James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe, ASC, was a Chinese American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films. A master at the use of shadow, he was one of the first to use deep-focus cinematography, photography in which both foreground and distant planes remain in focus. During the 1930s and 1940s he was one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, winning twice. Howe was judged to be one of history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild.

Camera

1919

[ ] Told in the Hills (Assistant Camera)
[ ] Puppy Love (Assistant Camera)

1922

[ ] The Siren Call (Second Assistant Camera)
[ ] The Woman Who Walked Alone (Second Assistant Camera)

1923

[ ] The Spanish Dancer (Director of Photography)
[ ] To the Last Man (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Call of the Canyon (Director of Photography)

1924

[ ] Peter Pan (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Side Show of Life (Director of Photography)

1925

[ ] Not So Long Ago (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Charmer (Director of Photography)

1926

[ ] Mantrap (Director of Photography)
[ ] Padlocked (Director of Photography)

1927

[ ] Sorrell and Son (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Rough Riders (Director of Photography)

1928

[ ] Laugh, Clown, Laugh (Director of Photography)

1929

[ ] Desert Nights (Director of Photography)

1930

[ ] Today (Director of Photography)

1931

[ ] The Criminal Code (Director of Photography)
[ ] Surrender (Director of Photography)
[ ] Transatlantic (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Spider (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Yellow Ticket (Director of Photography)

1932

[ ] Young America (Director of Photography)
[ ] Chandu the Magician (Director of Photography)
[ ] Amateur Daddy (Director of Photography)
[ ] Dance Team (Director of Photography)
[ ] After Tomorrow (Director of Photography)
[ ] Man About Town (Director of Photography)
[ ] Shanghai Express (Additional Photography)

1933

[ ] Hello, Sister! (Director of Photography)
[ ] Beauty for Sale (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Power and the Glory (Director of Photography)

1934

[ 6/10 ] The Thin Man (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Show-Off (Director of Photography)
[ ] Hollywood Party (Director of Photography)
[ ] Manhattan Melodrama (Director of Photography)
[ ] Viva Villa! (Director of Photography)
[ ] Stamboul Quest (Director of Photography)
[ ] Have a Heart (Camera Operator)

1935

[ ] Mark of the Vampire (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Night Is Young (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Flame Within (Director of Photography)
[ ] Biography of a Bachelor Girl (Director of Photography)
[ ] Whipsaw (Director of Photography)
[ ] O'Shaughnessy's Boy (Director of Photography)
[ ] Rendezvous (Director of Photography)

1936

[ ] Three Live Ghosts (Director of Photography)

1937

[ ] Fire Over England (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Prisoner of Zenda (Director of Photography)
[ ] Under the Red Robe (Director of Photography)
[ ] Farewell Again (Director of Photography)

1938

[ ] Algiers (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Director of Photography)

1939

[ ] Dust Be My Destiny (Director of Photography)
[ ] They Made Me a Criminal (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Oklahoma Kid (Director of Photography)
[ ] Daughters Courageous (Director of Photography)

1940

[ ] City for Conquest (Director of Photography)
[ ] Abe Lincoln in Illinois (Director of Photography)
[ ] Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (Director of Photography)
[ ] Saturday's Children (Director of Photography)
[ ] Torrid Zone (Director of Photography)
[ ] A Dispatch from Reuters (Director of Photography)
[ ] Fantasia (Director of Photography)

1941

[ ] Out of the Fog (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Strawberry Blonde (Director of Photography)
[ ] Shining Victory (Director of Photography)

1942

[ ] Yankee Doodle Dandy (Director of Photography)
[ ] Kings Row (Director of Photography)

1943

[ ] Hangmen Also Die! (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Hard Way (Director of Photography)
[ ] Air Force (Director of Photography)
[ ] The North Star (Director of Photography)

1944

[ ] Passage to Marseille (Director of Photography)

1945

[ ] Danger Signal (Director of Photography)
[ ] Confidential Agent (Director of Photography)
[ ] Counter-Attack (Director of Photography)
[ ] Objective, Burma! (Director of Photography)

1946

[ ] My Reputation (Director of Photography)

1947

[ ] Nora Prentiss (Director of Photography)
[ ] Pursued (Director of Photography)
[ 7/10 ] Body and Soul (Director of Photography)

1948

[ ] Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Time of Your Life (Director of Photography)

1950

[ ] The Baron of Arizona (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Eagle and the Hawk (Director of Photography)

1951

[ ] He Ran All the Way (Director of Photography)
[ ] Behave Yourself! (Director of Photography)

1952

[ ] The Lady Says No (Director of Photography)

1953

[ ] Indiscretion of an American Wife (Additional Director of Photography)
[ ] The World of Dong Kingman (Director of Photography)
[ ] Jennifer (Director of Photography)
[ ] Main Street to Broadway (Director of Photography)
[ ] Come Back, Little Sheba (Director of Photography)

1954

[ ] Autumn in Rome (Director of Photography)

1955

[ ] The Rose Tattoo (Director of Photography)
[ ] Picnic (Director of Photography)

1956

[ ] Death of a Scoundrel (Director of Photography)

1957

[ 7/10 ] Sweet Smell of Success (Director of Photography)
[ ] Drango (Director of Photography)
[ ] Armored Attack! (Director of Photography)

1958

[ ] Bell, Book and Candle (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Old Man and the Sea (Director of Photography)

1959

[ ] The Story on Page One (Director of Photography)
[ ] The Last Angry Man (Director of Photography)

1960

[ ] Tess of the Storm Country (Director of Photography)
[ ] Song Without End (Director of Photography)

1963

[ ] Hud (Director of Photography)

1964

[ ] The Outrage (Director of Photography)

1965

[ ] The Glory Guys (Director of Photography)

1966

[ 7/10 ] Seconds (Director of Photography)
[ ] This Property Is Condemned (Director of Photography)

1967

[ ] Hombre (Director of Photography)

1968

[ ] The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Director of Photography)

1970

[ ] The Molly Maguires (Director of Photography)
[ ] Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (Director of Photography)

1975

[ ] Funny Lady (Director of Photography)

Directing

1930

[ ] The Inevitable Urge (Director)

1953

[ ] The World of Dong Kingman (Director)

1954

[ ] Go Man Go (Director)

1958

[ ] The Invisible Avenger (Director)

1963

[ ] The Small World: The Gypsy Children of Granada (Director)

Crew

1923

[ ] Drums of Fate (Cinematography)

1924

[ ] The Breaking Point (Cinematography)

1928

[ ] The Perfect Crime (Cinematography)

1938

[ ] Comet Over Broadway (Cinematography)

1941

[ ] Navy Blues (Cinematography)

1951

[ ] The Brave Bulls (Cinematography)

1963

[ ] The Small World: The Gypsy Children of Granada (Cinematography)

1971

[ ] The Horsemen (Cinematography)

1981

[ ] The Rickshaw Boy (Cinematography)

Actor

1973

[ ] James Wong Howe: Cinematographer (Self)

1992

[ ] Visions of Light (Self (archive footage))

2007

[ ] The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (Self (archive footage))

2024

[ ] Against All Odds: The Life of Cinematographer James Wong Howe (Self (archive footage))