Robert Kurrle
| Robert Kurrle | |
|---|---|
Kurrle in 1922
|
|
| Born |
Robert Bard Kurrle February 2, 1890 Port Hueneme, California, United States |
| Died | October 27, 1932 (aged 42) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1916–1932 |
Robert Kurrle, also known as Robert B. Kurrle, was an American cinematographer during the silent and early talking film eras. Prior to entering the film industry, he was already experimenting with aerial photography. Considered a very prominent cinematographer, even his early work received notice and praise from both critics and other industry professionals. The advent of sound film did not abate his continued rise, and he became the top director of photography at Warner Brothers by 1932.
He shot 70 films over the sixteen years of his career, working with such prominent directors as William Wellman, Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, Archie Mayo, and William Dieterle. He was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers by 1921, and he was also one of the inaugural members of the International Photographers branch of I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). In October 1932, at the height of his career, he suddenly fell ill after wrapping a film. Hospitalized, his condition quickly worsened and within a week he was dead of an infection to the brain.
Born Robert Bard Kurrle in Port Hueneme, California on February 2, 1890, Kurrle had at least one sibling, Ernest W. Kurrle. Prior to his entry into the film industry, Kurrle was already an innovative filmmaker. In 1909, flying in a Curtiss open cockpit bi-plane, he photographed the Panama Canal from the air. In 1913, Kurrle would become the first photographer to take an aerial photograph of the city of Oakland, California. Describing the experience, Kurrle said "... we went along just as smoothly as if we were riding on velvet".
Kurrle's first foray into the film industry was on the 1916 film, Her Great Price, directed by Edwin Carewe. He later collaborated with Carewe on a number of pictures during the 1920s. He began his career working for Metro Pictures, where he stayed at until 1921. Metro was one of the film companies which merged in 1924 to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The quality of Kurrle's work was noticed even early in his career. His filming of 1919's Lion's Den was called "spectacular". Kurrle's work the following year on The Right of Way was described by some as "... remarkable even in this day of almost perfect cinematography." By 1921, Kurrle was already a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Early that year, he followed Carewe and left Metro to become a freelance cinematographer. Fifteen of the twenty-four films Kurrle worked on during 1921-27 were directed by Carewe. In 1922, while filming a Carewe picture, I Am the Law, Kurrle successfully tested a new high-speed film from Eastman. The new film allowed interior filming with less lighting, reducing both equipment and staffing costs.
...
Wikipedia