Bruce Surtees
Encyclopedia
Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees (born July 23, 1937, Los Angeles
, California, USA) is an American
cinematographer
, the son of Robert L. Surtees. He is best known for his extensive work in Clint Eastwood
films, mostly westerns of the 1970s and early 1980s. His filming style has been compared to that of the Dollars films of Sergio Leone
.
He began as a camera operator
working on Eastwood's films during the late 1960s, his credits including Coogan's Bluff
and Two Mules for Sister Sara
. He became a main cinematographer in 1971 with The Beguiled
in which he worked as director of photography.
In 1971 he was director of photography of the acclaimed Dirty Harry
.
Surtees was nominated for an Academy Award for his filming of Lenny
in 1974.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California, USA) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cinematographer
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...
, the son of Robert L. Surtees. He is best known for his extensive work in Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
films, mostly westerns of the 1970s and early 1980s. His filming style has been compared to that of the Dollars films of Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
.
He began as a camera operator
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
working on Eastwood's films during the late 1960s, his credits including Coogan's Bluff
Coogan's Bluff (film)
Coogan's Bluff is a 1968 American Universal film directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee J. Cobb, Don Stroud, and Susan Clark...
and Two Mules for Sister Sara
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Two Mules for Sister Sara is an American-Mexican western film starring Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine set during the French intervention in Mexico. The film was released in 1970 and directed by Don Siegel. It was to have been the first in a five-year exclusive association between Universal...
. He became a main cinematographer in 1971 with The Beguiled
The Beguiled
The Beguiled is a 1971 drama film directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. The script was written by Albert Maltz and is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled A Painted Devil...
in which he worked as director of photography.
In 1971 he was director of photography of the acclaimed Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
.
Surtees was nominated for an Academy Award for his filming of Lenny
Lenny
Lenny or Lennie may refer to:People* Lenny Fictional characters:* Lennie Small, a major character in the novel Of Mice and Men* Lenny Leonard, on the television program The Simpsons...
in 1974.
Selected filmography
- License to DriveLicense to DriveLicense to Drive is a 1988 teen adventure film starring Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Michael Manasseri and Nina Siemaszko. The screenplay was written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman....
(1988) - Pale RiderPale RiderPale Rider is a 1985 American western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the lead role. This movie has plot similarities to the classic Western Shane , including in its final scene, as well as previous Eastwood films featuring his Man with No Name character and his 1973...
(1985) - Beverly Hills CopBeverly Hills CopBeverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American comedy-action film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, Lisa Eilbacher, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox...
(1984) - TightropeTightrope (film)Tightrope is a 1984 American suspense thriller produced by and starring Clint Eastwood and written and directed by Richard Tuggle.-Plot:A young woman walks home from her birthday party. She is stalked by a man in distinctive sneakers. After dropping one of her presents, a police officer offers to...
(1984) - Sudden ImpactSudden ImpactSudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
(1983) - Risky BusinessRisky BusinessRisky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...
(1983) - Bad BoysBad Boys (1983 film)Bad Boys is a 1983 American crime drama film primarily set in a juvenile detention center, starring Sean Penn, Esai Morales, and Ally Sheedy in her film debut. The film is directed by Rick Rosenthal. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti....
(1983) - Honkytonk ManHonkytonk ManHonkytonk Man is a 1982 American drama film set in the Great Depression. Clint Eastwood, who produced and directed, stars with his son, Kyle Eastwood. Clancy Carlile's screenplay is based on his novel of the same name...
(1982) - White DogWhite DogWhite Dog is a 1982 American drama film directed by Samuel Fuller using a screenplay written by Fuller and Curtis Hanson loosely based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same title...
(1982) - FirefoxFirefox (film)Firefox is a 1982 American action film produced, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. It is based upon the 1977 novel of the same name written by Craig Thomas....
(1982) - InchonInchon (film)Inchon is a 1982 war film about the Battle of Inchon, considered to be the turning point of the Korean War. The film was directed by Terence Young and financed by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon. It stars Laurence Olivier as General Douglas MacArthur, who led the United States surprise...
(1981) - Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous StainsLadies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous StainsLadies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is a 1981 film about three teenage girls, played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter, who start a punk band. Shot in British Columbia, Canada, the film also featured Ray Winstone, Christine Lahti, ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, along with...
(1981) - Escape from AlcatrazEscape from Alcatraz (film)Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It dramatizes possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the...
(1979) - DreamerDreamer (1979 film)Dreamer is a direct-to-video film that was released on video on April 27, 1979. It was directed by Noel Nosseck, written by Larry Bischof and James Proctor, and stars Tim Matheson as "the Dreamer" and Susan Blakely as Karen...
(1979) - Movie MovieMovie MovieMovie Movie is a 1978 musical comedy film directed by Stanley Donen. Movie Movie consists of two short films, both starring the husband-and-wife team of George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere, with a fake movie trailer sandwiched in between them...
(1978) (segment "Baxter's Beauties of 1933") - Big WednesdayBig WednesdayBig Wednesday is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Milius co-wrote Big Wednesday with Denny Aaberg, and it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance." The picture stars...
(1978) - Three Warriors (1978)
- The ShootistThe ShootistThe Shootist is a 1976 Western starring John Wayne in his final film role. It was based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout. Scott Hale and Miles Hood Swarthout wrote the screenplay...
(1976) (director of photography) - The Outlaw Josey WalesThe Outlaw Josey WalesThe Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
(1976) - LeadbellyLeadbelly (film)Leadbelly is a 1976 film chronicling the life of folk singer Huddie William Ledbetter . The film was directed by Gordon Parks, and starred Roger E. Mosley in the title role...
(1976) - SparkleSparkle (1976 film)Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...
(1976) - Night MovesNight Moves (1975 film)Night Moves is a 1975 detective film directed by Arthur Penn. The film stars Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren and Susan Clark, and features very early career appearances by Melanie Griffith and James Woods....
(1975) - LennyLennyLenny or Lennie may refer to:People* Lenny Fictional characters:* Lennie Small, a major character in the novel Of Mice and Men* Lenny Leonard, on the television program The Simpsons...
(1974) - The OutfitThe Outfit (1973 film)The Outfit is a 1973 film directed by John Flynn. It stars Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker and Robert Ryan. The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Richard Stark and features a character modeled on Parker, who was introduced in The Hunter.- Plot :Released from prison In...
(1973) (director of photography) - Blume in LoveBlume in LoveBlume in Love is a 1973 film written and directed by Paul Mazursky. It starred George Segal and Susan Anspach. Also in the cast were Kris Kristofferson, Marsha Mason and Shelley Winters.-Plot:...
(1973) - High Plains DrifterHigh Plains DrifterHigh Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film, with a hint of the supernatural, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. Eastwood plays a mysterious gunfighter hired by the residents of a corrupt frontier mining town...
(1973) (director of photography) - Joe KiddJoe KiddJoe Kidd is a 1972 American western film starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges....
(1972) (director of photography) - Conquest of the Planet of the ApesConquest of the Planet of the ApesConquest of the Planet of the Apes is a 1972 science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fourth of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. It explores how the apes rebelled from mankind's ill treatment following Escape from the Planet of...
(1972) - The Great Northfield Minnesota RaidThe Great Northfield Minnesota RaidThe Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is a 1972 Technicolor Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starred Cliff Robertson as Cole Younger, Robert Duvall as Jesse James, Luke Askew as Jim Younger, R....
(1972) (director of photography) - Dirty HarryDirty HarryDirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
(1971) (director of photography) - Play Misty for MePlay Misty for MePlay Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, in his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The original music score was composed by Dee Barton.-Plot:...
(1971) (director of photography) - The BeguiledThe BeguiledThe Beguiled is a 1971 drama film directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. The script was written by Albert Maltz and is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled A Painted Devil...
(1971) (director of photography)