Henri Alekan

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Henri Alekan (left) with Amos Gitai

Henri Alekan (born February 10, 1909 in Paris , † June 15, 2001 in Auxerre ) was a French lighting cameraman ( Director of Photography ). He is counted among the most important film cameramen of the 20th century.

The most important work is the magical, surreal lighting design of Jean Cocteau's film Once Upon a Time from 1946, a film adaptation of the French folk tale Beauty and the Beast .

Life

After studying at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers and at the École supérieure d'optique , Alekan worked from 1928 to 1940 as a camera assistant, among others for Eugen Schüfftan , and gradually as the chief cameraman. After the Second World War he was only chief cameraman and was nominated for the Oscar in the category Best Cinematography for his work on William Wyler's A Heart and a Crown (1953) together with Franz Planer .

His style was shaped by the lighting in paintings by old masters such as Rembrandt with strongly accentuated light and shadow design.

In 1983 he was on the jury of the Cannes International Film Festival . A few months later, Alekan was honored as best cameraman for Joseph Losey's drama A Woman Like a Fish with César . Already retired at the age of 77, he was reactivated in 1987 by Wim Wenders for Der Himmel über Berlin - the “Circus Alekan” featured therein bears his name as a tribute. In 1996 he was honored with the American Society of Cinematographers with the International Achievement Award .

Alekan died of leukemia at the age of 92.

Filmography (selection)

bibliography

  • Des lumières et des ombres (1984, Éditions du Collectionneur)
  • La belle et la bête (1992, in collaboration with Robert Hammond and Jean Marais, Éditions du Collectionneur)
  • Question de Lumières in collaboration with Robert Doisneau (1993, Édition Stratem)
  • Le Vécu et l'Imaginaire Chroniques d'un homme d'images (1999, Éditions La Sirène).
  • Encore une nuit à Paris (L'Harmattan, 2000)

None of H. Alekan's books is yet available in German.

Web links