Henri Alekan facts for kids
Henri Alekan (born February 10, 1909, in Paris, France – died June 15, 2001, in Auxerre, France) was a very talented French cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person who decides how a movie will look. They are in charge of the cameras and lighting to create the right mood and images for the film.
Life and Work
Henri Alekan was born in a part of Paris called Montmartre in 1909. When he was just 16 years old, he and his brother traveled around as puppeteers, putting on shows. Soon after, he started working at the Billancourt Studios as a third assistant cameraman. This was his first step into the world of movies.
After a short time in the army, he returned to the studios in 1931. In the late 1930s, he worked as a camera operator for Eugene Shufftan. Shufftan had a special style that wasn't about making things look exactly real, but more artistic and dreamlike. This style really influenced Alekan.
His first big success as a main cinematographer (also called a director of photography) was with the war movie La Bataille du Rail in 1946. This film showed a very realistic view of war. In the same year, he also worked on the famous fairy tale film La Belle et la Bête. This movie is known for its beautiful and magical look.
Later, in the late 1950s, a new style of filmmaking called the "French New Wave" became popular. Alekan didn't quite agree with this new style. Because of this, he filmed some more traditional movies in Hollywood for a while. However, many new directors still admired his unique and artistic way of using light and cameras. He worked with directors like Raúl Ruiz on films such as The Territory and On Top of the Whale. He also worked with Joseph Losey on Figures in a Landscape and The Trout, and with Wim Wenders on The State of Things and Wings of Desire. His last movies were made with the Israeli director Amos Gitai.
Henri Alekan also wrote an important book about cinematography called Des lumières et des ombres. The title means "Of Lights and Shadows," which is perfect for a book about how movies are filmed!
Later Years and Passing
Henri Alekan passed away on June 15, 2001, in Auxerre, France. He was 92 years old and died from leukemia, a type of cancer.
Filmography
- The People of France (1936)
- The Red Dancer (1937)
- Tobias Is an Angel (1940)
- Vénus aveugle (1941)
- Les Petites du quai aux fleurs (1944)
- La Bataille du rail (1946)
- La Belle et la bête (1946) (a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast)
- Les Maudits (1947)
- Anna Karenina (1948)
- Une si jolie petite plage (1949) (a.k.a. Such a Pretty Little Beach or Riptide)
- La Marie du port (1949)
- The Lovers of Verona (1949)
- Juliette ou la clef des songes (1950)
- Just Me (1950)
- Stranger on the Prowl (1951)
- Paris est toujours Paris (1952)
- The Voyage to America (1951)
- Trois femmes, trois âmes (1952)
- Trois femmes (1952) (segment "Boitelle")
- Roman Holiday (1953)
- Julietta (1953)
- Les Amours finissent à l'aube (1953)
- When You Read This Letter (1953)
- Zoé (1954)
- Queen Margot (1954)
- Les Impures (1955)
- House on the Waterfront (1955)
- The Heroes Are Tired (1955)
- The Toy Wife (1955)
- La Meilleure part (1956)
- The Wages of Sin (1956)
- Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957)
- The Case of Doctor Laurent (1957)
- Casino de Paris (1957)
- Cerf-volant du bout du monde (1958)
- Would-Be Gentleman (1958)
- Douze heures d'horloge (1959)
- Forbidden Fruit (1959)
- Marriage of Figaro (1959)
- Le Secret du Chevalier d'Éon (1959)
- Princesse de Clèves (1960)
- Black Tights (1960)
- Austerlitz (1960)
- Tales of Paris (1962)
- Five Miles to Midnight (1963)
- Topkapi (1964)
- Lady L (1965)
- Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966) (a.k.a. Danger Grows Wild, The Poppy Is Also a Flower)
- Triple Cross (1966)
- Mayerling (1968)
- The Christmas Tree (1969) (a.k.a. When Wolves Cry)
- Figures in a Landscape (1970)
- The Magic of the Kite (1971)
- Red Sun (1971)
- Jackpot (1974-1975) (unfinished film directed by Terence Young)
- The Territory (1981)
- The Trout (1982)
- The State of Things (1982)
- En rachachant (1982)
- On Top of the Whale (1982)
- The Beautiful Prisoner (1982)
- Une pierre dans la bouche (1983)
- A Strange Love Affair (1984)
- Our Nazi (1984)
- Wundkanal (1985)
- Esther (1986)
- Wings of Desire (1987)
- I Write in Space (1989)
- Berlin-Jerusalem (1989)
- Golem, the Ghost of Exile (1992)
See also
In Spanish: Henri Alekan para niños
- Studio Harcourt
