Erwin Hillier (September 2, 1911 – January 10, 2005) was German-born cinematographer known for his work in Britain cinema from the 1940s to 1960s. September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years). ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... A cinematographer (from cinema photographer) is one photographing with a motion picture camera. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ...

Early career

Born in Germany to English-German parents, he studied art in Berlin in the late 1920s. Impressed by Hillier's paintings, the director F. W. Murnau offered him a job as camera assistant on Tabu (1931), but Hillier's father intervened because of Murnau's homosexuality. Fortunately, Murnau recommended him to director Fritz Lang at UFA studios, who employed him on his classic M. Soon after he moved to Britain to pursue a career in film. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ... F W Murnau Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (December 28, 1888 - March 11, 1931) was one of the most influential directors of the silent film era. ... Tabu can refer to a number of things. ... Friedrich Anton Christian Lang (December 5, 1890 - August 2, 1976) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the most famous emigrés from Germanys school of expressionism to work in Hollywood. ... For the film production company in Berlin, see Universum Film AG. Ufa (Уфа́) (oo-FAH) (Tatar Ufa, Öfä; Bashkir Өфө) is the capital of Bashkortostan (or Bashkiria), a republic in central Russia. ... Peter Lorre in M M (original title: M- Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (translation: M- a city in search of a murderer)) is a 1931 German film noir directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou in which a serial killer, played by Peter Lorre, preys on...

In Britain he worked as a camera assistant for Gaumont Pictures, where he worked with Hitchcock. He later moved to Elstree Studios, working with on The Man Behind the Mask (1936) with Michael Powell, who noted his "insane enthusiasm". His debut as cinematographer came with The Lady of Lisbon (1942). Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ... Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director closely associated with the suspense genre. ... Historically, the name Elstree Studios refers to any of several film studios that were based in the town of Elstree and Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England. ... Michael Latham Powell (September 30, 1905-February 19, 1990) was a British film director, renowned for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger which produced a series of classic British films. ... A cinematographer (from cinema photographer) is one photographing with a motion picture camera. ...

Work with The Archers

Impressed by his work on The Silver Fleet (1943) for their Archers Film Productions, Powell & Pressburger ('The Archers') hired Hillier as cinematographer on A Canterbury Tale (1944), a film which Powell later said put Hillier in "the first rank". Despite Powell's recent move to colour film, war shortages meant a return to the black and white stock that Hillier was familiar with. The film is a mixture of British realism and the German expressionist use of extreme light and shade which Hillier has been trained in, and is notable for its depiction of the English landscape. In his autobiography, Powell recalled his obsession with clouds — he would often beg for filming to be delayed until a cloud had appeared to break up a clear sky. Powell and Pressburger were a British-based film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers. ... A Canterbury Tale (1944) is a British film by the film-making team of Powell & Pressburger. ... F.W. Murnaus Nosferatu German Expressionism, also referred to as expressionism in filmmaking, developed in Germany (especially Berlin) during the 1920s. ... An element in art, chiaroscuro (Italian for lightdark) is defined as a very high contrast between light and dark. ...

His next film I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), again with The Archers, continued the style of its predecessor. It is notable for Hillier's technical accomplishments, including mixing studio shots with exteriors, concealing the fact that Roger Livesey, the film's male lead, was working in London whilst the film was being shot in Scotland. Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) and Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey) look on at a Ceilidh. ... Roger Livesey as Clive Candy, in the duel scene from Colonel Blimp. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country or nation and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ...

With the war at an end, Powell & Pressburger at last had access to colour film. They asked Hillier to share cinematographic duties with the experienced Technicolor cameraman Jack Cardiff on A Matter of Life and Death — unwilling to be sidelined, he declined, bringing his intensely creative partnership with Powell & Pressburger to end. Alternate use: Technicolor (physics) Technicolor is a three-strip color film process pioneered in the 1930s by the Technicolor Corporation, a company created by the husband-and-wife team of Herbert and Natalie Kalmus. ... Jack Cardiff (born 18 September 1914) is a British cinematographer, director and photographer. ... Bomber pilot Peter Carter (David Niven), washed up on a strange beach. ...

Post-war career

In 1946 Hillier made his first colour film London Town, starring Sid Field, although he would often return to work black and white, typical of many British films of the 1940s and 1950s. His films would retain a distinctive expressionist influence in both mediums. Sid Field (1904 - February 3, 1950) was a British comedy entertainer. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ...

In 1949 he worked for director Michael Anderson on Private Angelo, the first of many collaborations together. Their most famous film would be The Dam Busters (1954), featuring some amazing aerial photography by Hillier. The term The Dam Busters, when used by itself, can refer to: Operation Chastise, 617 Squadrons attack on German dams in World War II The 1954 film about the operation; see The Dam Busters (movie) A 1984 video game; see The Dam Busters (video game) This is a disambiguation...

He continued to work until 1970. He died in London in 2005, aged 93. London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ...

External links

• Erwin Hillier (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm/) at the Internet Movie Database
• Erwin Hillier (http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/460120/) at screenonline.
• Obituary (http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=607179&host=3&dir=271) from The Independent.