Celebrity Biographies
Oswald Morris
Few have such an impeccable filmography. Oswald Morris, known to his colleagues as “Os” or “Ossie,” made history as a cinematographer over six decades dedicated to the profession. The Briton, who illuminated the images of memorable films by John Huston and Stanley Kubrick, Oscar winner for “Fiddler on the Roof”, died at the age of 98 on March 17, 2014. This was announced by the British Film Society.
Born on November 22, 1915 in Ruislip, North West London, Oswald Norman Morris became interested in cinema at an early age, having worked as an assistant to the projectionist at a cinema near his place of residence as a child.
At 17, he entered the film industry, signing for Wembley Studios, as an unpaid errand boy for Michael Powell and other British filmmakers of the time. He rose through the ranks, becoming clapperboard boy and photography assistant, before World War II interrupted his career, as during the war he served as an RAF pilot.
Returning to civilian life, Oswald Morris was hired by David Lean , for his company, Cineguild, and was recruited by Pinewood Studios, where he worked as an assistant to Ronald Neame . With the latter, he began his career as a cinematographer with The Salamander . gold , a thriller with Trevor Howard . Neame was so satisfied with his work that he defined him as “the best cinematographer in the world”, and over the years re-entrusted him with lighting on The Card , The Man Who Never Was, The Kenyan Adventurer, Thank you very much, Mr Scrooge and Odessa .
In addition to winning the Academy Award for Norman Jewison ‘s Fiddler on the Roof , Morris was nominated for Oliver! , by Carol Reed , and The Wizard , by Sidney Lumet . The latter also used him in The Hill , Equus and Tell me what you want . Famous for his affable treatment, and for his continuous ideas, Morris became an essential collaborator for many filmmakers, because in addition to working continuously with the aforementioned Neame and Lumet, he also repeated on occasion with Reed ( The Key , Our man in the Havana ), Herbert Ross( Goodbye Mr. Chips , Elementary, Dr. Freud ), Jim Henson ( The Muppet Big Bang, The Dark Crystal ), and Tony Richardson ( Looking Back in Anger , The Entertainer ).
But possibly, with whom he formed the most fruitful tandem was with the legendary John Huston , with whom he revolutionized color cinema, in the film Moulin Rouge , where he was able to capture with the cameras the style of the paintings of the biographed painter, Toulouse-Lautrec. The tape is considered a pioneer in the use of Technicolor, due to its successful use of filters, fog, etc. After this start, it is not surprising that the filmmaker turned to Morris on six more occasions, The Devil’s Trick , Moby Dick , God Only Knows , The Roots of Heaven , Reflections in a Golden Eye , The Man from Mackintosh and The Man Who Could reign , and also in A Farewell to Arms , where Huston is uncredited, but in which he did much of the work officially credited to Charles Vidor .
On the contrary, he only needed a job with Stanley Kubrick to make history, since he is behind the photography of Lolita . He also shot the well-known The Footprint for Joseph L. Mankiewicz , The Indomitable Woman , by Franco Zefirelli , and even had time to dedicate himself to the James Bond saga, in The Man with the Golden Gun .
In 1998, when he was already retired, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Known for his sense of humor, in 2006 Morris published his memoirs, entitled “Huston, We Have a Problem”, translatable as “Huston, we have a problem”. On his death he leaves behind three children, Gillian, Christine and Roger.