John Alton
Known for: Camera
Born: October 5, 1901
Died: June 2, 1996
Place of birth: Sopron, Austria-Hungary
John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period. He started out in Los Angeles as a lab technician in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman within four years. He moved to France with Ernst Lubitsch to film backgrounds for The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and ended up staying for one year heading the camera department of Paramount Pictures's Joinville Studios. In 1932 he moved to Argentina where he shot many Spanish-language films and designed the country's first sound film studio for Lumiton and Argentina Sono Film. He returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s, with two dozen film credits, and became one of the most sought after cinematographers in American cinema. Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. His style is most notable in the film noirs: He Walked by Night, The Big Combo, The Amazing Mr. X, T-Men, and Raw Deal. Alton also photographed many color movies including Slightly Scarlet (a color film noir).
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Filmography
103 movies · 1 TV show, newest first
6.5
'S Wonderful: Creating An American in Paris
2008NR
Mystery Street: Murder at Harvard
2007
7.1
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
2006
6.9
Glorious Technicolor
1998
NR
Dark and Deadly: Fifty Years of Film Noir
1995
7.6
Mission: Impossible
1966
7.5
Birdman of Alcatraz
1962
7.3
Elmer Gantry
1960
2.8
12 to the Moon
1960
6.3
Lonelyhearts
1959
6.5
The Brothers Karamazov
1958
6.7
Designing Woman
1957
6.2
The Teahouse of the August Moon
1957
7.0
Tea and Sympathy
1956
7.2
The Catered Affair
1956
6.3
Slightly Scarlet
1956
6.5
Tennessee's Partner
1955
6.2
Pearl of the South Pacific
1955
6.2
Escape to Burma
1955
7.0
The Big Combo
1955
7.0
The Steel Cage
1954
5.7
Cattle Queen of Montana
1954
5.4
Passion
1954
6.2
Silver Lode
1954
6.3
Witness to Murder
1954
6.2
Duffy of San Quentin
1954
6.2
Take the High Ground!
1953
5.9
I, the Jury
1953
5.3
Count the Hours!
1953
6.0
Battle Circus
1953
5.0
Apache War Smoke
1952
7.0
Washington Story
1952
6.2
Talk About a Stranger
1952
7.0
An American in Paris
1951
5.8
The People Against O'Hara
1951
6.5
Father's Little Dividend
1951
5.0
Grounds for Marriage
1951
6.9
Devil's Doorway
1950
6.8
Mystery Street
1950
7.0
Father of the Bride
1950
5.5
Captain China
1950
6.9
Border Incident
1949
6.8
Reign of Terror
1949
9.0
Red Stallion In The Rockies
1949
6.2
The Crooked Way
1949
6.7
He Walked by Night
1949
6.6
Hollow Triumph
1948
6.2
The Amazing Mr. X
1948
6.2
Canon City
1948
6.7
Raw Deal
1948
6.7
T-Men
1947
4.7
Bury Me Dead
1947
6.8
Driftwood
1947
5.8
The Pretender
1947
6.0
The Ghost Goes Wild
1947
6.4
Wyoming
1947
5.0
The Trespasser
1947
10.0
Hit Parade of 1947
1947
7.0
Affairs of Geraldine
1946
6.5
The Magnificent Rogue
1946
6.5
One Exciting Week
1946
6.4
The Madonna's Secret
1946
7.0
A Guy Could Change
1946
10.0
Song of Mexico
1945
7.5
Girls of the Big House
1945
5.5
Love, Honor and Goodbye
1945
10.0
Lake Placid Serenade
1944
5.4
Storm Over Lisbon
1944
6.3
Atlantic City
1944
6.0
The Lady and the Monster
1944
5.0
The Sultan's Daughter
1943
5.6
Johnny Doughboy
1942
6.0
Ice Capades Revue
1942
6.3
Moonlight Masquerade
1942
6.4
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
1942
7.5
Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
1941
4.0
Devil Pays Off
1941
6.0
Forced Landing
1941
6.5
Melody for Three
1941
4.5
Power Dive
1941
8.0
I Was a Criminal
1941
5.5
Remedy for Riches
1940
5.6
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
1940
5.7
Three Faces West
1940
6.2
The Courageous Dr. Christian
1940
6.0
Caminito de Gloria
19399.0
Doce mujeres
1939
5.3
Puerta cerrada
1939
8.0
El matrero
19399.0
El último encuentro
1938
6.7
Honeysuckle
1938
8.0
The Bohemian Life
1938
7.0
El pobre Pérez
19379.5
Palermo
1937
10.0
Cadetes de San Martín
1937
7.5
¡Goal!
1936
10.0
Amalia
193610.0
Loco lindo
19368.0
Compañeros
19367.0
Tararira (la bohemia de hoy)
1936
NR
Crimen a las tres
1935
6.5
Escala en la ciudad
1935
NR
El hijo de papá
1933
6.4
The Three Amateurs
1933