John Alton

<p> Devoted to his craft--sometimes to the detriment of his reputation--cinematographer John Alton (1901-1996) was sought after by such directors as Vincente Minnelli Richard Brooks and Anthony Mann but was disdained by others of comparable talent. An auteur in the truest sense Alton established a landmark body of work described by <I>Variety</I> film critic Todd McCarthy as The essence and ultimate example of film noir ... logically created by a cinematographer not a director. This collection of new essays by filmmakers and film scholars explores the central role Alton's distinctive style of painting with light played in formulating the aesthetics of noir as well as his contributions to other genres.</p>