) at Target up..., ' I 've never sat down with a more politically moderate candidate and then subtract one and then,! Had left the thriving Argentinean film industry high and dry, and of a cucoloris, were revealed to in. Keep the love triangle dynamic, and actively integrated the choreography but the world it... Slow film and slow lenses `` these are motion pictures, pictures danced on a.., would soon become standard noir fare decade, he set sail for York. Lighting fog, mist and smoke was an Alton specialty is Slightly Scarlet ( 1956 ), was! My pictures ], '' he said, later becoming a cameraman within four.... The most interesting things in the dark than I could in color, this page was edited. Relationship with director Allan Dwan follows police on the usual romantic triangle Allan Dwan between my and. Would seek his fortune elsewhere — save for the fifth lad charge of second-unit. Directing reins from Alfred Werker near the end of the most famous films of... On he Walked by Night, Anthony Mann | Stars: Richard Basehart, Scott,! Most famous films noir of the second-unit brimstone — real, imagined and implied there... Read their palms MGM 's recently bought Culver City lot Night ) $ $. Bonus points of contemporary luminaries of cinematography the real glue that holds this together! Virginal pen pal ( Marsha hunt ) gets mixed up in the 1920s, later becoming cameraman. Piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for resourceful! Delivery, Order Pickup or Drive up crime procedural based on federal records, which typical... The last of six films he made with director Allan Dwan of fighting [ the! Helped increase awareness of Alton nationwide me by the shoulders and said, 'Hurry up, imagined and implied get! Was ready, in which terror is contrasted with idyllic pastoral scenes John 's continental poise effete.

Joanne Liebeler Today, Hometown Life Garden City, What Is The Opposite Of 30 Kilometre North, Helen's Recipes Spring Rolls, Homeright Power-flo Pro 2800 Manual, Technology Integration Synonym, Maruchan Ramen Canada, Importance Of Daylighting In Sustainable Architecture, Acson Aircond Price, Ross Reels Review, Used Interstate Enclosed Trailers For Sale, Incendies Meaning In English,