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'''Jack Cardiff''' (born [[18 September]] [[1914]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[cinematographer]], [[film director|director]] and [[photographer]].
{{Short description|British cinematographer, director and photographer (1914–2009)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jack Cardiff
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image = Jack-cardiff-pipe-1.jpg
| caption = Jack Cardiff in the 1970s
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1914|9|18}}
| birth_place = [[Great Yarmouth]], [[Norfolk]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2009|4|22|1914|9|18}}
| death_place = [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], [[Cambridgeshire]], England
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|cinematographer|director|photographer}}
| known for = ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]''
(1946)<br/>''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947)<br/>''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (1948)<br/>''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'' (1951)<br/>''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956)<br/>''[[Sons and Lovers (1960 film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' (1960)
| yearsactive = 1918–2007
}}


His career spans the development of cinema, from [[silent film]], through early experiments in [[Technicolor]] (and, less successfully, [[Smell-o-vision]]), to filmmaking in the 21st century. He is best known for his influential cinematography for directors such as [[Michael Latham Powell|Powell]], [[John Huston|Huston]] and [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]].
'''Jack Cardiff''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British [[cinematographer]], film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from [[silent film]], through early experiments in [[Technicolor]], to filmmaking more than half a century later.


He is best known for his influential colour cinematography for directors such as [[Powell and Pressburger]] (''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'', ''[[Black Narcissus]]'', and ''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]''), [[John Huston]] (''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'') and [[Alfred Hitchcock]] (''[[Under Capricorn]]''). He is also known for his work as a director – in particular, his critically acclaimed film ''[[Sons and Lovers (1960 film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' (1960) for which he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]].
In [[2000]] he was awarded an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]].


In 2000, he was appointed as an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] and, in 2001, he was awarded an [[Academy Honorary Award]] for his contribution to the cinema.
Born in [[Great Yarmouth|Yarmouth]], [[Norfolk]], Cardiff's parents were [[music hall]] entertainers. He worked as an actor from an early age, both in the music hall and in a number of silent films: ''My Son, My Son'' (1918), ''Billy's Rose'' (1922), ''The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots'' (1923) and ''Tiptoes'' (1927). At 15 he began working as a camera assistant, clapper boy and production runner for [[British International Pictures]], including Hitchcock's ''[[The Skin Game]]'' (1931).

Jack Cardiff's work is reviewed in the documentary film ''[[Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff]]'' (2010) and [[Terry Johnson (dramatist)|Terry Johnson]]'s stage play ''[[Prism (play)|Prism]]'' (2017).

==Early life==
Cardiff was born in [[Great Yarmouth]], Norfolk, the son of Florence and John Joseph Cardiff, [[music hall]] entertainers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/47/Jack-Cardiff.html |title=Jack Cardiff biography |publisher=Advameg, Inc. |website=Film Reference |access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>

He worked as an actor from an early age, both in the music hall and in a number of silent films, including ''My Son, My Son'' (1918), ''Billy's Rose'' (1922), ''[[The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots]]'' (1923) and ''[[Tip Toes]]'' (1927). At 15, he began working as a camera assistant, clapper boy and production runner for [[Associated British Picture Corporation|British International Pictures]], including [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Skin Game (1931 film)|The Skin Game]]'' (1931).{{cn|date=February 2018}}


==Cinematography==
==Cinematography==
In 1935 Cardiff graduated to camera operator and occasional cinematographer, working mostly for [[London Films]]. He was the first to shoot a film in the UK in [[Technicolor]]: ''Wings of the Morning'' (1937). When [[WWII|the war]] began he worked a cinematographer on public information films.
In 1935, Cardiff graduated as a camera operator and occasional [[cinematographer]], working mostly for [[London Films]]. He was a camera operator on the first film in Britain shot in [[Technicolor]], ''[[Wings of the Morning (1937 film)|Wings of the Morning]]'' (1937). When the [[Second World War]] began, he worked as a cinematographer on [[public information film]]s. He did a number of films on India where the British wanted to showcase the new capital city of Delhi.


The turning point in his career was as a 2nd unit cameraman on [[Powell and Pressburger|Powell & Pressburger's]] ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]'' (1943); they were impressed enough to hire Cardiff as cinematographer on their post-war Technicolor masterpiece ''[[A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946). Their collaboration continued with ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947), which won Cardiff an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] and a [[Golden Globe]], and ''[[The Red Shoes (film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (1948). These films put Cardiff's talents in high demand, and a string of big-budget films followed. After concentrating on direction in the 1960s, he returned to cinematography in the 1970s and 1980s.
The turning point in his career was as a second unit Technicolor camera operator on [[Powell and Pressburger]]'s ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]'' (1943); they were sufficiently impressed to hire Cardiff as cinematographer on their post-war Technicolor ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946). Their collaboration continued with ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947), which won Cardiff an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] and a [[Golden Globe]], and ''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (1948). These films put Cardiff's talents in high demand, and a string of big-budget films followed.


In 1995, the [[British Society of Cinematographers]] conferred a lifetime achievement award on Cardiff.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jack Cardiff |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=2 May 2009 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/5215307/Jack-Cardiff.html }}</ref>
Notable films as cinematographer include:
*''[[A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946) directed by [[Powell and Pressburger]]
*''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947) directed by [[Powell and Pressburger]]
*''[[The Red Shoes (film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (1948) directed by [[Powell and Pressburger]]
*''[[Under Capricorn]]'' (1949) directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]]
*''[[The Black Rose]]'' (1950) starring [[Orson Welles]]
*''[[The Magic Box (movie)|The Magic Box]]'' (1951) a biopic of [[William Friese-Greene]]
*''[[Pandora and the Flying Dutchman]]'' (1951)
*''[[The African Queen]]'' (1951) directed by [[John Huston]]
*''[[The Barefoot Contessa]]'' (1954)
*''[[War and Peace (1968 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' (1957)
*''[[Legend of the Lost]]'' (1957)
*''[[The Vikings (movie)|The Vikings]]'' (1958)
*''[[Death on the Nile (movie)|Death on the Nile]]'' (1978)
*''[[The Awakening (movie)|The Awakening]]'' (1980)
*''[[The Dogs of War]]'' (1981)
*''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' (1984)
*''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]'' (1985)


==Directorial work==
==Directorial work==
In the late 1950s Cardiff began to direct, with two modest successes in ''Intent to Kill'' (1958) and ''Beyond this Place'' (1959). In 1960 his adaptation of [[D. H. Lawrence|D. H. Lawrence's]] novel ''[[Sons and Lovers]]'', starring [[Trevor Howard]], [[Wendy Hiller]] and [[Dean Stockwell]], was a successful hit. It earned seven [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations and won [[Freddie Francis]] Best Black-and-White Cinematography. Cardiff received a Golden Globe for direction.
In the late 1950s Cardiff began to direct, with two modest successes in ''Intent to Kill'' (1958) and ''[[Web of Evidence]]'' (1959). His version of [[D. H. Lawrence]]'s novel ''[[Sons and Lovers (film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' (1960), starring [[Trevor Howard]], [[Wendy Hiller]] and [[Dean Stockwell]], was a hit, critically and at the box-office. It received seven [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations (including a Best Director nomination for Cardiff) and [[Freddie Francis]] won for Best Black-and-White Cinematography. Cardiff received a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director]].


==Later life==
After the high water mark of ''Sons and Lovers'', he directed a unusual mix of films, including:
After concentrating on direction in the 1960s, he returned to cinematography in the 1970s and 1980s, working on mainstream commercial films in the United States. One of the last films Cardiff photographed was at [[Pinewood Studios]] in 2004 when he lit veteran actor Sir [[John Mills]] in a short entitled ''Lights 2'' (dir. [[Marcus Dillistone]]). The combined age of leading actor and cinematographer was a record 186 years.
*''[[The Scent of Mystery]]'' (1960) &mdash; the first production in [[Smell-o-vision]]

*''[[My Geisha]]'' (1962)
==Death==
*''[[The Long Ships (1963 film)|The Long Ships]]'' (1963)
Cardiff died on 22 April 2009, aged 94,<ref>{{cite news |title=Jack Cardiff, Film Director, Dies at 94 |first=Douglas |last=Martin |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=27 April 2009 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/arts/24cardiff.html |page=19 }}</ref> the same day as [[Ken Annakin]], with whom he had worked on ''[[The Fifth Musketeer]]'' (1979). He was survived by his wife and his four sons.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/movies/news/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=16286733&GT1=61502 |title=Film director Jack Cardiff dies |work=[[MSN Movies]] |access-date=26 February 2018 |date=23 April 2009 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425115137/http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/movies/news/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=16286733&GT1=61502 |archive-date=25 April 2009}}</ref>
*''[[Young Cassidy]]'' (1965)

*''[[The Mercenaries]]'' (1968)
==Filmography==
*''[[The Girl on a Motorcycle]]'' (1968) starring [[Marianne Faithfull]]
Jack Cardiff was the camera operator and then cinematographer for 73 films, documentaries and TV series between 1935 and 2007.<ref>{{IMDb name|id=0002153|name=Jack Cardiff}}. Retrieved 22 April 2011.</ref> These are some of the main films:
*''[[The Mutations (movie)|The Mutations]]'' (1973) starring [[Donald Pleasence]]
===Cinematographer===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Director !! Notes
|-
|1939 || ''Delhi'' || Hans Nieter ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[The Great Mr. Handel]]'' || [[Norman Walker (director)|Norman Walker]] ||
|-
|1946 || ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' ||rowspan=3| [[Powell and Pressburger]] ||
|-
|1947 || ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' ||
|-
|1948 || ''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]'' ||
|-
|1949 || ''[[Under Capricorn]]'' || [[Alfred Hitchcock]] ||
|-
|1950 || ''[[The Black Rose]]'' || [[Henry Hathaway]] ||
|-
|rowspan=3|1951 || ''[[The Magic Box]]'' || [[Boulting brothers|John Boulting]] ||
|-
| ''[[Pandora and the Flying Dutchman]]'' || [[Albert Lewin]] ||
|-
| ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'' || [[John Huston]] ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[The Barefoot Contessa]]'' || [[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]] ||
|-
|1956 || ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' || [[King Vidor]] ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1957 || ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' || [[Laurence Olivier]] ||
|-
| ''[[Legend of the Lost]]'' || [[Henry Hathaway]] ||
|-
|1958 || ''[[The Vikings (film)|The Vikings]]'' || [[Richard Fleischer]] ||
|-
|1961 || ''[[Fanny (1961 film)|Fanny]]'' || [[Joshua Logan]] ||
|-
|1973 || ''[[Scalawag (film)|Scalawag]]'' || [[Kirk Douglas]] ||
|-
|1977 || ''[[The Prince and the Pauper (1977 film)|The Prince and the Pauper]]'' || Richard Fleischer ||
|-
|1978 || ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' || [[John Guillermin]] ||
|-
|1979 || ''[[The Fifth Musketeer]]'' || [[Ken Annakin]] ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[The Awakening (1980 film)|The Awakening]]'' || [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]] ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1981 || ''[[Ghost Story (1981 film)|Ghost Story]]'' ||rowspan=2| [[John Irvin]] ||
|-
| ''[[The Dogs of War (film)|The Dogs of War]]'' ||
|-
|1984 || ''[[The Far Pavilions]]'' || [[Peter Duffell]] ||
|-
|1984 || ''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' || Richard Fleischer ||
|-
|1985 || ''[[Cat's Eye (1985 film)|Cat's Eye]]'' || [[Lewis Teague]] ||
|-
|1985 || ''[[Rambo: First Blood Part II]]'' || [[George P. Cosmatos]] ||
|-
|1986 || ''[[Tai-Pan (film)|Tai-Pan]]'' || [[Daryl Duke]] ||
|-
|1987 || ''[[Million Dollar Mystery]]'' || Richard Fleischer ||
|-
|}

===Director===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Notes
|-
|1953 || ''[[The Story of William Tell]]'' || unfinished
|-
|1958 || ''[[Intent to Kill (1958 film)|Intent to Kill]]'' ||
|-
|1959 || ''[[Beyond This Place (1959 film)|Beyond This Place]]'' || US title: ''Web of Evidence''
|-
|rowspan=2|1960 || ''[[Scent of Mystery]]'' ||
|-
| ''[[Sons and Lovers (1960 film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1962 || ''[[My Geisha]]'' ||
|-
| ''[[The Lion (film)|The Lion]]'' ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[The Long Ships (1963 film)|The Long Ships]]'' ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1965 || ''[[Young Cassidy]]'' ||
|-
| ''[[The Liquidator (1965 film)|The Liquidator]]'' ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1968 || ''[[Dark of the Sun]]'' || Also known as ''The Mercenaries''
|-
| ''[[The Girl on a Motorcycle]]'' || US title: ''Naked Under Leather''
|-
|1973 || ''[[Penny Gold]]'' ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[The Mutations]]'' ||
|-
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
'''Academy Awards'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|[[20th Academy Awards|1947]] || rowspan=2|[[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] || ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' || {{won}}
|-
|[[29th Academy Awards|1956]] || ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|[[33rd Academy Awards|1960]] || [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] || ''[[Sons and Lovers (film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|[[34th Academy Awards|1961]] || [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] || ''[[Fanny (1961 film)|Fanny]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|[[74th Academy Awards|2001]] || [[Honorary Oscar]] || {{n/a}} || {{won}}
|-
|}

'''Other awards'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|[[5th Golden Globe Awards|1947]] || [[Golden Globe Awards]] || Best Cinematography || ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|1956 || British Society of Cinematographers || Best Cinematography || ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' || {{won}}
|-
|[[1960 Cannes Film Festival|1960]] || [[Cannes Film Festival]] || [[Palme d'Or]] || rowspan=5|''[[Sons and Lovers (1960 film)|Sons and Lovers]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|[[18th Golden Globe Awards|1960]] || [[Golden Globe Awards]] || Best Director || {{won}}
|-
|1960 || [[Directors Guild of America]] || Best Director || {{nom}}
|-
|[[1960 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1960]] || [[New York Film Critics Circle]] || Best Director || {{won}}
|-
|[[National Board of Review Awards 1960|1960]] || [[National Board of Review]] || Best Director || {{won}}
|-
|1985 || [[British Academy Television Awards]] || Best Film Cameraman || ''[[The Far Pavilions]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|1994 || [[American Society of Cinematographers]] || International Award || {{n/a}} || {{won}}
|-
|1994 || [[British Society of Cinematographers]] || Lifetime Achievement Award || {{n/a}} || {{won}}
|-
|[[London Film Critics Circle Awards 1996|1996]] || [[London Film Critics' Circle]] || Lifetime Achievement Award || {{n/a}} || {{won}}
|-
|2002 || [[British Film Institute]] || BFI Fellowship || {{n/a}} || {{won}}
|-
|}

==Legacy==
A feature-length documentary was made about Cardiff's life and career, ''[[Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff]]'' (2010) by Craig McCall.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/cameraman-the-life-and-work-of-jack-cardiff/5013519.article |title=Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff |journal=[[screendaily.com]] |access-date=22 April 2011 |date=6 May 2010 |first=Mark |last=Adams |publisher=Media Business Insight Limited}}</ref> It took 17 years to make, and was not completed until after Cardiff had died. As well as many interviews with Cardiff, it included tributes from Sir John Mills, [[Martin Scorsese]], [[Thelma Schoonmaker]], [[Kathleen Byron]], [[Kim Hunter]], [[Moira Shearer]], [[Lauren Bacall]], [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Kirk Douglas]]. It was selected for the official selection of ''Cannes Classics'' at the [[Festival de Cannes]] in 2010, as well as four other important film festivals that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/theDailyArticle/57560.html |work=[[Festival de Cannes]] |title="Documentary" Sunday at Cannes Classics |date=16 May 2010 |access-date=7 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406013039/http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/theDailyArticle/57560.html |archive-date=6 April 2012}}</ref>

''Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff'' was shown as part of the Great Yarmouth Arts Festival 2014 along with some of his photographs, often taken as preliminaries to lighting the films. Further celebrations to mark his birth date took place that September, particularly at the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth.{{cn|date=February 2018}}

Cardiff's life was also explored in the 2017 stage play ''[[Prism (play)| Prism]]'' by [[Terry Johnson (dramatist)|Terry Johnson]].

==Bibliography==
* ''Magic Hour'' (1996). [[Faber and Faber]] limited. {{ISBN|0-571-19274-2}}. Foreword by [[Martin Scorsese]].
* ''Conversations with Jack Cardiff: Art, Light and Direction in Cinema'' by Justin Bowyer ({{ISBN|0-7134-8855-7}})


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
*Cardiff's autobiography ''Magic Hour'' (ISBN 0571192742)
*''Conversations with Jack Cardiff: Art, Light and Direction in Cinema'' by Justin Bowyer (ISBN 0713488557)


==External links==
==External links==
*{{imdb name|id=0002153|name=Jack Cardiff}}
* {{IMDb name|0002153}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210024238/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/cardiff/ BFI: Jack Cardiff]
*[http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Jack Jack Cardiff] at the [http://www.powell-pressburger.org Powell & Pressburger pages]
* {{Screenonline name|id=458373|name=Jack Cardiff biography and credits}}
*[[BBC]] Radio 4's ''The Film Programme'' [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/filmprogramme/filmprogramme_20050326.shtml special edition on Jack Cardiff]
* [http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Jack Jack Cardiff] at the [http://www.powell-pressburger.org Powell & Pressburger pages]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/forum/1233410.stm BBC Forum Interview (2001)]
* [[BBC]] Radio 4's ''The Film Programme'' [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/filmprogramme/filmprogramme_20050326.shtml special edition on Jack Cardiff]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090901210616/http://www.jackcardiff.co.uk/ Jack Cardiff Prints]}}

{{Jack Cardiff}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Jack Cardiff
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestCinematography 1941–1960}}
{{Academy Honorary Award}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1943-1965}}
{{British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Director}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1914 births|Cardiff, Jack]]
[[Category:Living people|Cardiff, Jack]]
[[Category:British cinematographers|Cardiff, Jack]]
[[Category:Best Cinematographer Oscar|Cardiff, Jack]]
[[Category:Natives of Norfolk|Cardiff, Jack]]
[[Category:Officers of the British Empire|Cardiff, Jack]]


[[de:Jack Cardiff]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardiff, Jack}}
[[fr:Jack Cardiff]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients]]
[[Category:Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:English cinematographers]]
[[Category:English film directors]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from Great Yarmouth]]

Latest revision as of 18:45, 21 December 2024

Jack Cardiff
OBE
Jack Cardiff in the 1970s
Born(1914-09-18)18 September 1914
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
Died22 April 2009(2009-04-22) (aged 94)
Ely, Cambridgeshire, England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • cinematographer
  • director
  • photographer
Years active1918–2007
Known forA Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Black Narcissus (1947)
The Red Shoes (1948)
The African Queen (1951)
War and Peace (1956)
Sons and Lovers (1960)

Jack Cardiff OBE (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to filmmaking more than half a century later.

He is best known for his influential colour cinematography for directors such as Powell and Pressburger (A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes), John Huston (The African Queen) and Alfred Hitchcock (Under Capricorn). He is also known for his work as a director – in particular, his critically acclaimed film Sons and Lovers (1960) for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.

In 2000, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and, in 2001, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his contribution to the cinema.

Jack Cardiff's work is reviewed in the documentary film Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010) and Terry Johnson's stage play Prism (2017).

Early life

[edit]

Cardiff was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, the son of Florence and John Joseph Cardiff, music hall entertainers.[1]

He worked as an actor from an early age, both in the music hall and in a number of silent films, including My Son, My Son (1918), Billy's Rose (1922), The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923) and Tip Toes (1927). At 15, he began working as a camera assistant, clapper boy and production runner for British International Pictures, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Skin Game (1931).[citation needed]

Cinematography

[edit]

In 1935, Cardiff graduated as a camera operator and occasional cinematographer, working mostly for London Films. He was a camera operator on the first film in Britain shot in Technicolor, Wings of the Morning (1937). When the Second World War began, he worked as a cinematographer on public information films. He did a number of films on India where the British wanted to showcase the new capital city of Delhi.

The turning point in his career was as a second unit Technicolor camera operator on Powell and Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943); they were sufficiently impressed to hire Cardiff as cinematographer on their post-war Technicolor A Matter of Life and Death (1946). Their collaboration continued with Black Narcissus (1947), which won Cardiff an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and The Red Shoes (1948). These films put Cardiff's talents in high demand, and a string of big-budget films followed.

In 1995, the British Society of Cinematographers conferred a lifetime achievement award on Cardiff.[2]

Directorial work

[edit]

In the late 1950s Cardiff began to direct, with two modest successes in Intent to Kill (1958) and Web of Evidence (1959). His version of D. H. Lawrence's novel Sons and Lovers (1960), starring Trevor Howard, Wendy Hiller and Dean Stockwell, was a hit, critically and at the box-office. It received seven Oscar nominations (including a Best Director nomination for Cardiff) and Freddie Francis won for Best Black-and-White Cinematography. Cardiff received a Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Later life

[edit]

After concentrating on direction in the 1960s, he returned to cinematography in the 1970s and 1980s, working on mainstream commercial films in the United States. One of the last films Cardiff photographed was at Pinewood Studios in 2004 when he lit veteran actor Sir John Mills in a short entitled Lights 2 (dir. Marcus Dillistone). The combined age of leading actor and cinematographer was a record 186 years.

Death

[edit]

Cardiff died on 22 April 2009, aged 94,[3] the same day as Ken Annakin, with whom he had worked on The Fifth Musketeer (1979). He was survived by his wife and his four sons.[4]

Filmography

[edit]

Jack Cardiff was the camera operator and then cinematographer for 73 films, documentaries and TV series between 1935 and 2007.[5] These are some of the main films:

Cinematographer

[edit]
Year Title Director Notes
1939 Delhi Hans Nieter
1942 The Great Mr. Handel Norman Walker
1946 A Matter of Life and Death Powell and Pressburger
1947 Black Narcissus
1948 The Red Shoes
1949 Under Capricorn Alfred Hitchcock
1950 The Black Rose Henry Hathaway
1951 The Magic Box John Boulting
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman Albert Lewin
The African Queen John Huston
1954 The Barefoot Contessa Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1956 War and Peace King Vidor
1957 The Prince and the Showgirl Laurence Olivier
Legend of the Lost Henry Hathaway
1958 The Vikings Richard Fleischer
1961 Fanny Joshua Logan
1973 Scalawag Kirk Douglas
1977 The Prince and the Pauper Richard Fleischer
1978 Death on the Nile John Guillermin
1979 The Fifth Musketeer Ken Annakin
1980 The Awakening Mike Newell
1981 Ghost Story John Irvin
The Dogs of War
1984 The Far Pavilions Peter Duffell
1984 Conan the Destroyer Richard Fleischer
1985 Cat's Eye Lewis Teague
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II George P. Cosmatos
1986 Tai-Pan Daryl Duke
1987 Million Dollar Mystery Richard Fleischer

Director

[edit]
Year Title Notes
1953 The Story of William Tell unfinished
1958 Intent to Kill
1959 Beyond This Place US title: Web of Evidence
1960 Scent of Mystery
Sons and Lovers
1962 My Geisha
The Lion
1963 The Long Ships
1965 Young Cassidy
The Liquidator
1968 Dark of the Sun Also known as The Mercenaries
The Girl on a Motorcycle US title: Naked Under Leather
1973 Penny Gold
1974 The Mutations

Awards and nominations

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Academy Awards

Year Category Nominated work Result
1947 Best Cinematography Black Narcissus Won
1956 War and Peace Nominated
1960 Best Director Sons and Lovers Nominated
1961 Best Cinematography Fanny Nominated
2001 Honorary Oscar — Won

Other awards

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1947 Golden Globe Awards Best Cinematography Black Narcissus Nominated
1956 British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography War and Peace Won
1960 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Sons and Lovers Nominated
1960 Golden Globe Awards Best Director Won
1960 Directors Guild of America Best Director Nominated
1960 New York Film Critics Circle Best Director Won
1960 National Board of Review Best Director Won
1985 British Academy Television Awards Best Film Cameraman The Far Pavilions Nominated
1994 American Society of Cinematographers International Award — Won
1994 British Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award — Won
1996 London Film Critics' Circle Lifetime Achievement Award — Won
2002 British Film Institute BFI Fellowship — Won

Legacy

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A feature-length documentary was made about Cardiff's life and career, Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010) by Craig McCall.[6] It took 17 years to make, and was not completed until after Cardiff had died. As well as many interviews with Cardiff, it included tributes from Sir John Mills, Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, Kathleen Byron, Kim Hunter, Moira Shearer, Lauren Bacall, Charlton Heston and Kirk Douglas. It was selected for the official selection of Cannes Classics at the Festival de Cannes in 2010, as well as four other important film festivals that year.[7]

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff was shown as part of the Great Yarmouth Arts Festival 2014 along with some of his photographs, often taken as preliminaries to lighting the films. Further celebrations to mark his birth date took place that September, particularly at the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth.[citation needed]

Cardiff's life was also explored in the 2017 stage play Prism by Terry Johnson.

Bibliography

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  • Magic Hour (1996). Faber and Faber limited. ISBN 0-571-19274-2. Foreword by Martin Scorsese.
  • Conversations with Jack Cardiff: Art, Light and Direction in Cinema by Justin Bowyer (ISBN 0-7134-8855-7)

References

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  1. ^ "Jack Cardiff biography". Film Reference. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Jack Cardiff". The Daily Telegraph. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  3. ^ Martin, Douglas (24 April 2009). "Jack Cardiff, Film Director, Dies at 94". The New York Times. p. 19. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Film director Jack Cardiff dies". MSN Movies. Microsoft. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  5. ^ Jack Cardiff at IMDb. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  6. ^ Adams, Mark (6 May 2010). "Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff". screendaily.com. Media Business Insight Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  7. ^ ""Documentary" Sunday at Cannes Classics". Festival de Cannes. 16 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
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