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John F. Seitz

John F. Seitz

Cinematographer · Died February 27, 1979, aged 86 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

John Francis Seitz, A.S.C. (June 23, 1892 – February 27, 1979) was an American cinematographer and inventor. He was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Seitz's Hollywood career began in 1909 as a lab assistant with the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company in Chicago. He went to work as a lab technician for the American Film Manufacturing Company (known as "Flying A"), also in Chicago. In 1916, during the silent era, he established himself, achieving great successes with the Rudolph Valentino film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). Highly regarded by director Billy Wilder, Seitz worked with him on the film noirs Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), and Sunset Blvd. (1950), receiving Academy Award nominations for each. In 1929, he served a year as president of the American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.) for which he had been a member since 1923. The A.S.C. named its 2002 Heritage Award after Seitz. Besides one Golden Globe and seven Oscar nominations, he also received the Look Magazine Award for The Lost Weekend, the A.S.C. Award for Sunset Blvd., and was among the winners of the inaugural George Award from the George Eastman House for outstanding contributions to the art of cinema for the years 1915 to 1925. He retired in 1960 and devoted himself to photographic inventions, for which he held 18 patents. An example of one Seitz invention is the matte shot: a large painting is photographed separately and later added to a scene to expand it, add effects, and/or create a sense of depth in backgrounds. He was also noted for his innovations with low-key lighting, which enhanced the film noir style. A widower, he married screenwriter Marie Boyle in 1934 who raised his daughter Margaret Alice Marhoefer and later gave birth to a son, John Lawrence Seitz.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 23, 1892
Died
February 27, 1979 (aged 86)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
58 on MovieCove · 166 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 71% in 30 days

What are John F. Seitz's films like?

Across their 58 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 58 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 24 · Serious 19 · Dark 15

A split, not a type: Grounded 31 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 4

Gentle 17 · Charged 27 · Intense 14

Steady 30 · Shifting 27 · Whiplash 1

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 33 · Some laughs 18 · Funny 7

Slow burn 26 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 0

Casual 32 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 2

A split, not a type: Easy watch 27 · Affecting 22 · Heavy 9

Resolved 53 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
19
Warm
14
Joyful
13
Hopeful
17
Other
56

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy27
  • Bittersweet23
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 John F. Seitz's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 58 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Subscription and free streaming for John F. Seitz'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

166 credits, 58 with a MovieCove page.

  • Guns of the Timberland(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
  • The Man in the Net(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • Island of Lost Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • The Badlanders(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • The Deep Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Cinematographer

  • The Big Land(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • A Cry in the Night(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
  • Santiago(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • Hell on Frisco Bay(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • The McConnell Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Cinematographer

  • Many Rivers to Cross(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
  • Rogue Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rocket Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • Saskatchewan(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
  • Fort Algiers(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
  • Desert Legion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Invaders from Mars(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • Botany Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • The Iron Mistress(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • The Savage(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
  • The San Francisco Story(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Thunder in the East(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • Detective Story(1951)

    Additional Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • When Worlds Collide(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Dear Brat(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
  • A Place in the Sun(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • The Goldbergs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • Sunset Boulevard(1950)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • Appointment with Danger(1950)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Captain Carey, U.S.A.(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • Chicago Deadline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Cinematographer

  • The Great Gatsby(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Night Has a Thousand Eyes(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
  • Beyond Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Cinematographer

  • The Big Clock(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • On Our Merry Way(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • Saigon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Cinematographer

  • Wild Harvest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • The Imperfect Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • Home Sweet Homicide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • The Well Groomed Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • The Lost Weekend(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • The Unseen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Cinematographer

  • The Miracle of Morgan's Creek(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Casanova Brown(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
  • Hail the Conquering Hero(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • Double Indemnity(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • The Hour Before the Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Cinematographer

  • Going My Way(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Five Graves to Cairo(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Lucky Jordan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • The Moon and Sixpence(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Winning Your Wings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • This Gun for Hire(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Fly By Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • Sullivan's Travels(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • Dr. Kildare's Crisis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • A Little Bit of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • We Who Are Young(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
  • Let's Talk Turkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Bad Little Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Thunder Afloat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Culinary Carving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • 6,000 Enemies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Prophet Without Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Sergeant Madden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • Another Thin Man(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Young Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • The Crowd Roars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Lord Jeff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Love Is a Headache(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
  • A Christmas Carol(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Navy Blue and Gold(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • Madame X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Between Two Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Carnival in Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Saratoga(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • 15 Maiden Lane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Poor Little Rich Girl(1936)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • Captain January(1936)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • The Country Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The Littlest Rebel(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • Navy Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • Redheads on Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • Curly Top(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • The Farmer Takes a Wife(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Our Little Girl(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • One More Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • Helldorado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • Marie Galante(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
  • Springtime for Henry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • All Men Are Enemies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Coming Out Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Mr. Skitch(1933)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Paddy the Next Best Thing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Adorable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Dangerously Yours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Ladies They Talk About(1933)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Cavalcade(1933)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
  • 6 Hours to Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • A Passport to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • The Woman in Room 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • Careless Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • She Wanted a Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • Over the Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • The Age for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Merely Mary Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Hush Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Men of the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Young Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Misbehaving Ladies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • East Lynne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • The Right of Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Kismet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bad Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Road to Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Sweethearts and Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Back Pay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Murder Will Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • In the Next Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • The Painted Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • A Most Immoral Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • Her Private Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • Hard to Get (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • Careers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • The Squall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • Saturday's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • The Divine Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Cinematographer

  • Adoration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Cinematographer

  • Outcast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Cinematographer

  • The Patsy(1928)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Across to Singapore(1928)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • The Trail of '98(1928)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • The Fair Co-Ed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • The Magician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Cinematographer

  • Mare Nostrum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Cinematographer

  • The Price of a Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Cinematographer

  • Classmates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Cinematographer

  • The Arab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Cinematographer

  • Scaramouche(1923)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • Where the Pavement Ends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Cinematographer

  • Trifling Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • The Prisoner of Zenda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • Turn to the Right (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • The Conquering Power (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • Uncharted Seas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • Hearts Are Trumps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • Shore Acres (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • The Westerners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Cinematographer

  • Up Romance Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • Powers That Prey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • Beauty and the Rogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • The Mate of the Sally Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • A Game of Wits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bride's Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • Souls in Pawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • The Serpent's Tooth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • Whose Wife? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • The Ranger of Lonesome Gulch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Cinematographer

  • The Quagmire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 158 titles from 1916 to 1960.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography157 of 158: 157 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thOther crew1 of 158: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1910s12 · crew1920s30 · crew1930s59 · crew1940s29 · crew1950s27 · crew1960s1 · 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 John F. Seitz's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 58; across their 58 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Midcredits score across 58 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up20
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 58 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed6

Reviewers score the cinematography 70/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 52. 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 John F. Seitz's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles21–36 · median 32 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles0–18 · median 5 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles1–4 · median 3 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles23–57 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles16–43 · median 33 · mildnear 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 John F. Seitz work with?

People who share at least 2 of John F. Seitz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan Ladd shares the most, 14.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles