Alex Phillips
Camera
Born 1901-01-11
Died 1977-06-14
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
152 credits
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Alex Phillips (January 11, 1901 Renfrew, Ontario – June 14, 1977) was a Canadian-born Mexican cinematographer and the father of Alex Phillips, Jr., also a cinematographer.
In his youth, his family moved to Russia, but he returned to Canada because of his dislike with the czarist government. He enlisted in the Canadian Army where he met Mary Pickford who introduced him to Hollywood since he expressed his interest in becoming an actor.
He auditioned with Fox and Paramount Pictures but was unable to obtain a role. He later approached Christie Comedies where he was advised to look for more stable positions in the movie industry and started his career in cinematography and film editing. He received an opportunity when an assistant fell sick and was able to travel to France with the Canadian Official Photography. After Christie Comedies went bankrupt, he was hired by Samuel Goldwyn while he attended evening classes. He received the opportunity of working with Barnes, Edison and Meyer, and learned techniques such as graduations, tridimensional vision and the sense of potential balance. Phillips then began experimenting with lights and camera movements.
He moved to Mexico in 1931 and worked with directors such as Arcady Boytler, Roberto Gavaldón, Julio Bracho and Luis Buñuel. He worked on some of the earliest Mexican movies such as the silent film Santa (1931) where his worked was considered expressionist. He worked in more than 250 movies in Mexico and 150 in the United States including La mujer del puerto (1934), Aventuras de Robinson Crusoe (1952 with Luis Buñuel), La Red (1953 with Emilio Fernández). His last film was El castillo de la pureza (1972 with Arturo Ripstein).
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Filmography
— top 60 of 152
Other credits
56 credits
Gran Hotel
Robinson Crusoe
Geronimo
Corazón salvaje
The Proud and the Beautiful
Shadow of Pancho Villa
Tizoc
Dancing, salón de baile
Venganza suprema
Cruz Diablo
Stolen Heaven
Coqueta
Viviré otra vez
The Wonderful Country
Up and Down
Su última canción
Ojos tapatios
Mary Magdalene, Sinner of Magdala
Estrategia matrimonio
Naná
Little Red Riding Hood
Santa
The Last of the Fast Guns
Café Concordia
El pecado de ser pobre
Time to Die
Luponini from Chicago
Alazán y enamorado
Beyond Death
El secreto del sacerdote
The Other
Black Wind
San Francisco de Asís
School for Buglars
Doña Bárbara
Las águilas frente al sol
Adam and Eve
Marihuana (El monstruo verde)
For the Love of Mike
Untouched
Castle of Purity
The Treasure of Pancho Villa
Pepita Jiménez
Everybody's Woman
The Well-paid
Villa!!
The Night of a Thousand Cats
Música en la noche
Little Town
The Mad Empress
Up in Mabel's Room
Desired
Sueño de amor
Mexican Bus Ride
Doña Diabla
Cortesana
Acting
4 credits
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