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Boris Kaufman

Boris Kaufman

Cinematographer · Died June 24, 1980, aged 73 · Bialystok, Russian Empire [now Poland]

Boris Kaufman was a Russian-born American cinematographer and the younger brother of Soviet filmmakers Dziga Vertov and Mikhail Kaufman.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 24, 1906
Died
June 24, 1980 (aged 73)
From
Bialystok, Russian Empire [now Poland]
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 46 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 18% in 30 days

What are Boris Kaufman's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 98th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime 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
35%
Morality
20%
Power
11%
Survival
11%
Society
10%
Self
10%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 12

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 8

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 6 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 4

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 3 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 9

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
13
Romantic
4
Dread
5
Bittersweet
3
Other
13

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic3
  • 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 Boris Kaufman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Boris Kaufman'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

46 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • All Vertovs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as (archive footage)

  • Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Uptight(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Brotherhood(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Bye Bye Braverman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • The Group(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Film(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Pawnbroker(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The World of Henry Orient(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • All the Way Home(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Gone Are the Days! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • Long Day's Journey Into Night(1962)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Splendor in the Grass(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Fugitive Kind(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • That Kind of Woman(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • 12 Angry Men(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Baby Doll(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Crowded Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Cinematographer

  • Patterns(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Singing in the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Cinematographer

  • Garden of Eden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • On the Waterfront(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Leonardo da Vinci (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • Musiquiz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • The Gentleman in Room 6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Cinematographer

  • 24 Hours of Progress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • Roller Derby Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Cinematographer

  • Hymn of the Nations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Cinematographer

  • Sérénade(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Fatted Calf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • De man zonder hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • L'Homme sans cœur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • Quand minuit sonnera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Klokslag twaalf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Young Girl in the Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The Fountain of Arethusa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Le Père Lampion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Zouzou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • L'Atalante(1934)

    Aerial Camera · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Le Chemin du bonheur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Zero for Conduct (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Taris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • À propos de Nice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Camera Operator · Cinematographer · Editor

  • The March of the Machines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • Les Halles centrales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Camera Operator · Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 46 titles from 1927 to 2002.

Biggest box office

12 Angry Men (1957)

$15K worldwide

Highest rated

12 Angry Men (1957)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 46: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting2 of 46: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleCinematography45 of 46: 42 only cinematography, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thEditing1 of 46: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 46: 0 only other crew, 3 with another role

46 titles, 3 with more than one role — cinematography and other crew overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1920s2 · crew1930s15 · crew1940s3 · crew1950s12 · crew1960s12 · crew1970s1 · crew2000s1 · acting

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 Boris Kaufman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 18 titles divides audiences: 7 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed2

Most loved · cinematographer

12 Angry Men (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 78, 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 Boris Kaufman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles8–41 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 14 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 33

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 Boris Kaufman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Boris Kaufman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sidney Lumet shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers