Robert Burks
Cinematographer · Died May 13, 1968, aged 58 · Chino Hills, California, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Burks, A.S.C. (July 4, 1909 – May 11, 1968) was an American cinematographer known for being proficient in virtually every genre and equally at home with black-and-white or color. Burks began his career as a special effects technician in the late 1930s before becoming a director of photography in the mid-1940s. His first credit in this field was Jammin' the Blues (1944), a short film featuring leading jazz musicians of the day. Burks collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock on twelve of the director's films. Beginning with Strangers on a Train in 1951 (which secured him an Oscar nomination) through Marnie in 1964, he shot every Hitchcock film except Psycho in 1960. Additional credits include The Fountainhead, Beyond the Forest, The Glass Menagerie, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Music Man, and A Patch of Blue. Burks and his wife died in a house fire in 1968 in Huntington Harbor, California.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 4, 1909
- May 13, 1968 (aged 58)
- Chino Hills, California, USA
- Cinematographer
- 51 on MovieCove · 61 credits in all
What are Robert Burks' films like?
Across their 37 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
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 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 35
A split, not a type: Light 16 · Serious 9 · Dark 12
Grounded 16 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 5
Gentle 10 · Charged 14 · Intense 13
Steady 19 · Shifting 18 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 8
Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 1
A split, not a type: Casual 19 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 7
A split, not a type: Easy watch 16 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 8
Resolved 28 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy15
- Bittersweet17
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
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 Burks' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 51 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Robert Burks' 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
61 credits, 51 with a MovieCove page.
Waterhole #3(1967)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
A Covenant with Death(1967)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
A Patch of Blue(1965)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Once a Thief(1965)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Marnie(1964)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Birds(1963)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Music Man(1962)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Great Impostor(1960)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Rat Race(1960)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
But Not for Me(1959)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
North by Northwest(1959)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Black Orchid(1958)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Vertigo(1958)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Spirit of St. Louis(1957)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
The Wrong Man(1956)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Vagabond King(1956)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Trouble with Harry(1955)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
To Catch a Thief(1955)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Rear Window(1954)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Dial M for Murder(1954)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Boy from Oklahoma(1954)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Hondo(1953)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Desert Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
House of Wax(1953)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
I Confess(1953)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
So This Is Love(1953)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Mara Maru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Room for One More(1952)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Come Fill the Cup(1951)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Close to My Heart(1951)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Tomorrow Is Another Day(1951)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Strangers on a Train(1951)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Enforcer(1951)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Glass Menagerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Beyond the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Task Force(1949)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Fountainhead(1949)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Younger Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
A Kiss in the Dark(1949)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
To the Victor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Key Largo(1948)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Unsuspected(1947)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Cry Wolf(1947)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
The Unfaithful(1947)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Possessed(1947)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Two Mrs. Carrolls(1947)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Verdict(1946)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Star in the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Pride of the Marines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Arsenic and Old Lace(1944)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Make Your Own Bed(1944)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Jammin' the Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
In This Our Life(1942)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Kings Row(1942)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Highway West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
The Great Lie(1941)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Marked Woman(1937)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 58 titles from 1937 to 1967.
Biggest box office
Rear Window (1954)
Highest rated
Rear Window (1954)
Most popular right now
North by Northwest (1959)
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 Burks' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 82nd percentile, the median of all 51; across their 37 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up32
- 50th to 74th13
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 51 titles divides audiences: 32 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved12
- Crowd Pleaser32
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the cinematography 76/100 in their films, across 33 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 61. 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 Robert Burks' work okay for kids?
Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity lighter.
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 Robert Burks work with?
People who share at least 2 of Robert Burks' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alfred Hitchcock shares the most, 12.
Directors
- Alfred HitchcockShared titles: Marnie (1964), The Birds (1963), North by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), The Trouble with Harry (1955), To Catch a Thief (1955), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), I Confess (1953), Strangers on a Train (1951)See all 12 shared titles with Alfred Hitchcock
- Robert MulliganShared titles: The Great Impostor (1960), The Rat Race (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Mulligan
- Michael CurtizShared titles: The Vagabond King (1956), The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Curtiz
- Gordon DouglasShared titles: So This Is Love (1953), Come Fill the Cup (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Gordon Douglas
Writers
- John Michael HayesShared titles: The Rat Race (1960), But Not for Me (1959), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Trouble with Harry (1955), To Catch a Thief (1955), Rear Window (1954)See all 6 shared titles with John Michael Hayes
- Samuel A. TaylorShared titles: The Pleasure of His Company (1961), Vertigo (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel A. Taylor
- Maxwell AndersonShared titles: Vertigo (1958), The Wrong Man (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Maxwell Anderson
Actors
- James StewartShared titles: Vertigo (1958), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Rear Window (1954)See all 4 shared titles with James Stewart
- Cary GrantShared titles: North by Northwest (1959), To Catch a Thief (1955), Room for One More (1952)See all 3 shared titles with Cary Grant
- Grace KellyShared titles: To Catch a Thief (1955), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954)See all 3 shared titles with Grace Kelly
- Arthur O'ConnellShared titles: A Covenant with Death (1967), The Great Impostor (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Arthur O'Connell
Composers and editors
- George TomasiniShared titles: Marnie (1964), The Birds (1963), North by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), To Catch a Thief (1955), Rear Window (1954)See all 7 shared titles with George Tomasini
- Bernard HerrmannShared titles: Marnie (1964), North by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), The Trouble with Harry (1955)See all 6 shared titles with Bernard Herrmann
- Max SteinerShared titles: The Boy from Oklahoma (1954), So This Is Love (1953), Room for One More (1952), Close to My Heart (1951), A Kiss in the Dark (1949)See all 5 shared titles with Max Steiner
- Alma MacrorieShared titles: The Pleasure of His Company (1961), The Rat Race (1960), But Not for Me (1959), The Trouble with Harry (1955)See all 4 shared titles with Alma Macrorie
Producers
- Henry BlankeShared titles: So This Is Love (1953), Room for One More (1952), Come Fill the Cup (1951), Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951)See all 4 shared titles with Henry Blanke
- Gordon Cornell LayneShared titles: The Pleasure of His Company (1961), The Rat Race (1960), But Not for Me (1959)See all 3 shared titles with Gordon Cornell Layne
- William PerlbergShared titles: The Pleasure of His Company (1961), The Rat Race (1960), But Not for Me (1959)See all 3 shared titles with William Perlberg
- Herbert ColemanShared titles: Vertigo (1958), The Wrong Man (1956), The Trouble with Harry (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Herbert Coleman
Mixed roles
- David WeisbartShared titles: The Boy from Oklahoma (1954), A Kiss in the Dark (1949)See all 2 shared titles with David Weisbart