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Chris Menges(I)

  • Cinematographer
  • Camera and Electrical Department
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Behind the scenes - Chris Menges
As an Academy Award-winning cinematographer who made the successful segue to directing features, Chris Menges has carved out a successful, but understated career. Menges got his start as an assistant editor and camera operator and even worked as a sound recordist several times, before working his way up to director of photography. Menges had his first real break as a documentary camera person and editor in the 1960s and 1970s, traveling wherever there was war and insurrection - Burma, Angola, Vietnam and Tibet - while working with filmmaker Adrian Cowell. Once he made the permanent jump to feature films in the 1980s, Menges developed a style as a cinematographer that never overwhelmed audiences with gaudy colors or outlandish camera moves In fact, Menges understood the oft-accepted theory that color could be less realistic than black and white, because it focused the audience away from emotion to an object. Menges' work was defined by a low-key naturalism, plain composition, and a mix of lenses to tug at the audience at the appropriate moments, which helped him craft memorable images in several award-winning films, including "The Killing Fields" (1984), "Michael Collins" (1996) and "The Reader" (2008).
BornSeptember 15, 1940
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornSeptember 15, 1940
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 23 wins & 26 nominations total

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    Known for

    Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in The Mission (1986)
    The Mission
    7.4
    • Cinematographer
    • 1986
    Sam Waterston in The Killing Fields (1984)
    The Killing Fields
    7.8
    • Cinematographer
    • 1984
    Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996)
    Michael Collins
    7.1
    • Cinematographer
    • 1996
    Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, and David Kross in The Reader (2008)
    The Reader
    7.6
    • Cinematographer
    • 2008

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Cinematographer



    • William Shakespeare, Roland Totheroh, Arthur Conan Doyle, Roland Joffé, Monteiro Lobato, Chris Menges, John Milton, Rex Steele, Karl Struss, André de la Varre, Luís Vaz de Camões, Dominique Mueller, Morten Rustad, Misti Bernard, Henrique Bouduard, Zarriah Rose, Emílio Goeldi, Monk Gaspar Carvajal, Master Pupunha, Santali Songs Tribal, Maíra Kellerman, Kanualú Kapaí Xingu, Wyrams Pantoja, Tanny Tissanee, Ogan Buda, Wang Zhecheng, Castro Alves, Brandon Li, and Bahai Tu in Voice of Land (2021)
      Voice of Land
      • Cinematographer (cinematography)
      • 2021
    • Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance, and Robert Pattinson in Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)
      Waiting for the Barbarians
      5.9
      • Cinematographer
      • 2019
    • Jason Statham in Redemption (2013)
      Redemption
      6.2
      • Cinematographer
      • 2013
    • Thomas Horn in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
      Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
      6.9
      • director of photography
      • 2011
    • Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley in London Boulevard (2010)
      London Boulevard
      6.2
      • director of photography
      • 2010
    • Route Irish (2010)
      Route Irish
      6.4
      • Cinematographer
      • 2010
    • Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, and David Kross in The Reader (2008)
      The Reader
      7.6
      • director of photography
      • 2008
    • Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Channing Tatum in Stop-Loss (2008)
      Stop-Loss
      6.4
      • director of photography
      • 2008
    • The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)
      The Yellow Handkerchief
      6.7
      • director of photography
      • 2008
    • Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal (2006)
      Notes on a Scandal
      7.4
      • director of photography
      • 2006
    • Charlize Theron in North Country (2005)
      North Country
      7.3
      • director of photography
      • 2005
    • The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
      The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
      7.3
      • director of photography
      • 2005
    • Tickets (2005)
      Tickets
      6.9
      • Cinematographer
      • 2005
    • Criminal (2004)
      Criminal
      6.4
      • director of photography
      • 2004
    • George Harrison in Concert for George (2003)
      Concert for George
      8.6
      • Cinematographer
      • 2003

    Camera and Electrical Department



    • Jason Statham in Redemption (2013)
      Redemption
      6.2
      • a camera operator
      • 2013
    • Thomas Horn in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
      Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
      6.9
      • camera operator: "a" camera
      • 2011
    • Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, and David Kross in The Reader (2008)
      The Reader
      7.6
      • camera operator
      • 2008
    • Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Channing Tatum in Stop-Loss (2008)
      Stop-Loss
      6.4
      • camera operator: "b" camera
      • 2008
    • The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)
      The Yellow Handkerchief
      6.7
      • camera operator: "a" camera
      • 2008
    • Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal (2006)
      Notes on a Scandal
      7.4
      • camera operator
      • 2006
    • Tickets (2005)
      Tickets
      6.9
      • camera operator
      • 2005
    • Criminal (2004)
      Criminal
      6.4
      • camera operator
      • 2004
    • Audrey Tautou in Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
      Dirty Pretty Things
      7.2
      • camera operator
      • 2002
    • The Skin Horse (1983)
      The Skin Horse
      7.5
      • camera operator
      • 1983
    • Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
      Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
      8.7
      • director of photography: second unit
      • 1980
    • Pilger
      TV Series
      • cinematographer
      • 1974
    • The Tribe That Hides from Man
      7.9
      TV Movie
      • camera operator
      • 1970
    • If.... (1968)
      If....
      7.4
      • cameraman
      • 1968
    • World Tomorrow
      TV Series
      • camera operator
      • 1967

    Director



    • Daniel Auteuil in The Lost Son (1999)
      The Lost Son
      6.4
      • Director (directed by)
      • 1999
    • Nathan Yapp in Second Best (1994)
      Second Best
      6.8
      • Director
      • 1994
    • Goldie Hawn and David Arnott in CrissCross (1992)
      CrissCross
      5.8
      • Director
      • 1992
    • Barbara Hershey and Jodhi May in A World Apart (1988)
      A World Apart
      7.0
      • Director
      • 1988
    • East 103rd Street
      8.2
      • Director
      • 1981
    • Wild and Free Twice Daily (1969)
      Wild and Free Twice Daily
      • Director
      • 1969

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Christopher Menges
    • Born
      • September 15, 1940
      • Kington, Herefordshire, England, UK
    • Spouse
      • Judy Freeman1982 - present
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Print Biography
      • 1 Article

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cousin of TV producer and EastEnders co-creator Julia Smith.

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