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Nicholas Musuraca

April 14, 2024

Nicholas Musuraca, A.S.C. (October 25, 1892 – September 3, 1975) was a motion-picture cinematographer best remembered for his work at RKO Pictures in the 1940s, including many of Val Lewton's series of B-picture horror films.

Nicholas Musuraca
Nick Musuraca in 1926
Born(1892-10-25)October 25, 1892
Riace, Italy
DiedSeptember 3, 1975(1975-09-03) (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationCinematographer
Years active1922–1966

Biography edit

Born in 1892, Nicola Musuraca left his home in Riace, province of Reggio di Calabria, Italy, and emigrated to the United States in 1907. He and his father, Cosimo Musuraca, boarded the Italian steamer Re d'Italia in July 1907, sailing from Naples on July 18 and arriving at the Port of New York on August 3, 1907. There, they were transferred to Ellis Island with their fellow steerage passengers where they underwent federal immigrant inspection. Upon being admitted the father and son set out for Brooklyn to join Cosimo's brother, Francesco.

He began his film career as the chauffeur for silent film producer J. Stuart Blackton. He worked behind the scenes on numerous silent and B-movie action films before becoming one of RKO Radio Pictures prime directors of photography in the 1930s. His Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) is sometimes considered the first film-noir.[1] While working regularly at RKO, he joined Val Lewton's unit making low-budget horror-films, being responsible for the cinematography of five of the films produced by Lewton's unit.[1] Musuraca collaborated with director Jacques Tourneur on Cat People (1942) and, after the end of Lewton's time at RKO, Out of the Past (1947). He was nominated for a 1947 Academy Award for his work on I Remember Mama. After working briefly at Warner Bros. in the late 1950s, Musuraca joined Desilu, where he spent his last active years in TV work including the television series F Troop.

According to Eric Schaefer:

Nicholas Musuraca's name remains unjustly obscure among the ranks of cinematographers from Hollywood's golden age. In his prime years at RKO during the 1940s, Musuraca shuttled back and forth between A- and B-films, prestige pictures, and genre potboilers. For this reason, and because many of the motion pictures photographed by Musuraca have attained a classic or landmark status only recently, he remains a neglected master.
Along with Gregg Toland's work on Citizen Kane (1941), Musuraca's cinematography for Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) defined the visual conventions for the film noir and codified the RKO look for the 1940s. Musuraca's photography begins and ends with shadows, owing a major debt to German Expressionism, and can be seen as the leading factor in the resurrection of the style in Hollywood in the 1940s. The dominant tone in his work is black, a stylistic bias that lent itself to the film noir and the moody horror films of Val Lewton.
But even within the confines of the studio system Musuraca succeeded in transposing his style to other genres. The western Blood on the Moon (1948) and George Stevens's nostalgic family drama I Remember Mama (1948) are both infused with the same shadowy visuals that Musuraca brought to the horror film in Cat People (1942) and the film noir in The Locket (1946). Through the conventions of varying genres and the differing requirements of numerous directors, Musuraca maintained a uniform personal aesthetic".[2]

Selected filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Bailey, John (October 9, 2016). "Nicholas Musuraca, Cat People and RKO Film Noir". American Cinematographer. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Eric Schaefer. "Nicholas Musuraca". film reference. Retrieved 2008-02-06.

External links edit

  • Nicholas Musuraca at IMDb

April 14, 2024
nicholas, musuraca, october, 1892, september, 1975, motion, picture, cinematographer, best, remembered, work, pictures, 1940s, including, many, lewton, series, picture, horror, films, nick, musuraca, 1926born, 1892, october, 1892riace, italydiedseptember, 1975. Nicholas Musuraca A S C October 25 1892 September 3 1975 was a motion picture cinematographer best remembered for his work at RKO Pictures in the 1940s including many of Val Lewton s series of B picture horror films Nicholas MusuracaNick Musuraca in 1926Born 1892 10 25 October 25 1892Riace ItalyDiedSeptember 3 1975 1975 09 03 aged 82 Los Angeles California USAOccupationCinematographerYears active1922 1966 Contents 1 Biography 2 Selected filmography 3 References 4 External linksBiography editBorn in 1892 Nicola Musuraca left his home in Riace province of Reggio di Calabria Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1907 He and his father Cosimo Musuraca boarded the Italian steamer Re d Italia in July 1907 sailing from Naples on July 18 and arriving at the Port of New York on August 3 1907 There they were transferred to Ellis Island with their fellow steerage passengers where they underwent federal immigrant inspection Upon being admitted the father and son set out for Brooklyn to join Cosimo s brother Francesco He began his film career as the chauffeur for silent film producer J Stuart Blackton He worked behind the scenes on numerous silent and B movie action films before becoming one of RKO Radio Pictures prime directors of photography in the 1930s His Stranger on the Third Floor 1940 is sometimes considered the first film noir 1 While working regularly at RKO he joined Val Lewton s unit making low budget horror films being responsible for the cinematography of five of the films produced by Lewton s unit 1 Musuraca collaborated with director Jacques Tourneur on Cat People 1942 and after the end of Lewton s time at RKO Out of the Past 1947 He was nominated for a 1947 Academy Award for his work on I Remember Mama After working briefly at Warner Bros in the late 1950s Musuraca joined Desilu where he spent his last active years in TV work including the television series F Troop According to Eric Schaefer Nicholas Musuraca s name remains unjustly obscure among the ranks of cinematographers from Hollywood s golden age In his prime years at RKO during the 1940s Musuraca shuttled back and forth between A and B films prestige pictures and genre potboilers For this reason and because many of the motion pictures photographed by Musuraca have attained a classic or landmark status only recently he remains a neglected master Along with Gregg Toland s work on Citizen Kane 1941 Musuraca s cinematography for Stranger on the Third Floor 1940 defined the visual conventions for the film noir and codified the RKO look for the 1940s Musuraca s photography begins and ends with shadows owing a major debt to German Expressionism and can be seen as the leading factor in the resurrection of the style in Hollywood in the 1940s The dominant tone in his work is black a stylistic bias that lent itself to the film noir and the moody horror films of Val Lewton But even within the confines of the studio system Musuraca succeeded in transposing his style to other genres The western Blood on the Moon 1948 and George Stevens s nostalgic family drama I Remember Mama 1948 are both infused with the same shadowy visuals that Musuraca brought to the horror film in Cat People 1942 and the film noir in The Locket 1946 Through the conventions of varying genres and the differing requirements of numerous directors Musuraca maintained a uniform personal aesthetic 2 Selected filmography editThe Glorious Adventure 1922 A Gipsy Cavalier 1922 The Virgin Queen 1923 On the Banks of the Wabash 1923 Bride of the Storm 1926 His New York Wife 1926 Shameful Behavior 1926 The Passionate Quest 1926 The Sonora Kid 1927 South Sea Love 1927 Lightning Lariats 1927 Tom s Gang 1927 The Desert Pirate 1927 The Cherokee Kid 1927 Splitting the Breeze 1927 When the Law Rides 1928 Phantom of the Range 1928 Dog Justice 1928 Fangs of the Wild 1928 The Avenging Rider 1928 The Charge of the Gauchos 1928 Rough Ridin Red 1928 Orphan of the Sage 1928 Red Riders of Canada 1928 Idaho Red 1929 The Pride of Pawnee 1929 The Red Sword 1929 The Freckled Rascal 1929 Side Street 1929 The Cuckoos 1930 Half Shot at Sunrise 1930 Cracked Nuts 1931 Smart Woman 1931 Headline Shooter 1933 Long Lost Father 1934 Where Sinners Meet 1934 Romance in Manhattan 1935 Border Cafe 1937 Night Spot 1938 Five Came Back 1939 Sorority House 1939 Golden Boy 1939 with Karl Freund Stranger on the Third Floor 1940 Tom Brown s School Days 1940 Little Men 1940 The Gay Falcon 1941 The Tuttles of Tahiti 1942 Cat People 1942 The Seventh Victim 1943 Forever and a Day 1943 The Ghost Ship 1943 Gangway for Tomorrow 1943 The Girl Rush 1944 The Curse of the Cat People 1944 China Sky 1945 Back to Bataan 1945 Bedlam 1946 The Spiral Staircase 1946 Deadline at Dawn 1946 The Locket 1946 Out of the Past 1947 The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer 1947 I Remember Mama 1948 Blood on the Moon 1948 I Married a Communist 1949 Where Danger Lives 1950 Born to Be Bad 1950 Hunt the Man Down 1950 The Whip Hand 1951 A Girl in Every Port 1952 Roadblock 1951 Clash by Night 1952 Split Second 1953 Devil s Canyon 1953 The Hitch Hiker 1953 The Blue Gardenia 1953 Susan Slept Here 1954 Man on the Prowl 1957 The Story of Mankind 1957 Too Much Too Soon 1958 References edit a b Bailey John October 9 2016 Nicholas Musuraca Cat People and RKO Film Noir American Cinematographer Retrieved June 25 2018 Eric Schaefer Nicholas Musuraca film reference Retrieved 2008 02 06 External links editNicholas Musuraca at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nicholas Musuraca amp oldid 1176571526, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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