Peter Suschitzky
Honorific suffixASC
Birth date25 July 1941 (age 85)
Birth placeLondon, England, UK
Years active1966–2020
OrganizationAmerican Society of Cinematographers
SpouseIlona Suschitzky
ParentsWolfgang Suschitzky
Websitehttp://petersuschitzky.com

Peter Suschitzky, A.S.C. (born 25 July 1941) is a British cinematographer and photographer,[1] known for his collaboration with David Cronenberg from 1988 to 2014.

Early life and education

Suschitzky was born in London, England,[2] the son of the BAFTA-nominated cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky,[3][4] an Austrian of Jewish descent.[5]

Although music was Peter's passion, he chose to pursue a career in cinematography while studying at Institut des hautes études cinématographiques in Paris, France.

Career

He became a clapper boy at age 19 and a camera operator at age 22.[6]

Among his first films as DP was It Happened Here, a mockumentary-style World War II film about life in the United Kingdom, following a hypothetical Axis victory in World War II. The film was shot on handheld, 16mm film in order to give it a gritty, realistic look inspired by wartime newsreels. Due to the film's independent nature and unusual subject matter, its production lasted a total of eight years.

In 1975, Suschitzky shot The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a comedy musical film that, while initially unsuccessful, has since become a massive cult film, with regular midnight screenings[7] attended by dedicated, cosplaying fans.[8] He shot the 1977 biopic Valentino for director Ken Russell, for which he received a nomination for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography.[9] Three years later, he would lens the second entry in the long-running Star Wars film series, The Empire Strikes Back, widely considered to be the best in the series.

Suschitzky replaced Mark Irwin as David Cronenberg's regular director of photography after Irwin left Dead Ringers during pre-production.[10] Their collaboration lasted until 2014, with Maps to the Stars, with Douglas Koch replacing Suschitzky as Cronenberg's regular in 2022.

Filmography

Feature film

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1964It Happened HereKevin Brownlow
Andrew Mollo		With Kevin Brownlow
1966The Christmas TreeJim Clark
1967PrivilegePeter Watkins
Charlie BubblesAlbert Finney
1968A Midsummer Night's DreamPeter Hall
1969Lock Up Your Daughters!Peter Coe
The GladiatorsPeter Watkins
A Touch of LoveWaris Hussein
1970Leo the LastJohn Boorman
Figures in a LandscapeJoseph LoseyWith Henri Alekan and Guy Tabary
1971MelodyWaris Hussein
1972The Pied PiperJacques Demy
Henry VIII and his Six WivesWaris Hussein
1973That'll Be the DayClaude Whatham
1975All Creatures Great and Small
The Rocky Horror Picture ShowJim Sharman
LisztomaniaKen Russell
1977Valentino
1980The Empire Strikes BackIrvin Kershner
1983KrullPeter Yates
1984Falling in LoveUlu Grosbard
1988In ExtremisOlivier Lorsac
Dead RingersDavid Cronenberg1st collaboration with Cronenberg
1990Where the Heart IsJohn Boorman
1991Un homme et deux femmesValérie Stroh
Naked LunchDavid Cronenberg
1992The Public EyeHoward Franklin
1993The VanishingGeorge Sluizer
M. ButterflyDavid Cronenberg
1994Immortal BelovedBernard Rose
1996Mars Attacks!Tim Burton
CrashDavid Cronenberg
1998The Man in the Iron MaskRandall Wallace
1999eXistenZDavid Cronenberg
2000Red PlanetAntony Hoffman
2002SpiderDavid Cronenberg
2005A History of Violence
ShopgirlAnand Tucker
2006The Stone CouncilGuillaume Nicloux
2007Eastern PromisesDavid Cronenberg
2011A Dangerous Method
2012Cosmopolis
2013After EarthM. Night Shyamalan
2014Maps to the StarsDavid Cronenberg
2015Tale of TalesMatteo Garrone

Television

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1961Mächte des GlaubensPeter von ZahnEpisode "Das Judentum"
1993Fallen AngelsTom Hanks
Tom Cruise		Episodes "I'll Be Waiting" and "The Frightening Frammis"

TV movies

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1966The War GamePeter WatkinsUncredited
Francis Bacon Fragments of a PortraitMichael GillDocumentary film

Awards and recognition

BAFTA Awards

YearTitleCategoryResult
1977ValentinoBest Cinematography

Canadian Screen Awards

YearTitleCategoryResult
1988Dead RingersBest Cinematography
1991Naked Lunch
1996Crash
2007Eastern Promises

Accademia del Cinema Italiano

YearTitleCategoryResult
2015Tale of TalesBest Cinematography

Suschitzky is also featured in the book Conversations with Cinematographers, published by Scarecrow Press.

In 2015 he was selected to be a member of the jury for the Critics' Week section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[11]

References

  1. ^ "PETER SUSCHITZKY". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  2. ^ "Peter Suschitzky". Peter Suschitzky. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  3. ^ cinematographers.nl. "Peter Suschitzky, ASC"
  4. ^ "Peter Suschitzky Biography (1941?-)"
  5. ^ "Moving to Holland and working as a photographer"
  6. ^ "PETER SUSCHITZKY". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  7. ^ "Rocky Horror Picture Show - Blue Mouse Theatre". bluemousetheatre.com. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  8. ^ "TRHPS Official Fan Site: Participation". www.rockyhorror.com. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  9. ^ Aftab, Kaleem. "DP Peter Suschitzky on The Empire Strikes Back, Collaborating with David Cronenberg and the New Wave's "Boring Light" | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  10. ^ Burgess, Steve, Salon.com (30 November 1999). "David Cronenberg"
  11. ^ "Ronit Elkabetz, President of the 2015 Critics' Week Jury". Semaine de la Critique de Cannes. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.