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Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer; 21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was a Polish-Hungarian
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
who worked in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and France. He collaborated with notable directors including
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
,
René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...
, and
Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...
, attracting notable recognition for '' The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928) and ''
Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...
'' (1932). In 1935, he relocated to the United States serving as a cinematographer on notable Hollywood films, including '' Dodsworth'' (1936), '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940), and '' Gilda'' (1946). By 1947, Maté became a film director, with notable titles such as '' D.O.A.'' (1950), '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951), and ''
The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...
'' (1962).


Biography

Rudolph Maté was born on 21 January 1898 in
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
(then in the Grand Duchy of Kraków,
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
, currently in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) into an upper-class Jewish family. In 1919, he graduated at the University of Budapest having studied art. He began working in the film industry as a laboratory assistant and an assistant cameraman for
Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)
at the Corvin Film Studio. The same year, Maté was appointed to the Communist Directory of the Arts, responsible for nationalizing the film industry. However, in 1920, these plans were abandoned after
Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...
came to power and banned the
Hungarian Communist Party The Hungarian Communist Party (, , abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary (, , abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar period and briefly after World War II. It was founded on Novem ...
. Korda, along with Maté, subsequently relocated to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to work for
Sascha-Film Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period. History The business was established in 1910 by Alexander ...
. In 1924, Maté went to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
to work as a
second unit A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...
camera operator for
Erich Pommer Erich Pommer (20 July 1889 – 8 May 1966) was a German-born film producer and executive. Pommer was perhaps the most powerful person in the German and European film industries in the 1920s and early 1930s. As producer, Erich Pommer was involved ...
. He later hired Maté as an assistant cinematographer to Karl Freund on '' Mikaël'' (1924). His influence on the film inspired
Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...
to hire him as cinematographer on '' The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928). Maté's work has been praised as among the best of the
silent film era A silent film is a film without synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
, with film historian John Wakeman noting his high-contrast lighting brought out facial features on the actors with stark clarity.
Wheeler Winston Dixon Wheeler Winston Dixon (born March 12, 1950) is an American filmmaker and scholar. He is an expert on film history, Film theory, theory and Film criticism, criticism.Bill Goodykoontz, December 23, 2012, USA TodayDefining Tarantino Accessed Aug. 25, ...
also noted Maté photographed "each shot with a radiant clarity, often using a halo 'iris' effect during Joan's close-ups, to accentuate her isolation and persecution during the trial. Often, Maté frames Joan slightly from above, looking down at her with a mixture of reverence and sadness, which also serves to suggest her powerlessness during her interrogation by the judges". His next collaboration with Dreyer was ''
Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...
'' (1932). The entire film was shot on location with numerous scenes shot in Courtempierre,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. During filming, Maté had shot some scenes that appeared blurry and fuzzy, after natural light had accidentally shone into the camera lens. Dreyer accepted the results, and had a gauze placed in front of the camera to recreate the effect. In addition, Maté collaborated with
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
and
René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...
while in France. His reputation in Europe made him one of the most requested cinematographers that he accepted a contract with
Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...
. In 1935, Maté moved to Hollywood, working on his first American film titled ''
Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for ' Hell') is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century narrative poem '' The Divine Comedy'', followed by and . The ''Inferno'' describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himsel ...
'' (1935). A year later, Maté left Fox Film to work on '' Dodsworth'' (1936) for
Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...
. A few years later, Goldwyn selected Maté as his in-house cinematographer, replacing Gregg Toland who decided to become a wartime film director. He was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...
in five consecutive years, for
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940),
Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)
's '' That Hamilton Woman'' (1941),
Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...
's '' The Pride of the Yankees'' (1942),
Zoltan Korda Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, film director, director and film producer, producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda ...
's ''
Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
'' (1943), and Charles Vidor's ''
Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...
'' (1944). While working for
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, Maté initially signed on as cinematographer on '' It Had to Be You'' (1947). However, during production, he began to assume more directorial responsibilities from
Don Hartman Samuel Donald Hartman (18 November 1900 – 23 March 1958) was an American screenwriter and director and former production head of Paramount Pictures. He and Stephen Morehouse Avery were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story for ''The Ga ...
. Vincent J. Farrar was brought in as a second cinematographer to take over from Maté, who was later credited as both co-director and co-cinematographer on the film. Columbia Pictures president
Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His fath ...
had taken notice and hired Maté as a director. His first solo directorial debut was the 1948 ''film noir'' thriller '' The Dark Past'', a remake of '' Blind Alley'' (1939). Maté's relationship with Harry Cohn proved contentious at times, with Cohn berating him on one occasion that Maté could barely stammer out his responses. His most notable film was '' D.O.A.'' (1950), a ''film noir'' in which Frank Bigelow (portrayed by Edmond O'Brien) is slowly dying of poison and races against the clock to find out the real culprits. A review in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' deemed the film "a fairly obvious and plodding recital, involving crime, passion, stolen iridium, gangland beatings and one man's innocent bewilderment upon being caught up in a web of circumstance that marks him for death". William Brogdon of '' Variety'' felt Maté's direction "lingers too long over he first portion of the story spreading expectancy very thin, but when he does launch his suspense-building it comes over with a solid wallop." Maté later directed the suspense film ''
Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
'' (1950), which starred
William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...
and Barry Fitzgerald, and '' Branded'' (1950) which starred
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...
. Maté next directed '' The Prince Who Was a Thief'' (1951), starring
Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...
and
Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023) was an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), and the miniseries ...
. His most successful film was the science fiction disaster '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951). The film earned an Honorary
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for Best Special Effects. Maté's last Hollywood film was the historical epic ''
The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...
'' (1962). His final film (co-directed with Primo Zeglio) was the Italian adventure film '' Seven Seas to Calais'' (1963), starring Rod Taylor. He traveled to
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
to film a low-budget romantic comedy titled ''Aliki'' (1963) starring
Aliki Vougiouklaki Aliki Stamatina Vougiouklaki (Greek: Αλίκη Σταματίνα Βουγιουκλάκη Greek pronunciation: ˈlici stamaˈtina vuʝuˈklaci 20 July 1934 – 23 July 1996) was a Greek cinema and theater actress, singer and theatrical produc ...
.


Personal life and death

In 1929, Maté married Paula Sophie Hartkop in Paris. The couple arrived in the United States in 1935; in August 1937, Paula Sophie died from complications of pneumonia. On July 6, 1941, he married Regina Opoczynski in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. They had one son named Christopher. The couple divorced in 1958 after Maté had left his wife stranded in France for four weeks. On 27 October 1964, Maté died from a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills, aged 66.


Filmography


As director

* '' It Had to Be You'' (1947) * '' The Dark Past'' (1948) * '' D.O.A.'' (1950) * '' No Sad Songs for Me'' (1950) * ''
Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
'' (1950) * '' Branded'' (1950) * '' The Prince Who Was a Thief'' (1951) * '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951) * '' The Green Glove'' (1952) * '' Sally and Saint Anne'' (1952) * '' Paula'' (1952) * '' The Mississippi Gambler'' (1953) * '' Second Chance'' (1953) * '' Forbidden'' (1953) * ''
The Black Shield of Falworth ''The Black Shield of Falworth'' is a 1954 American Technicolor historical adventure film from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur (film producer), Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. It stars Tony Cur ...
'' (1954) * '' Siege at Red River'' (1954) * '' The Violent Men'' (1955) * '' The Far Horizons'' (1955) * '' Miracle in the Rain'' (1956) * '' The Rawhide Years'' (1956) * '' Port Afrique'' (1956) * '' Three Violent People'' (1957) * '' The Deep Six'' (1958) * '' For the First Time'' (1959) * '' Revak the Rebel'' (1960) * ''
The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...
'' (1962) * '' Seven Seas to Calais'' (1962) * ''Aliki my love'' (1963)


As producer

* ''
The Return of October ''The Return of October'' is a 1948 American sports comedy film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Glenn Ford, Terry Moore and James Gleason.Aaker p.309 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Plot Terry is a teenage girl w ...
'' (1948) * ''
The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...
'' (1962) * ''Aliki my love'' (1963)


As cinematographer

* ''Kutató Sámuel'' (1919) * ''Alpentragödie'' (1920) * ''Das Gänsemädchen'' (1920) * ''Lucifer '' (1921) * ''Der geistliche Tod'' (1921) * ''Parema - Das Wesen aus der Sternenwelt'' (1922) * ''Eine mystische Straßenreklame'' (1922) * ''Dunkle Gassen'' (1923) * ''Das verlorene Ich'' (1923) * ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'' (1923) * ''The Lost Soul, or: The Dangers of Hypnotism'' (1923)Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 264. . * ''
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
'' (1924) * '' Peter the Pirate'' (1925) * '' Excluded from the Public'' (1927) * '' The Impostor'' (1927) * ''Infantrist Wamperls dreijähriges Pech'' (1927) * '' The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928) * ''Franz Schubert und seine Zeit'' (1928) * ''Die Bauernprinzessin'' (1928) * ''Der Lohn der guten Tat'' (1928) * '' Miss Europe'' (1930) * ''Le monsieur de minuit'' (1931) * ''
Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...
'' (1932) * '' Monsieur Albert'' (1932) * '' La couturière de Luneville'' (1932) * '' Lily Christine'' (1932) * ''
Insult An insult is an expression, statement, or behavior that is often deliberately disrespectful, offensive, scornful, or derogatory towards an individual or a group. Insults can be intentional or unintentional, and they often aim to belittle, of ...
'' (1932) * '' Aren't We All?'' (1932) * '' The Merry Monarch'' (1933) * ''Die Abenteuer des Königs Pausole'' (1933) * ''Les aventures du roi Pausole'' (1933) * ''Une femme au volant'' (1933) * '' On the Streets'' (1933) * ''
Paprika Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
'' (1933) * '' The Last Billionaire'' (1934) * '' Liliom'' (1934) * '' Nothing More Than a Woman'' (1934) * ''
Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for ' Hell') is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century narrative poem '' The Divine Comedy'', followed by and . The ''Inferno'' describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himsel ...
'' (1935) * '' Dressed to Thrill'' (1935) * '' Metropolitan'' (1935) * '' Navy Wife'' (1935) * '' Professional Soldier'' (1935) * '' Charlie Chan's Secret'' (1936) * '' Dodsworth'' (1936) * '' A Message to Garcia'' (1936) * '' Our Relations'' (1936) * '' Come and Get It'' (1936) * '' Outcast'' (1937) * '' Stella Dallas'' (1937) * '' The Adventures of Marco Polo'' (1938) * ''
Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...
'' (1938) * '' Youth Takes a Fling'' (1938) * ''
Trade Winds The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere ...
'' (1938) * '' Love Affair'' (1939) * '' The Real Glory'' (1939) * ''
My Favorite Wife ''My Favorite Wife'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy film produced by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. It stars Irene Dunne as a woman who, after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for several years and declared legally dead, re ...
'' (1940) * '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940) * '' The Westerner'' (1940) * '' Seven Sinners'' (1940) * '' That Hamilton Woman'' (1941) * '' The Flame of New Orleans'' (1941) * '' It Started with Eve'' (1941) * '' To Be or Not to Be'' (1942) * '' The Pride of the Yankees'' (1942) * '' They Got Me Covered'' (1943) * ''
Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
'' (1943) * '' Address Unknown'' (1944) * ''
Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...
'' (1944) * ''
Tonight and Every Night Tonight may refer to: Television * Tonight (1957 TV programme), ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * Tonight (1975 TV programme), ''Tonigh ...
'' (1945) * '' Over 21'' (1945) * '' Gilda'' (1946) * '' Down to Earth'' (1947) * '' It Had to Be You'' (1947) * '' The Lady from Shanghai'' (1947)


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


External links

* *
Rudolph Maté
in the AFI Catalog
Rudolph Maté in the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mate, Rudolph 1898 births 1964 deaths Polish emigrants to the United States Film people from Kraków Polish cinematographers Polish film directors Polish people of Jewish descent