Oscar Profile #586: Geoffrey Unsworth

Born May 26, 1914 in Lancashire, England, Geoffrey Unsworth was a British cinematographer who worked on some of the most important films in cinema history spanning more than forty years.

Unsworth began his career with British Gaumont in 1932 when he was 18. He went to work for Technicolor in 1938 where his first assignment was as assistant camera operator on The Four Feathers. He continued working behind the camera on such projects as 1943’s The Life and Death of colonel Blimp and 1946’s Stairway to Heaven. He became director of photography later in the decade with such films as The Blue Lagoon and Trio.

Unsworth’s reputation grew with such films 1950s films as The Purple Plain, A Town Like Alice, A Night to Remember, and North West Frontier . Early 1960s successes included On the Double and The 300 Spartans. He received his first BAFTA nomination for 1963’s Tamahine.

An Oscar nomination and a BAFTA win came Unsworth’s way for Peter Glenville’s 1964 film, Becket starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole. He subsequently worked on Stuart Burge’s 1965 film of William Shakespeare’s Othello starring Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, George Sidney’s Half a Sixpence starring Tommy Steele, and Joseph McGrath’s The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom starring Shirley MacLaine and Richard Attenborough.

Another career highlight came Unsworth’s way with Stanley Kubrick 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey for which he won his second BAFTA but failed to receive an Oscar nomination. His next film of note was Ken Hughes’ 1970 film, Cromwell starring Richard Harris and Alec Guinness. Bob Fosse’s 1972 film, Cabaret starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York, earned him his second Oscar nomination and first win as well as his third BAFTA win in conjunction with his work on the same year’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Unsworth received his third Oscar and fifth BAFTA nominations for Sidney Lumet’s 1974 film, Murder on the Orient Express starring Albert Finney. His next film of note was Richard Attenborough’s 1977 film, A Bridge Too Far for which he received his fourth BAFTA win. Richard Donner’s 1978 film version of Superman starring Christopher Reeve earned him a seventh BAFTA nomination. The film was dedicated to Unsworth who died prior to the release of the film while working on Roman Polanski’s Tess.

1980’s Tess and 1981’s Superman II, on which he had done preliminary cinematography, were released posthumously. He received his third Oscar and fifth BAFTA award for Tess.

Geoffrey Unsworth was married twice. He had no children. He died on October 28, 1978 at 64.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick

The look of the seminal science fiction film of its era was, along with the film’s score, one of its two most memorable components. Unsworth’s contribution was heralded by the British Film Academy but not by AMPAS. Oscar voters were under the impression that Kubrick did everything himself, even taking credit for the film’s special effects, the only Oscar the film one and the only Oscar the legendary director won out of 13 career nominations. It’s estimated that Unsworth shot twenty times the film that was seen in the end. Kubrick even cut 15 minutes of it after its New York premiere to tighten the narrative.

CABARET (1972), directed by Bob Fosse

Fosse’s film version of Kander and Ebb’s stage musical won 8 of the 10 Oscars it was nominated for, including one for Unsworth’s meticulous cinematography. It lost Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay to The Godfather, becoming the film to win the most Oscars without winning Best Picture. Liza Minnelli’s character Sally Bowles is based on the real-life Jean Ross who died in April 1973. Actress Olivia Wilde is her granddaughter. The character was British in all productions prior to Minnelli’s playing of her as an American. Michael York’s British character is based on author Christopher Isherwood.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974), directed by Sidney Lumet

Lumet’s sublime version of Agatha Christie’s novel owes much of its success to Unsworth’s superb cinematography in tight spaces as well as Tony Walton’s dazzling costumes, Paul Dehn’s screenplay, and Richard Rodney Bennett’s sweeping score as well as tis once-in-a-lifetime dream cast. Oscar nominee Albert Finney plays detective Hercule Poirot, supported by Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman who won her third Oscar largely for being deglamorized while everyone else was dressed to the hilt, Wendy Hiller, Rachel Roberts, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Michael York, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Perkins, and Richard Widmark.

SUPERMAN (1978), directed by Richard Donner

Once again Unsworth was lauded by the British Film Academy with a BAFTA nomination for his superlative cinematography while AMPAS passed him over despite giving Donner’s film three nominations and a Special Award for Visual Effects, then not yet a recognized category of its own. Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder became overnight stars playing Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Marlon Brando as Superman’s father and Terence Stamp and Gene Hackman as the film’s principal villains chewed the scenery while Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter as Kent’s earthly parents and Jackie Cooper as editor Perry White were more circumspect.

TESS (1980), directed by Roman Polanski

Unsworth, who died while filming Polanksi’s film of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, received both a posthumous Oscar and BAFTA for his work on the film, shared with Ghislain Cloquet who took over the film after Unsworth’s death. Cloquet himself, died later in the year in which he won his Oscar. The film, starring Natassja Kinski, Peter Firth, and Leigh Lawson, also won Oscars for Art Direction-Set Design and Score, and ws nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Score. Superman II, for which Unsworth did the preliminary cinematography, was released the following year.