Robert Kurrle
Cinematographer · Died October 27, 1932, aged 42 · Port Hueneme, California, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Kurrle (February 2, 1890 – October 27, 1932), also known as Robert B. Kurrle, was an American cinematographer during the silent and early talking film eras. Prior to entering the film industry, he was already experimenting with aerial photography. Considered a very prominent cinematographer, even his early work received notice and praise from both critics and other industry professionals. The advent of sound film did not abate his continued rise, and he became the top director of photography at Warner Brothers by 1932. He shot 70 films over the sixteen years of his career, working with such prominent directors as William Wellman, Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, Archie Mayo, and William Dieterle. He was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers by 1921, and he was also one of the inaugural members of the International Photographers branch of I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). In October 1932, at the height of his career, he suddenly fell ill after wrapping a film. Hospitalized, his condition quickly worsened and within a week he was dead of an infection to the brain. By 1928 Kurrle was being called a "camera ace", a reference not only to his skill behind the camera, but also to the fact that he was one of the few people in Hollywood to own their own plane. In 1928 he worked exclusively with Universal Pictures, before returning to freelance the following year. In mid-1930, Kurrle signed a contract with Warner Brothers. Over the next two years he rose to become their top cinematographer. During his sixteen-year career, he worked with such notable directors as John Ince, William Wellman, Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, Archie Mayo, and William Dieterle (who directed the final film Kurrle photographed). In 1928 Kurrle was one of the inaugural members of the International Photographers branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.). Kurrle was behind the camera for Lloyd Bacon's 1930 version of Moby Dick, for which his work received high praise, being called "... one of the three outstanding elements of the entire work." In 1931, his work on Resurrection was described as "... brilliant and sweeping". During 1932, Kurrle was the director of photography on ten feature films which were released that year. In September and October 1932, he worked on back to back films. The first was The Match King, featuring Warren William and Lily Damita, followed by Lawyer Man, starring William Powell and Joan Blondell. Lawyer Man was his final film.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 2, 1890
- October 27, 1932 (aged 42)
- Port Hueneme, California, USA
- Cinematographer
- 7 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
What are Robert Kurrle's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
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 Robert Kurrle's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Robert Kurrle'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
46 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.
The Match King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Lawyer Man(1932)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
One Way Passage(1932)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Crooner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Winner Take All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Jewel Robbery(1932)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
High Pressure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Her Majesty, Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Road to Singapore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Smart Money(1931)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
God's Gift to Women(1931)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Illicit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
River's End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Maybe It's Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Moby Dick(1930)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Dancing Sweeties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Rio Rita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Evangeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
The Four Feathers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Ramona(1928)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Sadie Thompson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Breakfast at Sunrise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Wings of the Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Pals First (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
High Steppers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Joanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Why Women Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Lady Who Lied (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Sackcloth and Scarlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Madonna of the Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
A Son of the Sahara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
A Question of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Her Mad Bargain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Invisible Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
Playthings of Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Lure of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
Habit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
Easy to Make Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Blackie's Redemption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Faith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
The Trail To Yesterday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
Her Great Price (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
Career shape
A full career of 46 titles from 1916 to 1932.
Biggest box office
One Way Passage (1932)
Highest rated
One Way Passage (1932)
Most popular right now
Moby Dick (1930)
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 Robert Kurrle's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the cinematography 75/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 50. 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.
Who does Robert Kurrle work with?
People who share at least 2 of Robert Kurrle's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joseph Jackson shares the most, 3.
Directors
- William DieterleShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), Lawyer Man (1932)See all 2 shared titles with William Dieterle
Writers
- Joseph JacksonShared titles: One Way Passage (1932), God's Gift to Women (1931), Smart Money (1931)See all 3 shared titles with Joseph Jackson
- Wilson MiznerShared titles: Lawyer Man (1932), One Way Passage (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Wilson Mizner
Actors
- William PowellShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), Lawyer Man (1932), One Way Passage (1932)See all 3 shared titles with William Powell
- Helen VinsonShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), Lawyer Man (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Helen Vinson
- Joan BlondellShared titles: Lawyer Man (1932), God's Gift to Women (1931)See all 2 shared titles with Joan Blondell
- Kay FrancisShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), One Way Passage (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Kay Francis
Composers and editors
- Bernhard KaunShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), Lawyer Man (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Bernhard Kaun
- Ralph DawsonShared titles: Jewel Robbery (1932), One Way Passage (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Ralph Dawson
Producers
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: Lawyer Man (1932), One Way Passage (1932), Moby Dick (1930)See all 3 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis
