Chris Menges

Chris Menges BSC, ASC (born 15 September 1940) is a British cinematographer and film director. He is a member of both the American and British Societies of Cinematographers.

Chris Menges
Born (1940-09-15) 15 September 1940 (age 83)
Occupation(s)Cinematographer and film director
Parent

Life and career

Menges was born in Kington, Herefordshire, the son of the composer and conductor Herbert Menges.[1] He began his career in the 1960s as camera operator for documentaries by Adrian Cowell and for films including Poor Cow by Ken Loach and If.... by Lindsay Anderson. Kes, directed by Ken Loach, was his first film as cinematographer. He was also behind the camera on Stephen Frears' first feature film Gumshoe in 1971.

After several documentaries and feature films such as Black Beauty (1971), Bloody Kids (1978), The Game Keeper (1980), Babylon (1980) and Angel (1982), Menges became notable for more ambitious works, for which he was critically acclaimed.

In 1983, he received his first BAFTA nomination for the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and only a year later won his first Academy Award for the film The Killing Fields about the genocide in Cambodia. He continued his work with helmer Roland Joffe and Menges won his second Oscar in 1986 with the historical drama The Mission. He also shot a television play titled Made in Britain, starring Tim Roth in 1983.

In 1988, Menges made his directorial debut with A World Apart. This film was celebrated at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and won three major awards.[2]

His second film as director, CrissCross with Goldie Hawn, received critical acclaim but was a box-office flop. In 1996 he moved back behind the camera to shoot the award-winning films The Boxer (directed by Jim Sheridan) and Michael Collins. For the latter, he received his third Academy Award nomination in 1997.

Menges also made documentaries. In the early 1970s, he went to Burma with British film maker Adrian Cowell to shoot The Opium Warlords, a film about the drug trade. After the release of the documentary in 1974, the Burmese government was said to have put a price on their heads. Menges is mentioned in the book Conversations with Cinematographers by David A. Ellis, published by Scarecrow Press.

Filmography

As cinematographer

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1969KesKen Loach
1971Black BeautyJames Hill
1971GumshoeStephen Frears
1979Black JackKen Loach
1980The Gamekeeper
1980BabylonFranco Rosso
1981Looks and SmilesKen Loach
1982BattletruckHarley Cokeliss
1983Local HeroBill Forsyth
1984Comfort and Joy
The Killing FieldsRoland Joffé
1986The Mission
1987Shy PeopleAndrei Konchalovsky
1996Michael CollinsNeil Jordan
1997The BoxerJim Sheridan
2001The PledgeSean Penn
2002Dirty Pretty ThingsStephen Frears
The Good ThiefNeil Jordan
2005The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaTommy Lee Jones
North CountryNiki Caro
2006Notes on a ScandalRichard Eyre
2008The ReaderStephen DaldryCo-cinematographer with Roger Deakins
Stop-LossKimberly Peirce
The Yellow HandkerchiefUdayan Prasad
2010Route IrishKen Loach
London BoulevardWilliam Monahan
2011Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseStephen Daldry
2013HummingbirdSteven Knight
2019Waiting for the BarbariansCiro Guerra

As director

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

YearTitleCategoryResult
1984The Killing FieldsBest CinematographyWon
1986The MissionWon
1996Michael CollinsNominated
2008The ReaderNominated

BAFTA Awards

YearTitleCategoryResult
1983Local HeroBest CinematographyNominated
1984The Killing FieldsWon
1986The MissionNominated
1996Michael CollinsNominated
2008The ReaderNominated

American Society of Cinematographers

YearTitleCategoryResult
1986The MissionOutstanding Achievement in CinematographyNominated
1996Michael CollinsNominated
1997The BoxerNominated
2008The ReaderNominated

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

YearTitleCategoryResult
1984The Killing FieldsBest CinematographyWon
1986The MissionWon
1996Michael CollinsWon

National Society of Film Critics

YearTitleCategoryResult
1984Comfort and JoyBest CinematographyWon
The Killing FieldsWon
1996Michael CollinsNominated

New York Film Critics Circle

YearTitleCategoryResult
1984The Killing FieldsBest CinematographyWon
1986The MissionNominated

Other awards

YearTitleAward/Nomination
1984The Killing FieldsBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography
1996Michael CollinsNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography

References