OTTO HELLER

GREAT CINEMATOGRAPHERS

#2: 1962

OTTO HELLER

Born: 8 March [some sources: 3 September] 1896, Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic], as Ota Heller.

Died: 19 [some sources: 17] February 1970, London, UK.

Career: Apprenticed in the textile trade. Became usher at the Lido-Bio, then projectionist at the Kino Lucerna in Prague. During WWI he worked as a field cinema projectionist in the Austrian Army at the Italian front, and later in a military lab in Vienna. Became assistant military film reporter at the funeral of Emperor Franz Joseph in November 1916. After the war, the director of Pragafilm, Antonín Fencl, hired him as a cinematographer. His first film was a report on the return of [future president of Czechoslovakia] Tomás Masaryk to Prague in 1918. When the Nazis threatened Czechoslovakia, he left the country in 1938 and escaped to Great Britain in 1940 where he joined the Czech Air Force for a time until making 'Alibi' in 1942. He became a British citizen in 1945.

Otto Heller, actress Anny Ondra [Anny Ondráková, 1902-87], director Karel [Carl] Lamač [1887-1952] and writer Václav Wasserman [1898-1967] were called the 'Great Four of Czech Film'.

Was a member of the BSC.

Awards: BAFTA Film Award 'British Cinematography - Colour' [1965] for 'The Ipcress File'; BAFTA Film Award 'British Cinematography - Colour' nom [1966] for 'Alfie'.

Technical standards of early Czechoslovak cinema were hampered by the absence of properly equipped studios until the American and Biografia companies combined into the AB Company and converted a former restaurant and dance hall into a studio in 1921. This was supplemented by the Kavalírka Studios established by actor-director Karel Lamac in 1924, where some of the most important films of the 1920s were made before the destruction of the studios by fire in 1929. The coming of sound produced further problems. The first Czech talkies were actually produced in Paris, France. In 1933, the AB Company constructed the Barrandov Film Studios in Prague, which were to form the basis for both pre- and postwar developments.

The most striking thing about [Otto Heller's filmography] is its sheer bulk. Solely due to our regrettable ignorance about the work of Svatopluk Innemann, and even that of Mac [Martin] Fric, we must take on trust the qualities of the first 150 films in the list. However, we can vouch for the versatility of Heller's subsequent work. In an interview, Thorold Dickinson has attested to Heller's qualities, both personal and professional, and certainly 'The Queen of Spades' and - a personal favourite - 'They Made Me a Fugitive' bear him out. [Markku Salmi in 'Film Dope' #24, March 1982.]

Otto Heller is one of the many distinguished cameramen to have come from the Czechoslovak region [others include Karl Freund, Franz Planer, Miroslav Ondrícek, Jaroslav Kučera (1929-91), Jan Stallich (1907-73), and Václav Vích (1898-1966)]. His output is extremely wide-ranging and prolific: credited with over 250 films, he worked in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, Holland, France, and England.

Heller's career began in earnest in 1918, after he filmed the triumphal entry into Prague of the founder President of Czechoslovakia, Tomás Garrigue Masaryk. He contributed to many of the most famous Czech films. He was especially associated with the films of Anny Ondra and her husband Karl Lamac with whom he worked in many countries. Ironically, he was not appreciated as he should have been in his native country and was often teamed with another cameraman.

He extended his experience in Germany, and in the Berlin Film Lexicon of 1931 he is said to be esteemed for his technical knowledge and refined taste, and capable of producing striking effects for any subject. His exile to England in 1935 gave him the opportunity of filming a wide range of subjects by many different directors, but perhaps his greatest achievement was the exquisite work he did on Thorold Dickinson's 'The Queen of Spades', where Oliver Messel's superb sets were seen at their best through Heller's creative lens. His technical knowledge and expertise in color extended his previous success in black-and-white photography. [Liam O'Leary]

Otto Heller and 'The Queen of Spades' [1948]: 'He used to come to me and ask if I'd like to rearrange his lights, was anything dissatisfying? He's the only cameraman I've known who would change his lighting at someone else's suggestion, he had no inferiority complexes at all like so many of them do, and he didn't mind how we juggled our lenses. He'd say, "Use any lens you like, if you think it'll cut together, use them." And it was often necessary because Oliver Messel, who designed the sets, is a great theatrical designer but he couldn't understand what scales you can use in film.' [From interview with Thorold Dickinson in 'Film Dope' #11, January 1977.]

FILMS
1918	Ceskoslovenský Jezísek/The Czechoslovak Baby Jesus [Richard F. Branald] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1918	Alois vyhrál los/Aloisuv los/Alois Won a Prize [Richard F. Branald] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1919	O Adrienu/For Adrien [Max Urban] b&w
1919	Probuzené svedomí/Román lásky a pomsty/The Awakened Conscience/A Novel of Love and Revenge [Robert Zdráhal] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1919	Vzteklý zenich/The Mad Bridegroom [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1919	Záhadný prípad/The Strange Case [Leo Marten] b&w
1919	Palimpsest [Joe Jencík] b&w
1919	Krasavice Káta/Beautiful Katya [Václav Binovec] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1920	Drátenícek/The Little Tinker [Bohumír Simek] b&w
1920	Komediantka/The Comedienne [Josef Rovenský] b&w
1920	Za svobodu národa/For the Freedom of the People [Václav Binovec] b&w; cph: Jindrich Brichta, Svatopluk Innemann, a.o.
1920	Zpev zlata/Vetrelec/Song of Gold [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w
1920	Setrelé písmo/Tajemství staré knihy/The Rubbed-Off Writing/Secret of an Ancient Book [Josef Rovenský] b&w; augmented, partly reshot version of 'Palimpsest' (see 1919)
1920	Odplata/Historie obrazu/Madonna od sv. Pavla/Retaliation [Paul L. Winter] b&w
1921	Plameny zivota/Ráj a peklo bohémy/The Flames of Life/Heaven and Hell of the Bohème [Václav Binovec] b&w; cph: Jindrich Brichta
1921	Príchozí z temnot/Arrival from the Dark/Redivivus [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w; cph: Otto Hoffmann
1921	Otrávené svetlo/Poisoned Light [Jan Stanislav Kolár & Karel Lamac] b&w
1921	Trny a kvety/Zabec/Thorns and Flowers/Lass [Theodor Pistek] b&w
1921	Cesty k výsinám/Ways to the Heights [Stanislav Sotek] b&w
1921	Moderní Magdaléna/Modern Magdalene [Boris Orlický] b&w
1921	Kríz u potoka/The Cross by the Brook [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w
1921	Roztrzené foto/The Torn-up Photo [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w
1921	Stíny/Záhada noci/Shadows/Mystery of the Night [Premysl Prazský] b&w
1921	Nad propastí/Above the Abyss [Vladimír Majer] b&w
1922	Manzelé paní Mileny/Návrat mrtvého/Pyrrhovo vítezství/Madame Milena's Husbands/Dead Man's Return/Pyrrhic Victory [Vladimír Majer] b&w
1922	Harémy kouzla zbavené/Maharadzovo potesení/Harems Without Magic/The Maharajah's Pleasures [Karel Anton] b&w; + small part
1922	Jejich svatební noc/Jarka a Vera/Their Bridal Night [Frantisek Josef Leopold] b&w
1922	Mrtví zijí/Tajemný prazský doktor/The Dead Live [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w
1922	Poslední polibek/The Last Kiss [Karel Anton] b&w
1922	Venousek a Stázicka [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w; cph: Evzen Capita; originally shown integrally, but subsequently released in 2 parts
1922	Proudy/Proudem strzena/Vorari/Streams/Carried Away by the Current [Theodor Pistek] b&w
1922	Koryatovic/Zacarovaný klícek karpatský/A Spell on the Carpathian Key [Jan Just-Rozvoda] b&w
1922	Proc se nesmejes?/Why Don't You Laugh? [Eman Fiala] b&w
1922	Drvostep/Zázracná lécba Dra. Jenkinse/Dr. Jenkins Miracle Cure/The Wood-cutter [Karel Lamac] b&w
1923	Tu ten kámen/Kterak láskou mozno v mziku vzplanout treba k neboztíku/Tutankhamen/How to Have Love Flame on the Spot, Even for the Deceased [Karel Anton] b&w; cph: Frantisek Pones
1923	Muz bez srdce/Man Without a Heart/Der Mann ohne Herz [Josef Hornák & Franz W. Koebner] b&w; cph: Hans Aufhauser
1923	Únos bankére Fuxe/The Kidnapping of Banker Fux [Karel Anton] b&w; cph: Václav Vích
1923	Za oponou smrti/Zázracný lékar/Byl to jen sen/Beyond the Curtain of Death/The Miraculous Physician/It Was Only a Dream [Ferenc Futurista] b&w
1924	Bílý ráj/The White Paradise [Karel Lamac] b&w
1924	Písen zivota/Poslední písen/Song of Life [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1924	Chytte ho!/Lupic nesika/Catch Him!/The Clumsy Robber [Karel Lamac] b&w
1925	Vdavky Nanynky Kulichovy/The Marriage of Nanynky Kulicková [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1925	Karel Havlícek Borovský/Dve lásky Karla Havlícka Borovského/The Two loves of Karel Havlicek Borovsky [Karel Lamac & Theodor Pistek] b&w
1925	Syn hor/Son of the Mountains [Vladimír Slavínský] b&w; + small part
1925	Lucerna/The Lantern [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Svatopluk Innemann
1925	Josef Kajetán Tyl [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w
1926	Dobrý voják Svejk/Good Soldier Svejk [Karel Lamac] b&w
1926	Hrabenka z Podskalí/The Countess from Podskali [Karel Lamac] b&w
1926	Príbeh jednoho dne/The Story of One Day [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1926	Falesná kocicka/Kdyz si zena umíní/The False Kitten [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w
1926	Svejk na fronte/Svejk at the Front [Karel Lamac] b&w
1926	Lásky Kacenky Strnadové/The Loves of Kacenka Strnadova [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w
1926	Pantáta Bezousek/Old Man Bezouska [Karel Lamac] b&w
1926	Anicko, vrat se!/Tulák/Anicka, Come Back!/Vagabond [Theodor Pistek] b&w
1927	Loupezníci na Chlumu/Robbers on the Hill [Milos Hajský] b&w; cph: Josef Bulánek
1927	Kreutzerova sonáta/The Kreutzer Sonata [Gustav Machatý] b&w
1927	Werther/Utrpení mladé lásky/Sorrows of Young Love [Milos Hajský] b&w
1927	Kvet ze Sumavy/Flowers from the Sumava Mountains [Karel Lamac] b&w
1927	Milenky starého kriminálníka/Loves of an Old Criminal [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w
1927	Sladká Josefínka/Sweet Little Josefina [Karel Lamac] b&w
1927	Evas Töchter [- Das Paradies von heute]/Dcery Eviny/Eve's Daughters [Karl Lamac] b&w; cph: Arthur Porchet
1928	Saxophon-Susi [Carl Lamac] b&w
1928	Straßenbekanntschaften/Známosti z ulice/Acquaintances of the Street [Josef Medeotti-Bohác & Alwin Neuß] b&w
1928	Der erste Kuß [Karl Lamac] b&w
1928	Kedlubnový kavalír v ráji/A Gentleman in Paradise [Jan Bondy] b&w; cph: Josef Brabec
1928	Hrích/Sündenfall/The Sin [Karel Lamac] b&w
1928	Páter Vojtech/Father Vojtech [Martin Fric] b&w
1929	Sündig und süß [Carl Lamac] b&w
1929	Hríchy lásky/Sins of Love [Karel Lamac] b&w
1929	Das Mädel mit der Peitsche [Carl Lamac] b&w
1929	Prazské svadlenky/Young Dressmakers of Prague [Premysl Prazský] b&w; cph: Josef Bulánek
1929	Die Kaviarprinzessin [Carl Lamac] b&w
1929	Adjunkt Vrba [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1929	Starý hrích/The Old Sin [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1929	Das Mädel aus U.S.A. [Carl Lamac] b&w
1930	Svatý Václav/St. Wenceslas/Holy Václav [Jan Stanislav Kolár] b&w; cph; Jindrich Brichta, Karel Kopriva, Jan Stallich & Václav Vích
1930	Wiener Herzen/Erzherzog Otto und das Wäschermädel/Pradlenka jeho jasnosti [Fred Sauer] b&w
1930	Das Kabinett des Dr. Larifari [Robert Wohlmuth] b&w; cph: Eduard Hoesch
1930	Die vom Rummelplatz [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Erich Giese
1930	C.a.k. polní marsálek/Imperial and Royal Field Marshall [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Václav Vích; + small part
1930	Der falsche Feldmarschall/Der K.u.K. Feldmarschall [Carl Lamac] b&w; German-language version of 'C.a.k. polní marsálek'
1930	Monsieur le maréchal [Carl Lamac] b&w; French-language version of 'C.a.k. polní marsálek'
1930	Eine Freundin so goldig wie Du/Anny rádí [Carl Lamac] b&w
1930	Die Privatsekretärin/Privátní sekretárka [Wilhelm Thiele] b&w; cph: Reimar Kuntze & Adolf Schlasy
1930	Dactylo [Wilhelm Thiele] b&w; cph: Reimar Kuntze & Adolf Schlasy; French-language version of 'Die Privatsekretärin'

#1: With Karel Lamac [right] - "On a jeho sestra"

#2: [Left] with Karel Lamac and actress Anny Ondra

1931	On a jeho sestra/Him and His Sister [Karel Lamac & Martin Fric] b&w; cph: Václav Vích
1931	Er und seine Schwester/Meet the Sister [Carl Lamac] b&w; German-language version of 'On a jeho sestra'

1931	Der Zinker/The Informer [Carl Lamac-Produktion; dial dir: Karl Forest] b&w; 68m; restored in 2009 (original version without music + version with new musical score)
1931	To neznáte Hadimrsku/So Nobody Knows Hadimrsku/Business in Distress [Karel Lamac & Martin Fric] b&w; + small part
1931	Wehe, wenn er losgelassen/Unter Geschäftsaufsicht [Carl Lamac & Martin Fric] b&w; German-language version of 'To neznáte Hadimrsku'
1931	Mamsell Nitouche [Carl Lamac] b&w; German-language version of 'Mam'zelle Nitouche' (d: Marc Allégret; ph: Roger Hubert)
1931	Une nuit au paradis [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w
1931	Eine Nacht im Paradies/Jedinou noc v ráji/A Night in Paradise [Carl Lamac] b&w; German-language version of 'Une nuit au paradis'
1931	Die Fledermaus/Netopýr [Karl Lamac] b&w
1931	La chauve-souris [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w; French-language version of 'Die Fledermaus'
1932	Funebrák/The Undertaker/What a Funeral [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Jan Stallich
1932	Kantor ideál/The Ideal Schoolmaster [Martin Fric] b&w
1932	Betragen ungenügend [Martin Fric] b&w; German-language version of 'Kantor ideál'
1932	Simone est comme ça [Karl Anton] b&w
1932	Der Hexer/Maska/The Sorcerer [Carl Lamac & Martin Fric] b&w
1932	Die grausame Freundin/Anny, ukrutná prítelkyne/The Cruel Girl Friend [Carl Lamac] b&w
1932	Faut-il les marier?/Should We Wed Them? [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w; French-language version of 'Die grausame Freundin'
1932	Criez-le sur les toits/Shout It from the Rooftops [Karl Anton] b&w
1932	Lelícek ve sluzbách Sherlocka Holmese/Lelicek in the Services of Sherlock Holmes [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Jan Stallich
1932	Le roi bis [Robert Beaudoin] b&w; French-language version of 'Lelícek ve sluzbách Sherlocka Holmese'
1932	Pred maturitou/Before the Finals [Vladislav Vancura & Svatopluk Innemann] b&w; int ph; ext ph: Václav Vích
1932	Kiki - Der Lebensweg einer kleinen Choristin [Carl Lamac] b&w
1932	Kiki [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w; French-language version of 'Kiki - Der Lebensweg einer kleinen Choristin'
1932	Zapadlí vlastenci/Forgotten Patriots [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1932	Maquillage [Charles (Karel) Anton] b&w; French-language version of 'Behind the Make-Up' (1929, Robert Milton & Dorothy Arzner; ph: Charles Lang)
1932	Anton Spelec, ostrostrelec/Anton Spelec, Sharp-Shooter [Martin Fric] b&w
1932	Baby [Carl Lamac] b&w; German-language version of 'Saxophon-Susi' (1927)
1932	Baby [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w; French-language version of 'Saxophon-Susi' (1927)
1933	Pobocník jeho výsosti/His Highness' Adjutant [Martin Fric] b&w; cph: Jan Stallich
1933	Der Adjutant Seiner Hoheit [Martin Fric] b&w; German-language version of 'Pobocník jeho výsosti'
1933	Die Regimentstochter/Die Tochter des Regiments/Dcera pluku [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Kurt Neubert & Ernst Mühlrad
1933	La fille du régiment [Carl Lamac & Pierre Billon] b&w; cph: Kurt Neubert & Ernst Mühlrad; French-language version of 'Die Regimentstochter'
1933	Jsem devce s certem v tele/The Girl with the Devil in Her [Karel Anton] b&w; cph: Jan Stallich
1933	Fräulein Hoffmanns Erzählungen/Povídky slecny Hoffmannové [Carl Lamac] b&w; ph superv (+ c.op with Otto Martini); 3 seg: 'Die tolle Anita', 'Die tolle Lu' & 'Hotel Atlantik'
1933	S vyloucením verejnosti/Behind Closed Doors/Public Not Admitted [Martin Fric] b&w; cph: Karl Degl; + small part
1933	Prodaná nevesta/The Bartered Bride [Jaroslav Kvapil, Svatopluk Innemann & Emil Pollert] b&w; cph: Karl Degl & Václav Vích
1933	Dobrý tramp Bernásek/Good Tramp Bernasek [Karel Lamac] b&w
1933	Das verliebte Hotel/Zamilovaný hotel [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Josef Wirsching & Ernst Zahn
1933	Jindra, hrabenka Ostrovínová/Jindra, the Countess Ostrovin [Karel Lamac] b&w
1934	Anita v ráji/Anita in Paradise [Jan Sviták] b&w
1934	Annette im Paradies/Ein Kuß nach Ladenschluß [Max Obal] b&w; German-language version of 'Anita v ráji'
1934	Die vertauschte Braut/Anny und Anny/Falesná dvojcata [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Otto Martini
1934	L'amour en cage [Carl Lamac & Jean de Limur] b&w; cph: Otto Martini; French-language version of 'Die vertauschte Braut'
1934	Karneval und Liebe/Karneval a láska/Carnival of Love [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Karl Kurzmayer
1934	Klein Dorrit/Malá Dorritka/Little Dorrit [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Ludwig Zahn
1934	Tri kroky od tela/Three Steps from the Body [Svatopluk Innemann] b&w
1934	Zena, která ví co chce/A Woman Who Knows What She Wants [Václav Binovec] b&w; cph: Jan Stallich
1934	Hej-Rup!/Heave Ho!/Workers, Let's Go [Martin Fric] b&w
1934	Polská krev/Polish Blood [Karel Lamac] b&w
1934	Polenblut [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Otto Martini; German-language version of 'Polská krev'

? - OH - Karel Lamac - actor Vlasta Burian - "Nezlobte dedecka"

1934	Nezlobte dedecka/Don't Make Grandfather Angry [Karel Lamac] b&w
1935	Knock-out. Ein junges Mädchen - ein junger Mann/Liebe und Knock out [Hans H. Zerlett & Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Ludwig Zahn
1935	Barbora rádí/Angry Barbara [Miroslav Cikán] b&w
1935	Großreinemachen/General Housecleaning [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Otto Martini
1935	Jedenácté prikázání/The Eleventh Commandment [Martin Fric] b&w
1935	Der junge Graf/The Young Count [Carl Lamac] b&w; cph: Otto Martini
1935	A zivot jde dál/And Life Goes On [Carl Junghans, F.W. Kraemer & (Czech scenes) Václav Kubásek] b&w; int ph; ext ph: Jaroslav Blazek, Harry Smeh & Jan Stallich
1935	Bezdetná/Childless [Miroslav J. Krnanský] b&w
1936	Jízdní hlídka/Horse Patrol [Václav Binovec] b&w; cph: Ferdinand Pecenka
1936	The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss/Romance and Riches/The Amazing Adventure [Alfred Zeisler] b&w
1936	Na tý louce zelený/On the Green Meadow [Karel Lamac] b&w

1936	The High Command [Thorold Dickinson] b&w; studio ph; expedition ph: James E. Rogers; film was started by ph Jan Stallich
1936	Tomorrow We Live [H. Manning Haynes] b&w
1936	Ulicka v ráji/Dobrodinec chudých psu/A Little Street in Paradise/Crumbs for the Poor [Martin Fric] b&w
1936	Ulicnice/Gamine/Street Urchin/Minx [Vladimír Slavínský] b&w; cph: Ferdinand Pecenka
1936	Dreams Come True [Reginald Denham] b&w; cph: Gordon Dines
1936	Le mari rêvé [Roger Capellani] b&w; French-language remake of 'Zivot je pes' (1933, Martin Fric; ph: Václav Vich)
1936	Port-Arthur/I Give My Life/Orders from Tokio [Nicolas Farkas] b&w; cph: Jaroslav Tuzar
1936	Port Arthur [Nicolas Farkas] b&w; cph: Jaroslav Tuzar & Georg Krause; German-language version of 'Port-Arthur'
1936	Devcata, nedejte se!/Girls, Stand Fast! [Hugo Haas] b&w
1936	Vzdusné torpédo 48/Prípad plukovníka Svarce/Air Torpedo 48/The Case of Colonel Svarc [Miroslav Cikán] b&w; cph: Jaroslav Blazek
1937	Secret Lives/I Married a Spy [Edmond T. Gréville] b&w
1937	Svet patrí nám/The World Belongs to Us/The World Is Ours [Martin Fric] b&w
1937	Duvod k rozvodu/Grounds for Divorce [Karel Lamac] b&w
1937	Karel Hynek Mácha [Zet Molas] b&w; cph: Václav Hanus, Ferdinand Pecenka & Josef Strecha
1937	Litomysl [Otto Heller & Ferdinand Pecenka] b&w; doc/?m; cph: F. Pecenka
1937	Filosofská historie/A Philosophical Story [Otakar Vávra] b&w; int ph; ext ph: Ferdinand Pecenka
1937	Bílá nemoc/The White Scourge/Skeleton on Horseback [Hugo Haas] b&w
1937	Under Secret Orders/Mademoiselle Docteur [Edmond T. Gréville] b&w; English-language version of 'Mademoiselle Docteur/Salonique nid d'espions' (1936, G.W. Pabst; ph: Eugen Schüfftan)
1937	Krok do tmy/A Step to Darkness [Martin Fric] b&w
1938	Tretí zvonení/The Third Ringing [Jan Sviták] b&w
1938	Duchácek to zarídí/Duchacek Will Fix It [Karel Lamac] b&w
1938	Veertig jaren/Forty Years [Edmond T. Gréville & Johan de Meester] b&w
1938	Menaces/Threats [Edmond T. Gréville] b&w; cph: Nicolas Hayer; film was completed in September as 'Cinq jours d'angoise', but the negative was partially destroyed and many scenes were reshot; released in 1940
1938	La vierge folle/The Foolish Virgin [Henri Diamant-Berger] b&w; tech co-op; ph: Maurice Desfassiaux
1938	Slávko, nedej se!/Slavka, Don't Give In! [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Ferdinand Pecenka
1938	Morgen gaat 't beter!/Tomorrow It Will Be Better [Frederic Zelnik] b&w; cph: Frits Meyer & Paul Dekeukelaire
1939	De spooktrein [Karel Lamac] b&w; cph: Bryan Langley
1939	Le grand élan/They Met on Skis [Christian-Jaque & Henri Sokal] b&w; cph: Albert Benitz
1939	L'enfer des anges [Christian-Jaque] b&w; released in 1941
1939	De Mayerling à Sarajevo/From Mayerling to Sarajevo [Max Ophüls] b&w; cph: Curt Courant; ph superv: Eugen Schüfftan; filming started in July, but was interrupted by the war; prod was finished in 1940
1939	L'empreinte de Dieu/Two Women [Léonide Moguy] b&w; filming was interrupted by the war; prod was finished in 1940
1940	Soyez les bienvenus [Jacques de Baroncelli] b&w; filming was interrupted by the war; prod was finished late 1941
1940	Vingt-quatre heures de perm' [Maurice Cloche] b&w; released in 1945
1942	Alibi [Brian Desmond Hurst] b&w; remake of film 'L'alibi' (1937, Pierre Chenal; ph: Ted Pahle)
1942	Tomorrow We Live/At Dawn We Die [George King] b&w
1943	The Dark Tower [John Harlow] b&w
1943	They Met in the Dark [Karel Lamac] b&w
1943	The Night Invader [Herbert Mason] b&w
1943	The Hundred Pound Window [Brian Desmond Hurst] b&w
1943	Candlelight in Algeria [George King] b&w; ext ph: Patrick Gay
1944	One Exciting Night/You Can't Do Without Love [Walter Forde] b&w
1944	Mr. Emmanuel [Harold French] b&w
1944	Flight from Folly [Herbert Mason] b&w; during the prod of this film, the studio - Teddington Studios (Warner Bros. First National Productions Ltd.) - was damaged (5 July) by a German V-1; film was finished in the hastily soundproofed studio garage and the site was closed; studio re-opened in 1947
1944	I Live in Grosvenor Square/A Yank in London [Herbert Wilcox] b&w; ext ph: Eric Cross
1945	Night Boat to Dublin [Lawrence Huntington] b&w
1945	Gaiety George/Showtime [George King] b&w
1946	Temptation Harbour [Lance Comfort] b&w
1946	They Made Me a Fugitive/I Became a Criminal [(Alberto) Cavalcanti] b&w; 2uc: Bert Mason
1947	Bond Street [Gordon Parry] b&w; ext ph: Bryan Langley
1948	Noose/The Silk Noose [Edmond T. Gréville] b&w; uncred cph; ph: Hone Glendining

[Right] with Edmond T. Gréville - "Niet tevergeefs"

Photo Thys Ockersen Archive

1948	Niet tevergeefs [Edmond T. Gréville] b&w; Dutch-language version of 'But Not in Vain' (1948, E. Gréville; ph: Hone Glendining, William McLeod & Ernest Palmer)
1948	The Queen of Spades [Thorold Dickinson] b&w; see above
1948	The Last Days of Dolwyn/Woman of Dolwyn [Emlyn Williams & (assoc dir) Russell Lloyd] b&w
1949	Now Barabbas [Was a Robber...]/Which Will You Have? [Gordon Parry] b&w; 87m; reissued in 1953 (65m)
1949	Golden Arrow/Three Men and a Girl/The Gay Adventure [Gordon Parry] b&w
1950	The Woman with No Name/Her Panelled Door [Ladislas Vajda & (assoc dir) George More O'Ferrall] b&w
1950	I'll Get You for This/Lucky Nick Cain [Joseph M. Newman] b&w
1950	Flesh & Blood [Anthony Kimmins] b&w
1950	Never Take No for an Answer/The Small Miracle [Maurice Cloche & Ralph Smart] b&w; English-language version of 'Peppino e Violetta' (1950; d: Maurice Cloche; ph: Giorgio Orsini)
1951	The Crimson Pirate [Robert Siodmak] c; uwph: H.J. Hodges
1952	The Man Who Watched Trains Go By/The Paris Express [Harold French] c
*1952*	Moulin Rouge [John Huston] scheduled as doph, but he and Huston didn't get along; film was ph by Oswald Morris
1952	His Majesty O'Keefe [Byron Haskin] c
1953	The Square Ring [Basil Dearden] b&w; cph: Gordon Dines
1953	Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue [Harold French] c; co-2uc; ph: Guy Green
1953	The Rainbow Jacket [Basil Dearden] c; addph: Gus Drisse
1954	The Divided Heart [Charles Crichton] b&w

[Left] with Laurence Olivier [right] - "Richard III"

1954	Richard III [Laurence Olivier] vv/c
1955	The Ladykillers [Alexander Mackendrick] c; one of the last British films in 3-Strip Technicolor
1955	Who Done It? [Basil Dearden] b&w

Cy Endfield - actress Phyllis Calvert - Charles Chaplin [visitor] - actress Mandy Miller - OH

"Child in the House"

1956	Child in the House [Cy Endfield & (assoc dir) Charles de Lautour] b&w
1956	Circus Friends [Gerald Thomas] b&w; 63m; for Children's Film Foundation
1956	The Passionate Stranger/A Novel Affair [Muriel Box] b&w (actuality) + c (dream world)
1956	Kings and Queens [Paul Czinner] c; doc/28m
1957	Manuela/Stowaway Girl [Guy Hamilton] b&w
1957	The Vicious Circle/The Circle [Gerald Thomas] b&w
1957	The Truth About Women [Muriel Box] c

1957	The Silent Enemy [William Fairchild] b&w; uwph: Egil Woxholt
1957	The Duke Wore Jeans [Gerald Thomas] b&w
1958	The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw [Raoul Walsh] cs/c; 2uc: Lionel Banes
1958	Hello London/London Calling [Sidney Smith] cs/c; 32m & 78m
1959	Ferry to Hong Kong [Lewis Gilbert] cs/c
1959	The Rough and the Smooth/Portrait of a Sinner [Robert Siodmak] b&w; replaced ph Freddie Francis, who started the film
1959	A Dog of Flanders [James B. Clark] cs/c
1959	Too Hot to Handle/Playgirl After Dark [Terence Young] c

#1: [Glasses] with Michael Powell - "Peeping Tom"

#2: With actress Pamela Green

1959	Peeping Tom/Face of Fear [Michael Powell] c
1960	An heiligen Wassern [Alfred Weidenmann] c
1960	The Singer Not the Song [Roy Baker] cs/c
1960	The Big Show [James B. Clark] cs/c
1961	Victim [Basil Dearden] b&w
1961	Light in the Piazza [Guy Green] cs/c
1962	Tiara Tahiti [William T. (Ted) Kotcheff] c
1962	Life for Ruth/Walk in the Shadow [Basil Dearden] b&w
1962	We Joined the Navy/We Are in the Navy Now [Wendy Toye] cs/c
1963	What a Crazy World [Michael Carreras] cs/b&w
1963	A Gift for Love [Charles de Lautour] c; short/19m; for the Spastics Society
1963	West 11 [Michael Winner] b&w
1963	Woman of Straw [Basil Dearden] c
1964	The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb [Michael Carreras] ts/c

1964	The Ipcress File [Sidney J. Furie] ts/c
1964	Masquerade/A Shabby Tiger [Basil Dearden] c; process ph: Charles Staffell
1965	Alfie [Lewis Gilbert] ts/c; + small part
1965	That Riviera Touch [Cliff Owen] c; 2uc: Michel Rocca
1966	Funeral in Berlin [Guy Hamilton] p/c; addph: Godfrey Godar
1967	The Naked Runner [Sidney J. Furie] ts/c
1967	I'll Never Forget What's 'isname [Michael Winner] c
1967	Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River [Jerry Paris] c
1968	Duffy [Robert Parrish] c; 2uc: Egil S. Woxholt
1968	Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? [Anthony Newley] c
1968	In Search of Gregory [Peter Wood] c; cph: Giorgio Tonti
1969	Bloomfield/The Hero [Richard Harris (replaced Uri Zohar)] c; film was started by dir U. Zohar and ph David Gurfinkel