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Lucien Ballard

Lucien Ballard

Cinematographer · Died October 1, 1988, aged 80 · Miami, Oklahoma, USA

Lucien Ballard, the cinematographer best known for his collaboration with directors Sam Peckinpah and Josef von Sternberg, was born in Miami, Oklahoma. Ballard became a wanderer after dropping out of the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oklahoma, journeying to China in search of opportunity. When he returned to the United States after not finding any, Ballard gained employment in the lumber business, working in a mill sawing trees and surveying land. Lucien Ballard died near his Rancho Mirage, California, home in a car accident on October 1, 1988. He was 80 years old.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 6, 1908
Died
October 1, 1988 (aged 80)
From
Miami, Oklahoma, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
75 on MovieCove · 130 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 7% in 30 days

What are Lucien Ballard's films like?

Across their 69 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama23 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
33%
Bonds
23%
Self
16%
Survival
12%
Power
10%
Society
5%
Ideas
2%
Justice14 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds14 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love13 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity9 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption8 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 69 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 23 · Serious 18 · Dark 28

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 31 · Stylized 35 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 15 · Charged 34 · Intense 20

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 26 · Shifting 37 · Whiplash 6

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 44 · Some laughs 16 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 30 · Even-paced 34 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 32 · Engaged 36 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 27 · Affecting 30 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 57 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
46
Melancholic
29
Romantic
18
Thrilling
12
Warm
11
Other
58

How their films linger

Bittersweet23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 13 with a twist

  • Happy21
  • Bittersweet34
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lucien Ballard's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 75 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lucien Ballard's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

130 credits, 75 with a MovieCove page.

  • My Kingdom For... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Rabbit Test (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Cinematographer

  • From Noon Till Three(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Drum(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • St. Ives(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Mikey and Nicky(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Breakheart Pass(1975)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Chat en poche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • Breakout(1975)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Three Stooges Follies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Cinematographer

  • Three the Hard Way(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Thomasine & Bushrod(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Lady Ice(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Getaway(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Arruza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Cinematographer

  • Junior Bonner(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • What's the Matter with Helen?(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Elvis: That's the Way It Is(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Hawaiians(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of Cable Hogue(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Time for Dying(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Bunch(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • True Grit(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • La Perruche et le Poulet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Camera Operator

  • How Sweet It Is!(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Party(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Will Penny(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Hour of the Gun(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Noon Wine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • At Theatre Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • J'y suis, j'y reste (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • Nevada Smith(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • An Eye for an Eye(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Boeing, Boeing(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Sons of Katie Elder(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dear Brigitte(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Roustabout(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The New Interns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Take Her, She's Mine(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Wall of Noise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • The Caretakers(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Ride the High Country(1962)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Susan Slade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Ricochet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Marines, Let's Go(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Parent Trap(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Desire in the Dust(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Westerner(1960)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Pay or Die! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bramble Bush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Law of the Plainsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Al Capone(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • City of Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Black Saddle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Murder by Contract(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Anna Lucasta(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Buchanan Rides Alone(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • I Married a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Cinematographer

  • Band of Angels(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Unholy Wife(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The King and Four Queens(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Killing(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Proud Ones(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • A Kiss Before Dying(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Killer Is Loose(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Seven Cities of Gold(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Matador(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • White Feather(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Raid(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Prince Valiant(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • New Faces(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Inferno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • The Glory Brigade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • The Desert Rats(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Night Without Sleep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • O. Henry's Full House(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Don't Bother to Knock(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Diplomatic Courier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • Return of the Texan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • Fixed Bayonets!(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Let's Make It Legal(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The House on Telegraph Hill(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Berlin Express(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Night Song(1947)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Temptation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • This Love of Ours(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Lodger(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Laura(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Holy Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Cinematographer

  • Bomber's Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Cinematographer

  • Tonight We Raid Calais(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Outlaw(1943)

    Additional Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Undying Monster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • Orchestra Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • Moontide(1942)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Wild Geese Calling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Cinematographer

  • Swamp Water(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Villain Still Pursued Her (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • No Census, No Feeling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • Yes, We Have No Bonanza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Blind Alley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Outside These Walls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • A Ducking They Did Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Let Us Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Three Little Sew and Sews (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Flat Foot Stooges (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Violent Is the Word for Curly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Halfway to Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Highway Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Penitentiary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Man Bites Lovebug (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • The Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Life Begins with Love(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Cash and Carry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • From Bad to Worse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Devil's Playground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Craig's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The Final Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The King Steps Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Crime and Punishment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • The Devil Is a Woman(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Blonde Venus(1932)

    Assistant Camera

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Love Me Tonight(1932)

    First Assistant Camera

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • This Is the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Assistant Camera

  • One Hour with You(1932)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Beloved Bachelor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Camera Technician

  • Morocco(1930)

    Assistant Camera · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Monte Carlo(1930)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Curves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Production Assistant

Career shape

A full career of 127 titles from 1929 to 1985.

Biggest box office

The Parent Trap (1961)

$30M worldwide

Highest rated

Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The Wild Bunch (1969)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography118 of 127: 117 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thOther crew10 of 127: 9 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

By decade

1920s1 · crew1930s29 · crew1940s15 · crew1950s32 · crew1960s31 · crew1970s18 · crew1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Lucien Ballard's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 74; across their 69 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 69

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 69

Reach · how many have seen their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 69

Midcredits score across 75 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up30
  • 50th to 74th23
  • 25th to 49th18
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

45 of their 75 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser45
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · cinematographer

Life Begins with Love (1937)

95th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 69/100 in their films, across 66 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Lucien Ballard's work okay for kids?

Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles25–65 · median 51 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity17 titles7–46 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles6–44 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles26–48 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles10–65 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Lucien Ballard work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lucien Ballard's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert L. Jacks shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles