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Joseph Ruttenberg

Joseph Ruttenberg

Cinematographer · Died May 1, 1983, aged 93 · Berdychiv, Zhytomyr oblast, Ukraine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C. (July 4, 1889 - May 1, 1983) was a Russian-born American photojournalist and cinematographer. Ruttenberg was accomplished at winning accolades. At MGM, Ruttenberg was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography ten times, winning four. In addition, he won the 1954 Golden Globe Award for his camera work on the film Brigadoon. Born into a Jewish family in Berdychiv Zhytomyr oblast, Ukraine , Joseph Ruttenberg emigrated to the United States, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on 7 January 1895. As a young man he went to work at the Boston Globe newspaper as a photojournalist but left in 1915 to accept a job with the Fox Film Corporation in New York City to train as a cinematographer. Two years later he was behind the camera for his first silent film, The Painted Madonna (1917), which marked the start of a remarkably successful career In the late 1920s Ruttenberg went to work for Paramount Pictures in New York. His first talkie assignment was The Struggle (1931), D.W. Griffith's final film. Then in 1934 Ruttenberg signed on with MGM, moving to Hollywood where he was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers. Joseph Ruttenberg retired from MGM in 1968 and died in Los Angeles on May 1, 1983.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 4, 1889
Died
May 1, 1983 (aged 93)
From
Berdychiv, Zhytomyr oblast, Ukraine
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
74 on MovieCove · 117 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 28Up 87% in 30 days

What are Joseph Ruttenberg's films like?

Across their 66 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy24 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama22 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Musical2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Musical 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
Bonds
42%
Self
20%
Morality
19%
Power
8%
Society
6%
Survival
4%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love29 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage13 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception16 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition13 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth9 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass11 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 66 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 37 · Serious 14 · Dark 15

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

Grounded 26 · Stylized 32 · Heightened 8

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

Gentle 25 · Charged 33 · Intense 8

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

Steady 41 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 5

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 30 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 16

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

Slow burn 32 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 42 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 4

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

Easy watch 31 · Affecting 24 · Heavy 11

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

Resolved 55 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Romantic
28
Joyful
23
Melancholic
26
Warm
20
Other
46

How their films linger

Feel-good29 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet28 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy34
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous5

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 Joseph Ruttenberg's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 74 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Ruttenberg'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

117 credits, 74 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Out to Lunch(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Speedway(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Oscar(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Harlow(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Love Has Many Faces(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Sylvia(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • A Global Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • It Happened at the World's Fair(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Hook(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Who's Got the Action?(1962)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Bachelor in Paradise(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Ada(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Two Loves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • BUtterfield 8(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Subterraneans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Wreck of the Mary Deare(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Green Mansions(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Reluctant Debutante(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Gigi(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Until They Sail(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Man on Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • The Vintage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • Somebody Up There Likes Me(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Invitation to the Dance(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Swan(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Kismet(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Prodigal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Cinematographer

  • Interrupted Melody(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Last Time I Saw Paris(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Brigadoon(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Her Twelve Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • The Great Diamond Robbery(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Nostradamus and the Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Let's Ask Nostradamus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Julius Caesar(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Small Town Girl(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Prisoner of Zenda(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Because You're Mine(1952)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Young Man with Ideas(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Too Young to Kiss(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Kind Lady(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Great Caruso(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Cause for Alarm!(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Yankee(1950)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Miniver Story(1950)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Summer Stock(1950)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Side Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • That Forsyte Woman(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Bribe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Cinematographer

  • Julia Misbehaves(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • B.F.'s Daughter(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Killer McCoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Cinematographer

  • Desire Me(1947)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Adventure(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Valley of Decision(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Parkington(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Gaslight(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Thin Man Goes Home(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Madame Curie(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Presenting Lily Mars(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Random Harvest(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Crossroads(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Miniver(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Woman of the Year(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Two-Faced Woman(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Ziegfeld Girl(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Comrade X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • The Philadelphia Story(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Waterloo Bridge(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Broadway Melody of 1940(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Balalaika(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Women(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • On Borrowed Time(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Tell No Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • The Ice Follies of 1939(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Great Waltz(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Shopworn Angel(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Three Comrades(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The First Hundred Years(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Everybody Sing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Live, Love and Learn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Double Wedding(1937)

    Still Photographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Big City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • A Day at the Races(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Mad Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Piccadilly Jim(1936)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Fury(1936)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Three Godfathers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Man Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Men Without Names (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • The People's Enemy(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Woman in the Dark(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Bubbling Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Everybody Likes Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • The Struggle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • The Cocoanuts(1929)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Cinematographer

  • School for Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Cinematographer

  • Does It Pay? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Cinematographer

  • If Winter Comes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Cinematographer

  • Who Are My Parents? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • My Friend the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • The Town That Forgot God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • A Virgin Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • Beyond Price (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • Know Your Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • The Mountain Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • The Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • From Now On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • The Shark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • My Little Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Camera Operator

  • A Fallen Idol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Cinematographer

  • The Painted Madonna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Camera Operator

  • Thou Shalt Not Steal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • The Tiger's Cub (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Camera Operator

Career shape

A full career of 115 titles, 114 of them dated from 1917 to 1968.

Biggest box office

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

$5.1M worldwide

Highest rated

Gaslight (1944)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography109 of 115: 108 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew7 of 115: 6 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1910s4 · crew1920s15 · crew1930s25 · crew1940s23 · crew1950s32 · crew1960s15 · 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 Joseph Ruttenberg's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 74; across their 66 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Midcredits score across 74 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up23
  • 50th to 74th28
  • 25th to 49th18
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

44 of their 74 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Crowd Pleaser44
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · cinematographer

The Oscar (1966)

70th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Gaslight (1944)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 70/100 in their films, across 57 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 59. 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 Joseph Ruttenberg's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles8–31 · median 15 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles4–25 · median 15 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 2 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles6–46 · median 38 · 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 Joseph Ruttenberg work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joseph Ruttenberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bronislau Kaper shares the most, 11.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles