The 50 Best Cinematographers of All Time

1. Sven Nykvist

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. PersonaIngmar Bergman1966
2. Cries and WhispersIngmar Bergman1972
3. Fanny and AlexanderIngmar Bergman1982
4. The SacrificeAndrei Tarkovsky1986
5. Autumn SonataIngmar Bergman1978
Persona (1966). Nykvist’s portfolio is largely dominated by his collaborations with Ingmar Bergman, blocking and framing human faces like expressively detailed landscapes, and yet his pairings with Andrei Tarkovsky and Roman Polanski also prove his incredible versatility.

2. Emmanuel Lubezki

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick2011
2. Children of MenAlfonso Cuarón2006
3. The RevenantAlejandro Iñárritu2015
4. The New WorldTerrence Malick2005
5. BirdmanAlejandro Iñárritu2014
The Tree of Life (2011). A Lubezki film is immediately recognised by the floating camerawork and wide-angle lenses, but his talent for shooting in natural light shouldn’t go unnoted either, seeing him take lessons learned from Terrence Malick into his collaborations with Alejandro Iñárritu.

3. Gordon Willis

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The Godfather Part IIFrancis Ford Coppola1974
2. The GodfatherFrancis Ford Coppola1972
3. ManhattanWoody Allen1979
4. The Parallax ViewAlan J. Pakula1974
5. Stardust MemoriesWoody Allen1980
The Godfather Part II (1974). The Prince of Darkness is one of the few cinematographers who can fairly lay claim to the title of auteur, consistently shooting in low-key lighting setups whether he is capturing the malevolent heart of Michael Corleone, the paranoia of Alan J. Pakula’s political thrillers, or Woody Allen’s comedy-dramas.

4. Sacha Vierny

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her LoverPeter Greenaway1989
2. Last Year at MarienbadAlain Resnais1961
3. A Zed & Two NoughtsPeter Greenaway1985
4. Hiroshima Mon AmourAlain Resnais1959
5. Mon Oncle d’AmeriqueAlain Resnais1980
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989). Vierny peaked twice – first in his mid-century collaborations with Alain Resnais’s black-and-white dreamscapes, and later in the 80s with Peter Greenaway’s vibrantly theatrical allegories. Across both eras though he held onto that unyielding, rolling camera, often tracking in straight lines through magnificently designed set pieces.

5. Vittorio Storaro

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The ConformistBernardo Bertolucci1970
2. Apocalypse NowFrancis Ford Coppola1979
3. 1900Bernardo Bertolucci1976
4. The Last EmperorBernardo Bertolucci1987
5. RedsWarren Beatty1981
Apocalypse Now (1979). Storaro never flinched at the prospect of shooting historical epics, capturing sprawling scenes brimming with extras in long shots while bringing a more psychological, intimate expressionism to smaller-scale character drama.

6. Asakazu Nakai

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. Seven SamuraiAkira Kurosawa1954
2. The End of SummerYasujirō Ozu1961
3. High and LowAkira Kurosawa1963
4. IkiruAkira Kurosawa1952
5. RanAkira Kurosawa1985
Seven Samurai (1954). Nakai worked with the two greatest Japanese directors of all time, nailing both the kinetic grace of Akira Kurosawa and the perfectionistic stillness of Yasujirō Ozu, while offering his talent for shooting in deep focus to both.

7. Christopher Doyle

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. In the Mood for LoveWong Kar-wai2000
2. HeroYimou Zhang2002
3. Chungking ExpressWong Kar-wai1994
4. 2046Wong Kar-wai2004
5. Days of Being WildWong Kar-wai1990
In the Mood for Love (2000). Despite growing up in Australia, Doyle has primarily worked in Chinese and Hong Kong cinema, carrying his keen eye for colours, patterns, and lighting across highly stylised epics and romances.

8. Giuseppe Rotunno

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The LeopardLuchino Visconti1963
2. Fellini SatyriconFederico Fellini1969
3. Rocco and His BrothersLuchino Visconti1960
4. The Adventures of Baron MunchausenTerry Gilliam1988
5. AmarcordFederico Fellini1973
The Leopard (1963). Between the painterly films of Luchino Visconti and the chaotic surrealism of Federico Fellini, Rotunno mastered the art of capturing vibrant historical periods, from an anachronistic Ancient Rome to mid-19th century Sicily.

9. Roger Deakins

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert FordAndrew Dominik2007
2. Blade Runner 2049Denis Villeneuve2017
3. 1917Sam Mendes2019
4. FargoThe Coen Brothers1996
5. SkyfallSam Mendes2012
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Deakins brings the same dedication to atmospheric lighting setups whether he is filming the Old West, a futuristic dystopia, or a James Bond film, paying keen attention to the composition and contrast of shadows.

10. John Alcott

Top 5 Cinematographic Works
FilmDirectorYear
1. Barry LyndonStanley Kubrick1975
2. The ShiningStanley Kubrick1980
3. A Clockwork OrangeStanley Kubrick1971
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Dawn of Man sequence)Stanley Kubrick1968
5. No Way OutRoger Donaldson1987
Barry Lyndon (1975). The strength of Alcott’s collaborations with Stanley Kubrick carries his legacy. These are some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful films of all time, accomplishing an aesthetic precision and rigour unrivalled in cinema history.
CinematographerTop 3 Cinematographic Works
11. Gregg Toland1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
3. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
12. Sławomir Idziak1. Three Colours: Blue (1993)
2. A Short Film About Killing (1988)
3. The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
13. Vilmos Zsigmond1. Heaven’s Gate (1980)
2. Blow Out (1981)
3. McCabe & Mrs Miller (1971)
14. Yūharu Atsuta1. Tokyo Story (1953)
2. Early Summer (1951)
3. Late Spring (1949)
15. Robert Richardson1. Kill Bill (2003-04)
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
3. The Aviator (2004)
16. Robert Burks1. Vertigo (1958)
2. Rear Window (1954)
3. North by Northwest (1959)
17. Raoul Coutard1. Pierrot le Fou (1965)
2. Contempt (1963)
3. Alphaville (1965)
18. Russell Metty1. Touch of Evil (1958)
2. All That Heaven Allows (1955)
3. Written on the Wind (1956)
19. Robert Yeoman1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
2. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
3. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
20. Michael Chapman1. Raging Bull (1980)
2. Taxi Driver (1976)
3. Hardcore (1979)
21. Gianni Di Venanzo1. 8 1/2 (1963)
2. Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
3. L’Eclisse (1962)
22. Christian Matras1. Lola Montès (1955)
2. Grand Illusion (1937)
3. The Earrings of Madame de… (1953)
23. Tonino Delli Colli1. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
2. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
3. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
24. Sergey Urusevsky1. I Am Cuba (1964)
2. The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
3. Letter Never Sent (1960)
25. Freddie Young1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
2. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
3. 49th Parallel (1941)
26. Robert Elswit1. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
2. Ripley (2024)
3. There Will Be Blood (2007)
27. Kazuo Miyagawa1. Rashomon (1950)
2. Yojimbo (1961)
3. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
28. Winton C. Hoch1. The Searchers (1956)
2. The Quiet Man (1952)
3. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
29. Rudolph Maté1. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
2. Vampyr (1932)
3. The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
30. Jack Cardiff1. The Red Shoes (1948)
2. Black Narcissus (1947)
3. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
31. Otello Martelli1. La Dolce Vita (1960)
2. La Strada (1954)
3. I Vitelloni (1953)
32. Gunnar Fischer1. The Seventh Seal (1957)
2. Wild Strawberries (1957)
3. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
33. Bruno Delbonnel1. Amelie (2001)
2. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
3. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
34. Robby Müller1. Dead Man (1995)
2. Breaking the Waves (1996)
3. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
35. Michael Ballhaus1. Goodfellas (1990)
2. The Age of Innocence (1993)
3. Gangs of New York (2002)
36. Janusz Kamiński1. Schindler’s List (1993)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. Lincoln (2012)
37. Lee Garmes1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Scarface (1932)
3. Morocco (1930)
38. Luciano Tovoli1. Suspiria (1977)
2. The Passenger (1975)
3. Tenebrae (1982)
39. Henri Decaë1. The 400 Blows (1959)
2. Le Samouraï (1967)
3. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
40. Carlo di Palma1. Red Desert (1964)
2. Blow-Up (1966)
3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
41. Eduard Tisse1. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
2. Ivan the Terrible (1944-46)
3. Strike (1925)
42. Rodrigo Prieto1. Amores Perros (2000)
2. The Irishman (2019)
3. Broken Embraces (2009)
43. Peter Suschitzky1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Dead Ringers (1988)
3. Tale of Tales (2015)
44. Geoffrey Unsworth1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2. Cabaret (1972)
3. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
45. Charles Lang1. The Big Heat (1953)
2. Charade (1963)
3. Ace in the Hole (1951)
46. Robert Krasker1. The Third Man (1949)
2. Senso (1954)
3. Brief Encounter (1945)
47. Darius Khondji1. Seven (1995)
2. Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022)
3. Delicatessen (1991)
48. Néstor Almendros1. Days of Heaven (1978)
2. Two English Girls (1971)
3. My Little Loves (1974)
49. Mark Lee Ping-Bing1. In the Mood for Love (2000)
2. Flowers of Shanghai (1998)
3. The Assassin (2015)
50. Hoyte van Hoytema1. Dunkirk (2017)
2. Ad Astra (2019)
3. Oppenheimer (2023)

8 thoughts on “The 50 Best Cinematographers of All Time”

    1. SceneByGreen's avatar
      SceneByGreen

      Thanks Harry, that was a big part of it. I also considered well-shot films that didn’t make the top 100 list as well though. A few cinematographers without those high ranking films appear here based largely on the depth of their resumes.

      Reply
  2. Harry's avatar
    Harry

    Sayombhu Mukdeeprom has a decent resume that seems to growing as well. Syndromes and a Century, Uncle Boonme, then last year we got Trap, Challengers and Queer.

    Reply
  3. Lionel's avatar
    Lionel

    I’m surprised Murder on The Orient Express is a top 3 film for Geoffrey Unsworth. It’s a very flatly shot episodic TV film. I only liked one single scene in that entire film and that was the stabbing scene. Total drag otherwise. If that belongs to his top 3, I don’t think Unsworth belongs here. Speaking of Poirot, I noticed Death on the Nile was shot by the same DP of Michael Powell films and his work in Death on the Nile and camera movements and set up for scenes are excellent. Great DP. Far superior to what Unsworth did in Murder on the Orient Express.

    Reply
    1. SceneByGreen's avatar
      SceneByGreen

      I would have thought you would be a bigger fan of Unsworth given he shot Tess. #44 is a respectable position for someone who was the cinematographer on the best shot film of all time and has Cabaret to back him up. Hard to imagine a list without him even if 2001 was his only credit, much like Marie Falconetti making the actresses list with nothing but a single outstanding performance.

      I wouldn’t hold Murder on the Orient Express against him too much – almost every cinematographer on this list has shot a bland looking film at some point in their careers.

      Reply
    2. Harry's avatar
      Harry

      His work on Tess was great actually so I think he deserves to be in the top 50 here. He is a much better cinematographer than Edelman for example.

      Reply
      1. Lionel's avatar
        Lionel

        @Carry-Not sure how a question about Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile got to Edelman. Feels like you are running around in circles here. But anyway, Holla If Ya Year Me

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