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Peter James

Peter James

Cinematographer · Born April 7, 1947 (79) · Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Peter James (born March 7, 1947) is an Australian cinematographer. He has frequently collaborated with director Bruce Beresford on films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Black Robe, and Double Jeopardy. James has also served as director of photography on several Hollywood comedies including Meet the Parents, 27 Dresses, and Yogi Bear.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 7, 1947 (79)
From
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 39 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 28% in 30 days

What are Peter James' films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
30%
Self
23%
Morality
14%
Society
10%
Power
8%
Survival
8%
Ideas
7%
Family bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 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 10 · Serious 4 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 17 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 8 · Intense 7

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 10 · 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 9 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 4

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 9 · 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 11 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 6

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Hopeful
12
Melancholic
8
Warm
4
Contemplative
6
Other
19

How their films linger

Feel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Peter James' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Peter James' 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

39 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Travellers(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Ladies in Black(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Yogi Bear(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Mao's Last Dancer(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • 27 Dresses(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Orpheus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • Cheaper by the Dozen 2(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Pacifier(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Sued God(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Bride of the Wind(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Meet the Parents(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Double Jeopardy(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Newton Boys(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Paradise Road(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Last Dance(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Diabolique(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Prophecy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Novel

  • Richie Rich(1994)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Silent Fall(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • My Life(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Thing Called Love(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Alive(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Rich in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • Black Robe(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Mister Johnson(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Driving Miss Daisy(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Shadows of the Peacock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • The Right Hand Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • A Private Function(1984)

    Clapper Loader

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Wild Duck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • The Monster's Christmas(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Killing of Angel Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • The Irishman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Cinematographer

  • Caddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • Sister, If You Only Knew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • The Abdication(1974)

    Set Dresser

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Willy Willy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1971 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Meet the Parents (2000)

$330M worldwide

Highest rated

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing1 of 39: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleCinematography35 of 39: 35 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thOther crew3 of 39: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s5 · crew1980s8 · crew1990s14 · crew2000s9 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s1 · 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 Peter James' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 27; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · cinematographer

The Monster's Christmas (1981)

71st percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Midcredits 89th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 66/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 51. 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 Peter James' work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles7–66 · median 15 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles3–53 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles8–57 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles12–39 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles3–64 · median 8 · minimallighter than most 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 Peter James work with?

People who share at least 2 of Peter James' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bruce Beresford shares the most, 11.

Directors

  • Bruce Beresford11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Bruce Beresford

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers