Stanley Cortez, ASC (born Stanislaus Samuel Kranz; November 4, 1908 – December 23, 1997) was an American cinematographer. He worked on over 100 films between 1929 and 1980, and was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. He served as President of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1985 to 1987.
Cortez's most notable credits included Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), John Cromwell's Since You Went Away (1945), Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955), Nunnally Johnson's The Three Faces of Eve (1957), and Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964).
He was the younger brother of actor and director Ricardo Cortez.
Early life and education Cortez was born Stanislaus Samuel Kranz in New York City in 1908, to a family of Austrian Jewish emigrants. His younger brother was actor Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Krantz), and Cortez would adopt that surname as an adult to capitalize on his brother's fame. He graduated from New York University, and initially worked in portrait photography.
He was designer of elegant sets for several portrait photographers' studios (including that of Edward Steichen), which may have influenced his strong spatial awareness and ability to effectively use camera movement: a strong feeling for space and an ability to move his camera through that space in such a way as to embody it in film's two-dimensional format.
Career Cortez's first job in the film industry was for Pathé News, which later allowed him to give his films a newsreel-like touch when necessary. During the 1920s and the early 1930s, he worked his way up the usual Hollywood cameraman ladder: camera assistant, camera operator, and cinematographer. He managed to work for some of the great Hollywood cameramen, among them Karl Struss, Charles Rosher, and Arthur C. Miller. On the side, Cortez managed to do an experimental film, Scherzo (1932), that drew on the techniques of Slavko Vorkapić; the short has been described as a "symphony of light" by some critics." He joined the American Society of Cinematographers in 1933.
Cortez's early films often involved unconventional subjects, providing opportunities for experimentation. He often employed experimental techniques to enhance the visual appeal of his films. In The Forgotten Woman (1939) he did an extreme close-up of the actress's eyes to create a sense of seeing into her mind. Then Cortez had a big chance to work with Orson Welles on The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). Cortez saw the set for the film before being appointed the first cameraman. His spatial sense told him that shooting the film within these sets would be a tremendous challenge. Cortez's work on the film utilized his expertise in navigating studio space, a skill that was integral to its visual storytelling. Some of Cortez's work on The Magnificent Ambersons was reportedly edited out during post-production. During World War II, Cortez served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.STANLEY CORTEZ, Director of Photography: Life Events Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
In his later years, Cortez filmed several psychological dramas. In Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947), Cortez used flashing lights placed inside the camera to create a sense of drunkenness. Charles Laughton gave Cortez another challenge – The Night of the Hunter. The film has been widely praised for its innovative use of lighting and cinematography, and Cortez managed to endow the camera movements with a musical quality. In The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Cortez found his actress: Joanne Woodward would be to him what Greta Garbo was to William H. Daniels and Marlene Dietrich to Lee Garmes. Cortez's subtle modulations of lighting match Woodward's equally subtle changes of expression, and both together create the sense of Eve, a psychologically split personality, becoming someone else. In Samuel Fuller's 1963 film Shock Corridor, the labyrinthine hallways and rooms of the studio set are transformed by Cortez's camera into a symbol of incarceration and insanity. Fuller used Cortez again on The Naked Kiss and sought him for The Big Red One in 1978 but the producer Gene Corman said the low-budget film couldn't afford him.
Cortez started Chinatown (1974), but director Roman Polanski replaced him after a few days of shooting due to a disagreement over visual style. He was replaced by John Alonzo.
He was the President of American Society of Cinematographers from 1985 to 1986. In 1990, he received their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Death Cortez died in 1997 of a heart attack and is buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.
Filmography
Film +YearTitleDirectorNotes1936Four Days' WonderSidney Salkow1937Armored CarLewis R. FosterThe WildcatterLewis D. CollinsI Cover the War!Arthur Lubinwith Harry Neumann1938The Lady in the MorgueOtis GarrettThe Black DollUncredited; with Ira H. MorganDanger on the AirPersonal SecretaryThe Last ExpressExposedHarold Schuster1939Risky BusinessArthur LubinFor Love or MoneyAlbert S. RogellThey Asked for ItFrank McDonaldThe Forgotten WomanHarold YoungHawaiian NightsAlbert S. RogellLaugh It Off1940Alias the DeaconChristy CabanneLove, Honor and Oh-Baby!Charles LamontThe Leather PushersJohn RawlinsIt's a DateWilliam A. SeiterHawaii unit photographyMargieOtis GarrettPaul Gerard SmithMeet the WildcatArthur Lubin1941The Black CatAlbert S. RogellSan Antonio RoseCharles LamontA Dangerous GameJohn RawlinsBadlands of DakotaAlfred E. GreenMoonlight in HawaiiCharles LamontBombay ClipperJohn Rawlins1942Sealed LipsGeorge WaggnerEagle SquadronArthur LubinThe Magnificent AmbersonsOrson Welles1943The Powers GirlNorman Z. McLeodFlesh and FantasyJulien Duvivierwith Paul Ivano1944Since You Went AwayJohn Cromwellwith Lee Garmes1946Let There Be LightJohn HustonDocumentary1947Smash-Up, the Story of a WomanStuart HeislerSecret Beyond the DoorFritz Lang1948Smart WomanEdward A. Blatt1950The Man on the Eiffel TowerBurgess MeredithThe Underworld StoryCy EndfieldThe Admiral Was a LadyAlbert S. Rogell1951The Basketball FixFelix E. FeistFort DefianceJohn RawlinsStrongholdSteve SekelyFuria rojaSteve SekelyVíctor Urruchúa1952Models Inc.Reginald LeBorgAbbott and Costello Meet Captain KiddCharles Lamont1953The Neanderthal ManE. A. DupontShark RiverJohn RawlinsYesterday and TodayAbner J. GreshlerCompilation filmThe Diamond QueenJohn Brahm1954Riders to the StarsRichard CarlsonApacheRobert AldrichReplaced by Ernest LaszloDragon's GoldAubrey WisbergBlack TuesdayHugo Fregonese1955The Night of the HunterCharles Laughton1956Man from Del RioHarry Horner1957Top Secret AffairH. C. PotterThe Three Faces of EveNunnally Johnson1958South PacificJoshua Logan2nd unit photography1959Thunder in the SunRussell RouseThe Angry Red PlanetIb MelchiorVice RaidEdward L. Cahn1960Dinosaurus!Irvin Yeaworth1961Back StreetDavid Miller1963Madmen of MandorasDavid BradleyShock CorridorSamuel Fuller1964The Naked KissThe CandidateRobert Angus1965Nightmare in the SunMarc LawrenceYoung DillingerTerry O. Morse1966The Ghost in the Invisible BikiniDon WeisThe Navy vs. the Night MonstersMichael A. Hoey1968BlueSilvio Narizzano1969The Bridge at RemagenJohn Guillermin1970Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie MoonOtto PremingerTitle sequence photography1972Doomsday MachineHerbert J. LederHarry HopeLee SholemShot in 19671974ChinatownRoman PolanskiReplaced by John A. Alonzo1977Another Man, Another ChanceClaude Lelouchwith Jacques Lefrançois1978Damien – Omen IIDon TaylorMiniatures VFX photography1980When Time Ran OutJames Goldstone
Television +YearTitleNotes1954MedicEpisode: "White is the Color"1959Westinghouse Desilu PlayhouseEpisode: "Come Back to Sorrento"1960Wanted Dead or Alive2 episodesDick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreEpisode: "Never Too Late"1966Family Affair2 episodes1971Do Not Fold, Spindle or MutilateTV movie
Awards and nominations +InstitutionYearCategoryWorkResultRef.Academy Awards1943Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)The Magnificent Ambersons1945Since You Went AwayAmerican Society of Cinematographers1990Lifetime Achievement Award
References "Stanley Cortez." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 4: Writers and Production Artists, 4th ed. St. James Press, 2000.
External links
Grave