John Alton

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 Variety film critic Todd McCarthy as "e;The essence, and ultimate example, of film noir ... logically created by a cinematographer, not a director."e; This collection of new essays by filmmakers and film scholars explores the central role Alton's distinctive style of "e;painting with light"e; played in formulating the aesthetics of noir, as well as his contributions to other genres.