Theodor Sparkuhl
Theodor Sparkuhl ( born October 7, 1894 in Hannover, † June 13, 1946 in Santa Fe, New Mexico ) was a German cinematographer.
The Early Years
Sparkuhl was born as the son of bank director Karl Sparkuhl in Hanover. His professional career began in 1911 as a seller of movie projectors. The Berlin branch of the French production company Gaumont Sparkuhl received in 1912 a practical training as a newsreel cameraman. In this capacity, he worked in Russia, the Middle East and since the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 in various parts of the Eastern Front.
In 1916 moved Sparkuhl, who had already photographed in 1913 as a simple camera operator Eiko film feature films, once and for wholesome entertainment. He had since been in various film studios as a director of photography, among other things, Georg Jacoby and especially for Ernst Lubitsch. From 1916 until his departure for Hollywood end of 1922 stood at 20 Sparkuhl Lubitsch films, including all the major works of the director from that time behind the camera, including the elaborate equipment materials Madame Dubarry, Anne Boleyn and The Loves of Pharaoh.
As Sparkuhls only directorial effort was 1927/28, together with Adolf Despite the film The prosecutor accuses. His last film was produced in Germany Georg Wilhelm Pabst astray (1928 ).
Work in England, France and Hollywood
From 1928 to 1930 he turned for British International Pictures in London. In this short time he turned an English staging Henrik Galeens and a comedy starring Laurel and Hardy.
1930 moved Sparkuhl to France, where he ( The dog, 1931) and Marc Allégret together worked with Jean Renoir.
On December 9, 1931, he left his native of Jerusalem born wife Helen and the 1917-1925 five children settled in the United States. In the aftermath Sparkuhl was employed by Paramount and photographed until 1945, more than 50 feature films, including Three Foreign Legionnaires (1939 ) by William Wellman and The Glass Key (1942 ) by Stuart Heisler, who identified him as the experienced image makers.