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Peter Sova

Peter Sova

Cinematographer · Died August 27, 2020, aged 75 · Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Milan Peter Sova (September 25, 1944 – August 27, 2020) was a Czech-born American cinematographer.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 25, 1944
Died
August 27, 2020 (aged 75)
From
Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
23 on Motif · 38 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 39 days to Oct 28Up 11% in 30 days

What are Peter Sova's films like?

Across their 23 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their Motif 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%
Self
21%
Bonds
19%
Survival
11%
Society
7%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Justice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 9 · Intense 7

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

A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 1

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 14 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 4

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

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Melancholic
10
Dread
5
Warm
6
Joyful
4
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous3
  • 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 Peter Sova's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 23 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Peter Sova's titles on Motif; 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

38 credits, 23 with a Motif page.

  • Driven to Abstraction(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Push(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Strangers(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Thief (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Lucky Number Slevin(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Wicker Park(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Reckoning(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Close Your Eyes(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Gangster No. 1(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Proposition(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Donnie Brasco(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Sgt. Bilko(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Feast of July(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Fatherland(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Jimmy Hollywood(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Double Jeopardy(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Straight Talk(1992)

    Cinematographer · as Cabbie

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Bed & Breakfast (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Late for Dinner(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Sing (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Good Morning, Vietnam(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Tin Men(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Courtship (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • The Equalizer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • A Doctor's Story (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • Diner(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Nurse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • Barn Burning (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • Rockers(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Halloween That Almost Wasn't (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer

  • Samba of the Creation of the World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer

  • Summer of My German Soldier(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Woody Allen: An American Comedy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • Short Eyes(1977)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Soldier's Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • Henry James' The Jolly Corner (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles from 1975 to 2009.

Biggest box office

Donnie Brasco (1997)

$125M worldwide

Highest rated

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 36: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleCinematography36 of 36: 35 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score58th

By decade

1970s8 · crew1980s9 · crew1990s10 · 1 acting · 10 crew2000s9 · 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 Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Peter Sova's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

Driven to Abstraction (2019)

61st percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Midcredits 97th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 64/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif 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 Sova's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles40–87 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles28–58 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles51–92 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles37–66 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles40–88 · median 69 · intenseheavier 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 Sova work with?

People who share at least 2 of Peter Sova's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul McGuigan shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers