Skip to content
MovieCove

Donald H. Birnkrant

Cinematographer · Born July 28, 1932 (94) · California, USA

Born
July 28, 1932 (94)
From
California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 10% in 30 days

What are Donald H. Birnkrant's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th 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
32%
Bonds
32%
Self
14%
Society
7%
Power
6%
Survival
5%
Ideas
5%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 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 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 2

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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 6 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Hopeful
6
Warm
3
Absurd
3
Melancholic
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7

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 Donald H. Birnkrant's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Donald H. Birnkrant'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

24 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.

  • Double Standard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • Murder by the Book(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • MacGyver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Brothers-in-Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Tank(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • I Was a Mail Order Bride(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Pray TV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Missing Children: A Mother's Story(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • A Long Way Home(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Marva Collins Story(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Red Flag: The Ultimate Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • The Phoenix (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • A Time for Miracles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • The Promise of Love(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Gideon's Trumpet(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • Attica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Zero to Sixty(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Fantasy Island(1977)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

  • Guns of a Stranger(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Welcome Home, Soldier Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Cinematographer

  • The Curious Female (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • The Gay Deceivers(1969)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles from 1969 to 1988.

Biggest box office

Tank (1984)

$11M worldwide

Highest rated

Gideon's Trumpet (1980)

Midcredits 69th

Most popular right now

Tank (1984)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography21 of 22: 21 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rdOther crew1 of 22: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s5 · crew1980s16 · 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 Donald H. Birnkrant's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 30th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · cinematographer

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (1979)

81st percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Marva Collins Story (1981)

Midcredits 90th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 48/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 38. 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 Donald H. Birnkrant work with?

People who share at least 2 of Donald H. Birnkrant's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marvin J. Chomsky shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers