Peter Suschitzky
Peter Suschitzky | |
|---|---|
 Peter Suschitzky at Louis Lumière's ciné-club in January 2018 | |
| Born | 25 July 1941 London, England, UK |
| Years active | 1966–2020 |
| Organization | American Society of Cinematographers |
| Spouse | Ilona Suschitzky |
| Parent | Wolfgang Suschitzky |
| Website | http://petersuschitzky.com |
Peter Suschitzky, A.S.C. (born 25 July 1941) is a British cinematographer and photographer[1], known for his collaboration with David Cronenberg from 1988 to 2014.
Early life and education
[edit]Suschitzky was born in London, England,[2] the son of the BAFTA-nominated cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky[3][4], of an Austrian of Jewish descent.[5]
Although music was his passion, he chose to pursue a career in cinematography while studying at Institut des hautes études cinématographiques in Paris, France.
Career
[edit]He became a clapper boy at age 19 and a camera operator at age 22.[6]
Among his first films as DP was It Happened Here, a mockumentary-style World War II film about life in the United Kingdom, following a hypothetical Axis victory in World War II. The film was shot on handheld, 16mm film in order to give it a gritty, realistic look inspired by wartime newsreels. Due to the film's independent nature and unusual subject matter, its production lasted a total of eight years.
In 1975, Suschitzky shot The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a comedy musical film that, while initially unsuccessful, has since become a massive cult film, with regular midnight screenings[7] attended by dedicated, cosplaying fans.[8] He shot the 1977 biopic Valentino for director Ken Russell, for which he received a nomination for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography.[9] Three years later, he would lens the second entry in the long-running Star Wars film series, The Empire Strikes Back, considered to be the best in the series.[10]
Suschitzky replaced Mark Irwin as David Cronenberg's regular director of photography after Irwin left Dead Ringers during pre-production.[11] Their collaboration lasted until 2014, with Maps to the Stars, with Douglas Koch replacing Suschitzky as Cronenberg's regular in 2022.
Filmography
[edit]Feature film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Mächte des Glaubens | Peter von Zahn | Episode "Das Judentum" |
| 1993 | Fallen Angels | Tom Hanks Tom Cruise |
Episodes "I'll Be Waiting" and "The Frightening Frammis" |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The War Game | Peter Watkins | Uncredited |
| Francis Bacon Fragments of a Portrait | Michael Gill | Documentary film |
Awards and recognition
[edit]BAFTA Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Valentino | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
Canadian Screen Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Dead Ringers | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1991 | Naked Lunch | Won | |
| 2006 | Crash | Won | |
| 2007 | Eastern Promises | Won |
Accademia del Cinema Italiano
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tale of Tales | Best Cinematography | Won |
Suschitzky is also featured in the book Conversations with Cinematographers, published by Scarecrow Press.
In 2015 he was selected to be a member of the jury for the Critics' Week section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "PETER SUSCHITZKY". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "Peter Suschitzky". Peter Suschitzky. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ cinematographers.nl. "Peter Suschitzky, ASC".
- ^ "Peter Suschitzky Biography (1941?-)".
- ^ "Moving to Holland and working as a photographer".
- ^ "PETER SUSCHITZKY". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "Rocky Horror Picture Show - Blue Mouse Theatre". bluemousetheatre.com. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "TRHPS Official Fan Site: Participation". www.rockyhorror.com. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ Aftab, Kaleem. "DP Peter Suschitzky on The Empire Strikes Back, Collaborating with David Cronenberg and the New Wave's "Boring Light" | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "From a Certain Point of View: Is The Empire Strikes Back Really the Best Star Wars Film? | StarWars.com". StarWars.com. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ Burgess, Steve, Salon.com (30 November 1999). "David Cronenberg".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ronit Elkabetz, President of the 2015 Critics' Week Jury". Semaine de la Critique de Cannes. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
