Boris Kaufman
Encyclopedia
Boris Abelevich Kaufman, A.S.C. was a cinematographer
. He was the younger brother of famous filmmakers Dziga Vertov
(Denis Kaufman) and Mikhail Kaufman
.
Kaufman was born into a family of Jewish intellectuals living in Białystok at the time when the Congress Poland
was a part of the Russian Empire
.
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Poland regained its independence
, and Boris moved there with his parents. Mikhail and Denis stayed in the Soviet Union
and became notable Soviet filmmakers producing avant-garde
and agitprop
films. The three brothers later stayed in touch mainly by way of letters; Vertov visited Boris Kaufman in Paris twice, in 1929 and 1931.
After graduating from Sorbonne University, Boris turned to cinematography. He collaborated with Jean Vigo
and later Dimitri Kirsanoff
.
During World War II
, he served in the French Army
against the Nazis
and when France lost he managed to escape to Canada
. After working briefly with John Grierson
, for the National Film Board of Canada
, Kaufman moved to the United States
in 1942.
He supported himself shooting short subjects and documentaries until Elia Kazan
chose him to shoot his first American feature film, On the Waterfront
(1954), for which Kaufman won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
and Golden Globe Award
(1955). For the film Baby Doll
(1956), Kaufman received a second Oscar nomination.
He was the director of photography on Sidney Lumet
's first film, 12 Angry Men (1957), and The Pawnbroker
(1964), among other notable films.
Boris Kaufman retired in 1970 and died in New York City
in 1980.
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. He was the younger brother of famous filmmakers Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov
David Abelevich Kaufman , better known by his pseudonym Dziga Vertov , was a Soviet pioneer documentary film, newsreel director and cinema theorist...
(Denis Kaufman) and Mikhail Kaufman
Mikhail Kaufman
Mikhail Abramovich Kaufman ; ) was a Russian cinematographer and photographer. He was the younger brother of filmmaker Dziga Vertov and the older brother of cinematographer Boris Kaufman....
.
Kaufman was born into a family of Jewish intellectuals living in Białystok at the time when the Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
was a part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Poland regained its independence
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and Boris moved there with his parents. Mikhail and Denis stayed in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and became notable Soviet filmmakers producing avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
and agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
films. The three brothers later stayed in touch mainly by way of letters; Vertov visited Boris Kaufman in Paris twice, in 1929 and 1931.
After graduating from Sorbonne University, Boris turned to cinematography. He collaborated with Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo was a French film director, who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s and was a posthumous influence on the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s.-Biography:...
and later Dimitri Kirsanoff
Dimitri Kirsanoff
Dimitri Kirsanoff was an early filmmaker, considered part of the French Impressionist movement in film. He is known for his inexpensively made experimental films.-Early life:...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served in the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
against the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and when France lost he managed to escape to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. After working briefly with John Grierson
John Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, for the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, Kaufman moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1942.
He supported himself shooting short subjects and documentaries until Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
chose him to shoot his first American feature film, On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
(1954), for which Kaufman won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
and Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
(1955). For the film Baby Doll
Baby Doll
Baby Doll is a 1956 black comedy /drama film directed by Elia Kazan. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton...
(1956), Kaufman received a second Oscar nomination.
He was the director of photography on Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
's first film, 12 Angry Men (1957), and The Pawnbroker
The Pawnbroker
The Pawnbroker is a novel by Edward Lewis Wallant which tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a concentration camp survivor who suffers flashbacks of his past Nazi imprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn shop in East Harlem...
(1964), among other notable films.
Boris Kaufman retired in 1970 and died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1980.
Filmography
- 1927: Les Halles centrales
- 1928: Champs-Élysées
- 1928: La marche des machines
- 1928: 24 heures en 30 minutes
- 1929: À propos de NiceÀ propos de NiceÀ propos de Nice is a 1930 silent short documentary film directed by Jean Vigo and photographed by Boris Kaufman. The film depicts life in Nice, France by documenting the people in the city, their daily routines, a carnival and social inequalities...
(Nizza) - 1929: Les Halles
- 1931: Taris, roi de l'eauTaris, roi de l'eauJean Taris, Swimming Champion is a 1931 French short documentary film directed by Jean Vigo, about the French swimmer Jean Taris. The film is notable for the many innovative techniques that Vigo uses, including close ups and freeze frames of the swimmer's body....
(Jean Taris, Swimming Champion) - 1931: La vie d'un fleuve: La Seine
- 1932: Le mile de Jules Ladoumègue
- 1932: Travaux du tunnel sous l'Escaut (film is lost)
- 1933: Zéro de conduiteZéro de ConduiteZéro de conduite is a 1933 French film directed by Jean Vigo. It was first shown on 7 April 1933, and was subsequently banned in France until 15 February 1946....
(Zero for Conduct) - 1933: Le chemin du bonheur
- 1933: L'AtalanteL'AtalanteL'Atalante is a 1934 French film directed by Jean Vigo and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo and Michel Simon. It has been hailed by many critics as one of the greatest films of all time.-Plot summary:...
(aka. Le chaland qui passe) - 1934: Le Père Lampion
- 1934: ZouzouZouzou (film)-Plot:As children, Zouzou and Jean are paired in a traveling circus as twins: she's dark, he's light. After they've grown, he treats her as if she were his sister, but she's in love with him. In Paris, he's a music hall electrician, she's a laundress who delivers clean underwear to the hall. She...
- 1935: Lucrèce BorgiaLucrèce BorgiaLucrèce Borgia is a 1953 French drama film starring Martine Carol and Pedro Armendáriz. The film was directed by Christian-Jaque, who co-wrote screenplay with Cécil Saint-Laurent and Jacques Sigurd, based on novel by Alfred Schirokauer...
/Lucrezia BorgiaLucrezia BorgiaLucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia... - 1935: Les berceaux
- 1935: Jeune fille au jardin
- 1935: Quand minuit sonnera
- 1936: Klokslag twaalfKlokslag TwaalfKlokslag Twaalf is a 1936 Dutch crime film drama directed by Léo Joannon.-Cast:*Louis De Bree ... Jean Verdier*Fien de la Mar ... Matia*Coen Hissink *Jules Verstraete *Piet Te Nuyl...
- 1936: L'homme sans coeur
- 1936: Oeil-de-Lynx, détective
- 1936: On ne roule pas Antoinette/You Can't Fool Antoinette
- 1937: De man zonder hartDe Man Zonder HartDe Man Zonder Hart is a 1937 Dutch drama film directed by Léo Joannon.-Cast:*Louis De Bree ... Voormalig fabrikant Jean Sourdier*Dolly Mollinger ... Sylvette. zijn vroegere secretaresse*Elias van Praag ... Draaiorgelman...
- 1937: CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
- 1937: Êtes-vous jalouse?
- 1937: Les hommes sans nom
- 1938: Fort Dolorès
- 1938: Les gaietés de l'exposition
- 1938: A l'ombre d'une femme
- 1938: Le veau gras
- 1939: SérénadeSerenadeIn music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
/Schubert's Serenade - 1943: Why We FightWhy We FightWhy We Fight is a series of seven war information training films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S...
- 1943: Hymn of the NationsHymn of the NationsHymn of the Nations, originally titled Arturo Toscanini: Hymn of the Nations , is a film directed by Alexander Hammid, which features a patriotic work for tenor soloist, chorus, and orchestra, composed by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi in the early-1860s...
- 1944: A Better TomorrowA Better TomorrowA Better Tomorrow is a 1986 Hong Kong action film which had a profound influence on the Hong Kong film-making industry, and later on an international scale.Directed by John Woo, it stars Chow Yun-fat, Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung...
- 1945: Capital Story
- 1945: The Southwest/Land of Enchantment. Southwest U.S.A.
- 1946: Journey Into MedicineJourney Into MedicineJourney Into Medicine is a 1947 documentary film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- 1947: The Lambertville Story
- 1948: Terribly Talented
- 1948: Osmosis
- 1950: Preface to a Life
- 1950: The Tanglewood Story/Tanglewood, Music School and Music Festival
- 1951: The Gentleman in Room 6
- 1952: Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
- 1952: And the Earth Shall Give Back Life
- 1953: On the WaterfrontOn the WaterfrontOn the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
- 1954: Garden of EdenGarden of EdenThe Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
- 1954: Within Man's Power
- 1954: Amazing What Color Can Do
- 1955: Singing in the DarkSinging in the DarkSinging in the Dark is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture about a Holocaust survivor suffering from total amnesia who comes to the United States...
- 1955: A Family Affair
- 1955: Patterns/Patterns of Power
- 1955: Baby DollBaby DollBaby Doll is a 1956 black comedy /drama film directed by Elia Kazan. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton...
- 1956: Crowded ParadiseCrowded ParadiseCrowded Paradise is a 1956 film starring Hume Cronyn and Nancy Kelly. The movie was directed by Fred Pressburger.-Cast:*Hume Cronyn .... George Heath*Nancy Kelly .... Louise Heath*Frank Silvera .... Papa Diaz*Enid Rudd .... Felicia Diaz...
- 1956: 12 Angry Men
- 1958: Home Again
- 1959: That Kind of WomanThat Kind of WomanThat Kind of Woman is a 1959 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, who was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival. It stars Sophia Loren. The screenplay by Walter Bernstein, based on a short story by Robert Lowry , is highly reminiscent of the 1938 film...
- 1959: The Fugitive KindThe Fugitive KindThe Fugitive Kind is a 1959 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Meade Roberts and Tennessee Williams was based on the latter's 1957 play Orpheus Descending, itself a revision of his unproduced 1939 work Battle of Angels....
- 1960: Splendor in the GrassSplendor in the GrassSplendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
- 1962: Long Day's Journey Into NightLong Day's Journey into Night (1962 film)Long Day's Journey into Night is a 1962 film adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Ely Landau with Joseph E. Levine and Jack J. Dreyfus, Jr. as executive producers. The screenplay was by Eugene O'Neill, the music score by André Previn and the...
- 1963: Gone Are the Days!/Purlie Victorious/The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N.
- 1963: All the Way HomeAll the Way Home (film)All the Way Home is a 1963 drama film about a young boy and his mother dealing with the sudden death of his father. It stars Jean Simmons, Robert Preston, and Pat Hingle, with the boy being portrayed by Michael Kearney...
- 1963: The World of Henry OrientThe World of Henry OrientThe World of Henry Orient is a 1964 American comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Nora Johnson. It was directed by George Roy Hill and stars Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss, Angela Lansbury, Tippy Walker, Merrie Spaeth, Phyllis Thaxter, Bibi Osterwald, and Tom Bosley.Filming started in...
- 1963: The PawnbrokerThe PawnbrokerThe Pawnbroker is a novel by Edward Lewis Wallant which tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a concentration camp survivor who suffers flashbacks of his past Nazi imprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn shop in East Harlem...
- 1965: FilmFilm (film)Film is a film written by Samuel Beckett, his only screenplay. It was commissioned by Barney Rosset of Grove Press. Writing began on 5 April 1963 with a first draft completed within four days. A second draft was produced by 22 May and a forty-leaf shooting script followed thereafter...
- 1965: The GroupThe Group (film)The Group is a 1966 ensemble film directed by Sidney Lumet based on the novel of the same name by Mary McCarthy about a group of female graduates from a Connecticut College-like college during the early 1930s....
- 1967: Bye Bye BravermanBye Bye BravermanBye Bye Braverman is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Herbert Sargent was adapted from the 1964 novel To An Early Grave by Wallace Markfield...
- 1968: The BrotherhoodThe Brotherhood (1968 film)The Brotherhood is a 1968 crime drama film, directed by Martin Ritt. It stars Kirk Douglas, Irene Papas, Alex Cord, and Luther Adler. The script was by Lewis John Carlino....
- 1968: Up Tight!Up Tight!Up Tight! is a 1968 American drama film directed by Jules Dassin. It was intended as an updated version of John Ford's 1935 film, The Informer, but the setting was transposed from Dublin, Ireland to Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The soundtrack was performed by Booker T...
- 1969: Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie MoonTell Me That You Love Me, Junie MoonTell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon is a 1970 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is based on the book by Marjorie Kellogg. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the title character, a girl whose face is scarred in a vicious battery acid attack by her boy friend. Later in an institution, she...
External links
- Boris Kaufman at NYT