Marcus Bartley (22 April 1917 14 March 1993) was an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

known for his works predominantly in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

along with a few

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

, and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

films. He was the cinematographer of all time classics like ''

Shavukaru ''Shavukaru'' () is a 1950 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagireddy and Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner as their maiden production. It stars N. T. Rama Rao in his first leadin ...

'' (1950), ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrap ...

'' (1951), ''

Missamma ''Missamma'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani on Vijaya Productions banner. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and ...

'' (1955), ''

Maya Bazaar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, ...

'' (1957), ''

Gundamma Katha ''Gundamma Katha'' () is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and co-produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner Vijaya Productions. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, S ...

'' (1962), ''

Chemmeen ''Chemmeen'' () is a 1965 Indian Malayalam-language romance film, based on the novel of the same name by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. It was adapted into a screenplay by S. L. Puram Sadanandan, directed by Ramu Kariat, and produced by Babu Isma ...

'' (1965), ''

Ram Aur Shyam ''Ram Aur Shyam'' (English: ''Ram And Shyam'') is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Tapi Chanakya. The film is a remake of Chanakya's 1964 Telugu film ''Ramudu Bheemudu''. It stars Dilip Kumar in a double role as twin b ...

'' (1967). He won the

National Film Award for Best Cinematography The National Film Award for Best Cinematography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards p ...

in 1970 for ''

Shanti Nilayam ''Shanti Nilayam'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language film, produced and directed by G. S. Mani. It stars Gemini Ganesan and Kanchana, with Nagesh, Vijaya Lalitha, Pandari Bai, K. Balaji and V. S. Raghavan in supporting roles. The film won the ...

''. He also won the Gold Medal at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

for Best Cinematography, becoming the first Indian to win the award.

Early life

Marcus Bartley was born into an

family of renowned doctors in

Yercaud Yercaud is a Hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India. History Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills (also known as Shevarayan Hills), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud ...

. While at school, Bartley was an amateur photographer.

Career

In 1940, Bartley headed to Bombay and joined ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' as press photographer, and then became a newsreel cameraman for

British Movietone Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States. Under the name British Movietone News, it also ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986, in France also produced by Fox-Europa, in Australia and New Zealand until 1970 ...

under the auspices of ''The Times of India''. Bartley did not have any formal training in photography. He worked hard and learned the craft on the job. Bartley arrived in Madras and joined Pragati Studios. His maiden film was ''

Swarga Seema ''Swarga Seema'' is a 1945 Telugu-language drama film produced and directed by B. N. Reddy and starring V. Nagayya, B. Jayamma and Bhanumathi. Ghantasala entered film world as a Playback singer for a song of C. H. Narayana Rao and it is al ...

'' in 1945. This film showed his genius at Black and White photography. The movie strengthened the friendship between him and the

B. N. Reddy Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy (16 November 1908 – 8 November 1977), professionally known as B. N. Reddy, was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was an early figure in the Telugu cinema. Many of his earlier films like ''Vand ...

K. V. Reddy Kadiri Venkata Reddy (1 July 1912 – 15 September 1972) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who primarily worked in Telugu cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest directors in the history of Telugu cinema. He d ...

, and

Nagi Reddi Bommireddy Nagi Reddi (2 December 1912 – 25 February 2004) was an Indian film producer and director mainly in Telugu cinema. He set up Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Chennai, which was then Asia's biggest film studio. As his elder brother (who was ...

. Successively, Bartley worked in many studios such as National Studios, Newtone Studios and Vauhini Productions. He wielded camera for all the forty odd Vauhini movies including such great hits as ''

Yogi Vemana Vemana, popularly known as Yogi Vemana, was an Indian philosopher and poet in the Telugu language. His poems are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. They discuss the subjects of yoga, wisdom and morality. Early life and ...

'' (1947), ''

Gunasundari Katha ''Gunasundari Katha'' is a 1949 Indian Telugu language fantasy film produced and directed by K. V. Reddy, starring Sriranjani, Kasturi Siva Rao, Santha Kumari. The script was written by Pingali Nagendra Rao, K. V. Reddy, and Kamalakara Kameswa ...

'' (1949), as well as Vijaya's productions ''

'' (1950), ''

'' (1951), '' Pelli Chesi Chudu'' (1952), ''

Chandraharam ''Chandraharam'' is a 1954 Telugu-Tamil bilingual swashbuckler film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao in his debut. It was produced by Nagi Reddy-Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri and Sriran ...

'' (1954), ''

'' (1955), ''

'' (1957), ''

Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu ''Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu'' () is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani of Vijaya Productions; the latter co-wrote its script with Prasad and Vempati Sada ...

'' (1958), ''

'' (1962), ''Sri Rajeswari Vilas Coffee Club'' (1976) etc. Most of the superhits of those times were made with his photographic hand at the camera. His specialty was the shots under the moonlight.

Ramu Kariat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, who directed many acclaimed films in the Malayalam cinema. His noted films include '' Neelakkuyil'' (1954), '' ...

signed him for the Malayalam film ''

'' (1965). The film was released in 1965, to universal critical acclaim. The photography by Bartley was highly praised. Bartley didn't receive the National Award that year as portions of the film had to be completed by another cameraman. Cameraman U Rajagopal who also shot the film later acknowledged that he was only called in to complete patchwork.

Working style

Bartley was known as a perfectionist. He didn’t believe in hierarchies and treated everyone the same. He would work with the screenwriter and director, understanding the screenplay, so he could work on his lighting style. He would work for nights before the commencement of shooting, lighting the set to make it perfect.

Personal life

He spoke fractured

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

and did not understand

. Bartley had long suffered with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, but refused to go to a doctor and treated himself. In the final years of his life, Arriflex made him their authorised service person and Bartley would spend much time repairing lenses. He was shifted to Vijaya Hospital by

where he was given personal attention.

Awards

*Recipient of the gold medal at the

International Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

held at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

for the movie ''

'' in Malayalam in the year 1978. *He won the

in India in 1970 for ''

''. *He also won the

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list See also * Tamil cinema * Cinema of India References {{Tami ...

for ''Shanti Nilayam'' in 1970.

Filmography

* ''Zindagi Jeene Ke Liye'' (1984) * ''

Maamaankam ''Maamaankam'' is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language historical drama film directed and produced by Navodaya Appachan, made under Navodaya Studio. It is based on the medieval Mamankam festival held every 12 years at the banks of river Bharathapp ...

'' (1979) * ''

Yehi Hai Zindagi ''Yehi Hai Zindagi'' () is a 1977 Hindi-language film. Produced by B. Nagi Reddy, it is directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Seema Deo, Utpal Dutt, Lucky Ali, Ramesh Deo and Neeta Mehta. The film's music was composed by ...

'' (1977) * ''Sri Rajeswari Vilas Coffee Club'' (1976) * ''Chakravakam'' (1974) * '' Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani'' (1970) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Saathi'' (1968) * ''

'' (1967) * ''

'' (1965) * ''

'' (1962) * ''

Jagadeka Veeruni Katha ''Jagadeka Veeruni Katha'' () is a 1961 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Fantasy film, fantasy swashbuckler film, produced and directed by K. V. Reddy under the Vijaya Productions banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, B. Saroja Devi with music ...

'' (1961) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

Mayabazar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, with ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

Kalyanam Panni Paar ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titl ...

'' (1952) * ''

Pelli Chesi Choodu ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titled ...

'' (1952) * ''

Patala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali (writer), Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil languages ...

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1950) * ''

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1947) * '' Swargaseema'' (1945)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartley, Marcus Telugu film cinematographers 1917 births Anglo-Indian people 1993 deaths Best Cinematography National Film Award winners 20th-century Indian photographers Cinematographers from Tamil Nadu Artists from Chennai