Wolfgang Suschitzky
Wolfgang Suschitzky | |
---|---|
Born | 29 August 1912 |
Died | 7 October 2016 (aged 104) London, England, UK |
Nationality | Austrian (1912–1947) British (1947–2016) |
Occupation(s) | Cinematographer, Photographer |
Years active | 1934–1984 |
Spouse | Ilona Donath Suschitzky[1] |
Children | 3, including Peter[2] |
Wolfgang Suschitzky, BSC (29 August 1912 – 7 October 2016), was an Austrian-born British documentary photographer, as well as a cinematographer perhaps best known for his collaboration with Paul Rotha in the 1940s and his work on Mike Hodges' 1971 film Get Carter.
Andrew Pulver described Suschitzky in 2007 as "a living link to the prewar glory days of the British documentary movement."[3] Steve Chibnall writes that Suschitzky "[developed] a reputation as an expert location photographer with a documentarist's ability to extract atmosphere from naturalistic settings."[4] His photographs have been exhibited at the National Gallery, the Austrian Cultural Forum in London and the Photographers' Gallery, and appear in many international photography collections. He was the father of cinematographer Peter Suschitzky (born 1941), classical musician and writer Misha Donat, and Julia Donat.[5]
Early life
Suschitzky was born in
Suschitzky's first love was
Career
Suschitzky's first job was in the Netherlands photographing postcards for newsagents. This job lasted only a few months.
In the 1960s, Suschitzky work included
His other credits include two films directed by Jack Couffer, Ring of Bright Water (1969) and Living Free (1972), which was the sequel to Born Free. Issue 12 of Lid magazine featured a twenty-eight-page portfolio of Suschitzky's photographs with a portrait and essay by Gerard Malanga.[13] His son Peter Suschitzky ASC/BSC is also a cinematographer. Wolf (or Su, as he is also known) is featured in the book Conversations with Cinematographers by David A Ellis (Scarecrow Press).
Photography
For Suschitzky, who was described as having "social conscience of a documentarian and the eye of a german expressionist",[14] the depiction of work and working people occupies a central place in his photographic oeuvre.,[15] documentary photography consisted in the sympathetic-commentary depiction of social conditions: "The photo document is the reflection of the contemporary scene and represents in its best form subtle photographic comment on social conditions, rather than direct social propaganda",[16] Suschitzky said. At the beginning of his career, he photographed classic commissioned works for magazines such as Picture Post, Illustrated, Animal and Zoo or Geographic Magazine;[17] later, his photographs were largely taken alongside his work as a cameraman. Characteristic of his photographic work is that it is often not possible to clearly distinguish between his fields of activity, that he often used film and photo camera almost simultaneously, which can lead to special aesthetic effects, such as motifs existing several times in different contexts or documentary photography being created on the fringes of cinematic productions, as Peter Schreiner puts it:
"Suschitzky's Photographs "are difficult to ascribe to a particular photographic genre. On the one hand, they represent vivid records that provide an account of what are now historical contexts, of traditional craft and of heavy industrial production, but above all of social relationships within a restless world. On the other, they themselves are the products of a particular context of production. The fact that they were taken either on the periphery or at the very heart of (documentary) film sets [...] is also an essential characteristic that contributes to Wolf Suschitzky's distinctive blend of naturalistic and staged moments."[18]
His photographic estate is largely housed in the FOTOHOF archiv.[19]
Death
Suschitzky died on 7 October 2016 at the age of 104 in London.[20]
Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize
The Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize has been awarded every two years since 2018 by the Austrian Cultural Forum London: to reflect Suschitzky's connection to his homeland as well as his adopted country,[21] the prize is awarded simultaneously to one Austrian and one British photographer. A jury will select one winner from each country, who will receive prize money, exhibition opportunities and a residency in the other country.[22]
Filmography
- World of Plenty (Paul Rotha, 1943)
- The World Is Rich (1947)
- No Resting Place (Paul Rotha, 1951)
- C.M. Pennington-Richards, 1953)
- Cat & Mouse (Paul Rotha, 1958)
- The Bespoke Overcoat (1956)
- Snow (Geoffrey Jones, 1963)
- Sands of Beersheba (1966)
- Ulysses (Joseph Strick, 1967)
- Vengeance of She (Cliff Owen, 1968)
- Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1968)
- The Small World of Sammy Lee (Ken Hughes 1963),
- Ring of Bright Water (Jack Couffer, 1969)
- Entertaining Mr. Sloane (Douglas Hickox, 1970)
- Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)
- Living Free (Jack Couffer, 1972)
- Some Kind of Hero (1972)
- Theatre of Blood (1973)
- Moments (1974)
- Something to Hide (1976)
- Falling in Love Again (1980)
- Good and Bad at Games (TV series, 1983)
- The Young Visiters (1984)
- The Chain (Jack Gold, 1984)[23]
Publications
- 2020 Wolf Suschitzky. Work. Salzburg: ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
References
- ^ "Peter Suschitzky (1941–) personal". Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, Inc. 2012.
- ^ "Peter Suschitzky". Internet Encyclopedia. IEC. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ a b Pulver, Andrew (17 January 2007). "I got into places people never go". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-86064-910-3.
- ^ "Wolfgang Suschitzky, Biography trivia". Internet Movie Database. IMDb, Inc. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "WOLFGANG SUSCHITZKY 3 – The situation in Austria and my father's suicide". Web of Stories. Web of stories. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Interview with Suschitzky
- ^ Suschitzky, Wolfgang. "Early Life in Vienna". Web of Stories. Web of Stories. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ "WOLFGANG SUSCHITZKY 2 – Studying photography and moving to London". Web of Stories. Web of Stories. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b "WOLFGANG SUSCHITZKY 4 – Moving to Holland and working as a photographer". web of stories. web of stories. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b Chibnall, 2003, pg. 25
- ^ Williams, Tony (2006). "Great Directors: Mike Hodges". Senses of Cinema (40). Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Wood, Gaby (15 January 2016). "Wolfgang Suschitzky: Memories from a lifetime of looking". The Telegraph.
- ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
- ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
- ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
- ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
- ISBN 978-3-903334-05-2
- ^ "Wolfgang Suschitzky obituary | Photography | the Guardian".
- ^ Call for Wolf Suschitzky Photography Prize
- ^ "Wolf Suschitzky photography award".
- ^ "Wolfgang Suschitzky Cinematographer- filmography". Internet Movie Database. IMDb, Inc. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
External links
- "Wolfgang Suschitzky, Photographer and Cinematographer, Dies at 104," by JENNIFER SZALAI, The New York Times, Oct. 8, 2016
- Wolfgang Suschitzky at IMDb
- Compilation website of Suschitzky's photos
- Wolf Suschitsky photographs at Lumiere Gallery
- BAFTA tribute to Suschitzky
- Photographs by Wolf Suschitzky at FOTOHOF archiv