Geoffrey Unsworth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years.

After working as a camera operator on films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Unsworth made his debut as cinematographer on the documentary feature The People's Land in 1943.

His film work brought him an impressive array of awards, including five British Society of Cinematographers awards, three BAFTAS and two Academy Awards. He was also credited with developing new visual effects techniques for his bluescreen work on Superman in 1978.^{[citation needed]}

He was also admired for his charming manner at work. For instance, Margot Kidder was flattered when he arranged lighting for her shots and insisted on concentration by saying, "Quiet, I'm lighting the Lady."

He died while filming Roman Polanski's Tess in 1978, the film for which he won his second Academy Award. His first was for Cabaret in 1972. Both Superman and The First Great Train Robbery were dedicated to his memory.

[edit] Selected filmography

• The People's Land (1943)
• The Man Within (1947)
• Jassy (1947)
• Scott of the Antarctic (1948)
• The Blue Lagoon (1949)
• Trio (1950)
• Where No Vultures Fly (1951)
• The Clouded Yellow (1951)
• The Planter's Wife (1952)
• The Million Pound Note (1953)
• The Purple Plain (1954)
• The Seekers (1954)
• A Town Like Alice (1956)
• Hell Drivers (1957)
• A Night to Remember (1958)
• North West Frontier (1959)
• On the Double (1961)
• The 300 Spartans (1962)
• Becket (1964)
• Othello (1965)
• Genghis Khan (1965)
• Half a Sixpence (1967)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• The Assassination Bureau (1969)
• The Reckoning (1969)
• Three Sisters (1970)
• Cromwell (1970)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
• Cabaret (1972)
• Baxter! (1973)
• Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
• The Abdication (1974)
• Zardoz (1974)
• Lucky Lady (1975)
• Royal Flash (1975)
• The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
• A Bridge Too Far (1977)
• Superman (1978)
• The First Great Train Robbery (1978)
• Tess (1979)

[edit] External link

• Geoffrey Unsworth at the Internet Movie Database