John Alton: Painting with Light

[ChiO]

It’s not what you light – it’s what you DON’T light. – John Alton

Orson Welles contended that every film has an auteur – sometimes it is the director, or an actor, or the screenwriter, or the cinematographer. In the films of John Alton, the cinematographer as auteur is brought to light – and to dark. Alton’s use of light and shadow, baroque angles, and a static camera created a look, a feel, an atmosphere of oppressiveness and foreboding that is the archetype of gritty urban film noir (T-MEN; RAW DEAL; HE WALKED BY NIGHT; THE BIG COMBO). His imprint could convert a standard stage drama into a tense tale of family disintegration (THE CATERED AFFAIR). But black and white were not the only colors on his palette, for he was equally adept in his use of color. Alton can surround the viewer with the sense of a vivid, garish and surrealistic otherworldliness (AN AMERICAN IN PARIS; SLIGHTLY SCARLET) or create a claustrophobic sense of urgency in a Western (DEVIL’S DOORWAY; SILVER LODE), a genre traditionally based on open space.

John Alton (originally Altman) was born in 1901 in a Hungarian village near the Austrian border. He came to the U.S. in 1919, joining his father and uncle (his mother had died in 1914). He worked at the Paramount Studios lab on Long Island, moved to Los Angeles in the winter of 1923-24, and got a job at the MGM lab. He watched Erich Von Stroheim on the set of THE MERRY WIDOW and, in 1926-27, he became an assistant cameraman with “One Shot” Woody Van Dyke, churning out Tim McCoy Westerns. He also worked with Ernest Lubitsch, accompanying him to Europe for a shoot. While in Paris, he saw Maurice Chevalier perform and got permission from Irving Thalberg to make a screen test; Thalberg passed on Chevalier, so Alton recommended him to friends at Paramount, which then signed Chevalier.

Alton continued to work in Europe and to write for a photography journal. In 1932, he went to Buenos Aires at the request of some Argentine financiers to help build the Argentine film industry. He photographed about 25 films during the next six years in Argentina. In 1939, he moved to Hollywood and, starting with THE COURAGEOUS DR. CHRISTIAN, began introducing dramatic lighting effects to movies that often were shot with lightning speed, and making B-movies look like A-movies. Because he worked quickly, cheaply, and made movies look spectacular, many of his peers grew to dislike him. Alton also contended that some directors did not want to work with him because he could not be blamed if a picture went over budget, over schedule, or looked flat.

In 1947, Anthony Mann, who had been directing Bs for five years asked for Alton to shoot his next film, T-MEN, and there began one of the most fruitful director-cinematographer collaborations in movies. From 1947 through 1950, they made six films together. Whether the setting was urban (T-MEN; RAW DEAL; HE WALKED BY NIGHT), rural (BORDER INCIDENT), foreign historical costume drama (REIGN OF TERROR) or in the West (DEVIL'S DOORWAY), Alton used lighting not to make faces and sets visible, but to bathe them in darkness and, in so doing, created dramatic examples of film noir’s characteristic chiaroscuro effect. “Black and white are colors,” he said and his films of that period were awash in those two colors.

Over the next nine years (1951-60), Alton photographed 29 films. Four of the movies were directed by Vincente Minnelli, whom Alton adored because of their similar design interests. Alton shared his only Academy Award for cinematography with Alfred Girks for their work on Minnelli’s AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Alton’s contribution to the movie was on the screen for only about 20 minutes – the final ballet scene, arguably the most visually stunning sequence in film musical history. Seven films were directed by Allan Dwan, a pioneer of the American film industry (Alton had also worked on a Dwan movie in 1947). One of those films, SLIGHTLY SCARLET, is convincing evidence that excellent film noir can be shot in color. The only Joseph H. Lewis movie that he worked on during this period is a film noir classic, THE BIG COMBO. Alton’s last film was ELMER GANTRY in 1960, his fifth movie directed by Richard Brooks. The only cinematography he did after that was in 1966 for the TV pilot episode of Mission:Impossible.

John Alton lived thereafter in the shadows, largely by choice, until 1993 when the marvelous documentary VISIONS OF LIGHT: THE ART OF CINEMATOGRAPHY premiered. The makers had been unable to interview Alton for the film, but two days before the premiere he asked, through his step-grandson, if he could attend. He did and received an ovation from the audience, including his professional children, Conrad Hall (THE PROFESSIONALS; IN COLD BLOOD; COOL HAND LUKE), Haskell Wexler (WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST), Vilmos Zsigmond (McCABE AND MRS. MILLER; CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND; THE DEER HUNTER), and Laszlo Kovacs (EASY RIDER; GHOSTBUSTERS).

John Alton died in 1996.

Selected Filmography

T-MEN (Anthony Mann, 1947)
THE SPIRITUALIST (aka THE AMAZING MR. X) (Bernard Vorhaus, 1948)
RAW DEAL (Anthony Mann, 1948)
HE WALKED BY NIGHT (Alfred Werker/Anthony Mann (uncredited), 1948)
HOLLOW TRIUMPH (aka THE SCAR) (Steve Sekely/Paul Henreid (uncredited), 1948)
BORDER INCIDENT (Anthony Mann, 1949)
REIGN OF TERROR (aka THE BLACK BOOK) (Anthony Mann, 1949)
FATHER OF THE BRIDE (Vincente Minnelli, 1950)
MYSTERY STREET (John Sturges, 1950)
DEVIL'S DOORWAY (Anthony Mann, 1950)
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (ballet sequence only) (Vincente Minnelli, 1951)
SILVER LODE (Allan Dwan, 1954)
THE BIG COMBO (Joseph H. Lewis, 1955)
TEA AND SYMPATHY (Vincente Minnelli, 1956)
SLIGHTLY SCARLET (Allan Dwan, 1956)
THE CATERED AFFAIR (Richard Brooks, 1956)
TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON (Daniel Mann, 1956)
DESIGNING WOMAN (Vincente Minnelli, 1957)
LONELYHEARTS (Vincent J. Donehue, 1958)
ELMER GANTRY (Richard Brooks, 1960)

Sources

Allan Dwan: The Last Pioneer (Bogdanovich, P.)
Anthony Mann (Basinger, J.)
Through a Lens Darkly: The Life and Films of John Alton (McCarthy, T. -- Introduction to Painting with Light (Alton, J.))
Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors (Bogdanovich, P.)

[Dewey1960]

ChiO - Thanks for your brilliant assessment of John Alton's remarkable career. He is certainly my own personal favorite cinematographer, one whose work has inspired me in more ways than I care to count. I'm most especially enamored of his work on little known B films from the late forties, notably THE AMAZING MR. X (1948) and BURY ME DEAD.
A seance from THE AMAZING MR. X
[youtube][/youtube]
His exceptional contributions to films like these no doubt further enhanced the next generation's appreciation of this type of filmmaking---now commonly and collectively known as film noir.
The phenomenal book Alton wrote in the early 50s--a manual of style so to speak--Painting With Light is (I believe) finally back in print.
Thanks again; a great and informative read!

[Mr. Arkadin]

Great article ChiO. I learned quite a bit.

[Ann Harding]

Thanks ChiO for this nice overview of Alton's career!
He is also one of my favourite cinematographers. His work on the American in Paris ballet is just incredible (especially if you compare it with the very bland and boring work of Gilks in the rest of the picture...).
I adore his work in film noirs. In Devil's Doorway, he manages to give a film noir feel to a western, brilliantly too.

ChiO, what do you think of Alton's autobio, Painting with Light? Do you recommend it as a good read? It's always been on my must-read list.

[ChiO]

Ann asked:

ChiO, what do you think of Alton's autobio, Painting with Light? Do you recommend it as a good read?

Unfortunately, Painting with Light is not an autobiography; it is more akin to a cinematographer's style manual. That said, it is interesting to read. Todd McCarthy's 24-page introduction was worth the purchase price for me (the Chicago Public Library system had only one copy and it could only be read in a reference room). The rest of the book often drags for me (as a nonprofessional) as he explains his process.

Example: "THE POOR MAN'S MYSTERY -- If there are no lights available for night shots, even though they be of mysterious nature, they can be made with filters on sunlit exteriors (Fig. 105). A combination of Wratten filters No. 23 and No. 56 can be used." He then proceeds to explain how to light lightning, a campfire, a fireplace, and a candle.

But when he leaves the technical and delves into his philosophy and approach to lighting, there are marvelous passages such as:

"Every woman has the right to be as beautiful as she possibly can. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year in the United States alone on new dress styles, cosmetics, make-up, hairdo, permanent waves and other beautifying means. This is perfectly all right, but how many of you ladies have ever tried to use light as a beautifier? Very few, indeed. What good are the new dress, the perfect make-up, the hairdo if, when you go out, the light in which you appear simply kills them?....It takes no extra, expensive equipment to beautify with light. Just go out and use light that was given to all mankind. According to scientists, there will be sunshine for another million years. Everybody is entitled to a certain amount of happiness; go out and get it. Once you have learned to master light outside, continue with your experiments inside."

The book was published in 1949 and was developed from a series of articles Alton had been writing for a cinematography magazine since 1945. Apparently the cinematography establishment considered it crude and amateurish because of his espousal of cheap lighting and the use of darkness. American Cinematographer didn't review it until 1957: "of interest to the student cinematographer, but unfortunately it falls short of the mark set by its title because the author has kept his text so concise as to be almost an abridgement."

Given that there seems to be so little written about Alton, anything about him or by him is worth it. The best are the movies, of course -- even PASSION (Dwan, 1954), which I didn't list because I found the acting laughable, is worth watching because Alton's cinematography is so stunning.

[Ann Harding]

Thanks ChiO, for all these details. Actually, Painting With Light has been reissued in 1995 by the University of California Press.

From what you say, It sounds a bit too technical for me as well. I'll try to find it in a library.

I am very interested by cinematographers' memoirs. I read Jack Cardiff's Magic Hour. It's really a very good read and absolutely non-techical! He offers some great anecdotes of his work with Marilyn Monroe, Michael Powell and many others.

[ChiO]

I'll have to look for Cardiff's book. Watching THE RED SHOES last night on TCM reminded me that his work with Michael Powell was incredible.

[ChiO]

TCM -- probably unintentionally -- has been having an Alton-minifest for about a week.

HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948)
BATTLE CIRCUS (1953)
ELMER GANTRY (1960)
WASHINGTON STORY (1952)
BORDER INCIDENT (1949) -- upcoming as part of the Ricardo Montalban salute

Never enough, never enough.

[bryce]

Excellent write-up - even though I'm nearly a year late in saying so. I know you have many more articles like this in you - it's a shame they don't make it from mind to fingers to screen more often.

No mention of 12 to the Moon, though? For shame! Being the huge MST3K fan you are, I know you've seen it... (ahem)

Alton is the very definition of the phrase, "A director's only friend on set is the cinematographer/camera." I would argue that, if we must acknowledge the existence of the film auteur, there are at least two that work on every great film - one of them the cinematographer. Directors that refuse to acknowledge that, or think of themselves as one of the brilliant few who can lens as well as direct, often render the picture unwatchable.

I digress. John Alton was one of the few true friends and artists of the field of cinematography - I can count the rest on both hands alone - and for that he deserves all the praise we are capable of singing.

[ChiO]

The Alpha Video versions of THE AMAZING MR. X and REIGN OF TERROR can now -- finally -- be replaced in my collection. VCI is releasing cleaned up versions. For Dave Kehr's take: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/movie ... u&emc=mua3

[feaito]

I'm going to write this small opinion here since what most impressed me of this film was its absolutely awesome cinematography, especially the use of Black and White, the unique shots and camera angles and the composition of a film set in 1794? as a Film-Noir. I'm talking about "Reign of Terror" (The Black Book) (1949)- Anthony Mann.

I recall having watched bits and pieces of this film while very young, and being impressed by its look. The DVD edition I got is an European Zone 2 release, which is decent, but far from perfect, especially due to "bumps" in its continuity.

The star of the film is the camera and for that I'll quote a passage of ChiO's initial post:

In the films of John Alton, the cinematographer as auteur is brought to light – and to dark. Alton’s use of light and shadow, baroque angles, and a static camera created a look, a feel, an atmosphere of oppressiveness and foreboding that is the archetype of gritty urban film noir

. BRILLIANT.

Thanks to Alton we have a Noir set in the late XVIIIth Century! Superb! Each shot is a work of art. It really lokks like a moving -very dark- charcoal painting. The actors are uniformly good; Arlene Dahl never looked so alluring and beautiful as a kind of femme fatale "in costume". Dick Basehart is menacing, scary and disdainful as Robespierre. Bob Cummings (a vastly underrated actor who's starred in many excellent films) is very good as Charles and Arnold Moss superb as the scheming Fouché. Richard Hart is good as Citizen Barras and it's a pity that this talented actor died so young and made so few films. I have realized that this film has been wrongly advertised as a sort of Horror film, which is not entirely wrong though. It's a Dark Noir, Thriller and the least important aspect here is history. It's a magnificent creation and a unique world thanks to Alton and Anthony Mann. A must see! And I hope the VCI DVD Edition is better ChiO!

[ChiO]

Need to get away for a weekend? The Gene Siskel Film Center, as part of its series, More Than Night: Looking at Film Noir, is showing a 35mm archival print of REIGN OF TERROR on October 8 & 12. I do believe I'll be there.

Oh, and Dewey, the series also has IN A LONELY PLACE (Oct. 29 & Nov. 2) and SO DARK THE NIGHT (Dec. 3 & Dec. 7). Methinks that a cinematographer named Burnett Guffey was involved with those in some small way.

[feaito]

Need to get away for a weekend? The Gene Siskel Film Center, as part of its series, More Than Night: Looking at Film Noir, is showing a 35mm archival print of REIGN OF TERROR on October 8 & 12. I do believe I'll be there.

I wish I could! There's no way I can be there .... How lucky ChiO! Please let us know about that gorgeous print....

[ChiO]

Just for the record --

JOHN ALTON IS GOD! (or, if not, he was commissioned to photograph Him, as portrayed by Orson Welles)

I saw that 35mm print of REIGN OF TERROR (Anthony Mann, 1949) last night. Sure, the dialogue ranges from the, to be kind, stylized to the banal depending on whether one prefers Robert Cummings' grandiloquent elocution or Charles McGraw's guttural growl. The story is a mish-mash of hard-boiled detective fiction, romantic melodrama and B-Western dressed in 18th century costumes. The acting ranges from quite enjoyable (Richard Basehart, Arnold Moss, Charles McGraw) to...well...Robert Cummings and Arlene Dahl (no brickbats, please...this just doesn't represent their best work). The direction is fine, but let's face it...

This is John Alton's movie all the way. Despite the above, this is a wonderful movie and Alton's photography has to be the reason. Every one of his trademarks is there -- the high contrast between light and dark, scenes in which there is only enough light to keep the screen from being pitch black, shadows cast when there is no apparent light source, close-ups that are grotesque, performances in silhouette, diagonal lines cutting through the frame. All adding up to creating dramatic tension and visual interest.

And that's what I thought when watching my muddy print. In near pristine 35mm...(sigh). I may never be able to watch this movie again.

[Dewey1960]

Alton is one of a microscopically small handful of genius cinematographers who can elevate even the most simpleminded tripe to majestic heights of grandeur, as evidenced by REIGN OF TERROR. Glad you were finally able to see it in 35 on a big screen. The San Francisco Film Festival showed it one year (about 20 years ago) at the Castro Theater. Much as I genuinely enjoyed it, I haven't been able to watch again on the small screen. Thank God for repertory houses!!