Name Robert Krasker | Role Cinematographer | |
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Died August 16, 1981, London, United Kingdom Awards Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Nominations BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography (Colour) Movies The Third Man, Odd Man Out, Brief Encounter, El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire Similar People Carol Reed, Anton Karas, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Alexander Korda | ||
Robert Krasker, B.S.C., A.S.C. (21 August 1913 – 16 August 1981) was an Australian cinematographer who worked on more than fifty films in his career.
Krasker was born in Alexandria, Egypt but his birth was registered in Perth, Western Australia. He travelled to England in 1937 via photographic studios in Paris and Dresden, and found work at Alexander Korda's London Films, where he became a senior camera operator. His first film as a director of photography was The Gentle Sex (1943), directed by Leslie Howard.
Krasker's work was strongly influenced by film noir and German Expressionism. He received an Academy Award for his work on The Third Man (1949), directed by Carol Reed, having previously worked with Reed on Odd Man Out (1947). He also worked on Brief Encounter for David Lean and Another Man's Poison for Irving Rapper.
Lean sacked him from Great Expectations, because both he and producer Ronald Neame were unhappy with his handling of the marsh scenes. His later films included the epics Alexander the Great, El Cid, and The Fall of the Roman Empire.
He returned to Australia in the 1950s as well as reviewing movies
His legacy during his lifetime was relatively unknown in Australia, and when some of his photographs were sold after his death, it was in London His death in 1981, was noted by Australian film directors of the time.
Krasker was the first Australian cinematographer to win an Oscar; the second would not win until 1990.