Robert Krasker, BSC was the first Australian cinematographer to be awarded an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 1951, for his work as Director of Photography on The Third Man.
His Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White) was uncontested, that is, he had no competitors for it as his cinematography was so far ahead.
Robert Krasker was also the youngest ever cinematographer to become a feature film Director of Photography when he was appointed to direct the cinematography for The Saint Meets the Tiger in his 28th year, 1941.
Masterpieces of cinematography: The Third Man & others
The Third Man has often been regarded as one of the best, if not the best, feature films of the twentieth century.
It wasn’t the only great classic feature film upon which Robert Krasker worked.
Before The Third Man Robert Krasker was Director of Photography on Brief Encounter and after that he photographed the brilliant opening sequence for Great Expectations before being appointed cinematographer for Odd Man Out.
He worked with the greatest directors on the greatest feature films
Robert Krasker also worked on many of the most significant and highly regarded feature films of the twentieth century including Things to Come, The Four Feathers, Henry V, Cry, the Beloved Country, Romeo and Juliet, Senso, The Quiet American, The Criminal (aka The Concrete Jungle), El Cid, Billy Budd, The Running Man, The Fall of the Roman Empire, The Heroes of Telemark and The Trap.
Many of the greatest movie directors of the twentieth century chose Robert Krasker to direct the photography of their projects.
Alexander Korda, Anthony Asquith, Anthony Mann, Carol Reed, Emeric Pressburger, John Ford, Josef von Sternberg, Joseph Losey, Joseph L. Mankieweicz, Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Luchino Visconti, Michael Powell, Peter Ustinov, William Wyler and Zoltan Korda are just some of the movie greats with whom he worked.
Packed with new discoveries on the great Robert Krasker, BSC
This website, The Robert Krasker Project, is a repository for information and images that I have been collecting during the course of my research about Robert Krasker and his many achievements as well as treatments for possible short movies or a documentary about him.
I already have a large and growing collection of material in many forms about Robert Krasker, the times he lived through, the places where he lived, the movies upon which he worked and the influence he’s had on the cinematographers and directors who’ve known about his work.
Some of the material is already here and plenty more is yet to come.
An Australian filmmaking National Treasure: almost unknown in Australia
I’ve been saddened by how he is almost entirely unknown in the country of which he was so proud to be a citizen, Australia, unknown to the public, film fans, movie experts and cinematographers alike.
So far I’ve come across less than a handful of Australian filmmakers who know his work and have been inspired by it, such as director and obituary writer Bruce Beresford, cinematographer Dean Semler and cinematographer/director Geoff Burton but Robert Krasker should be known far more widely in Australia and the rest of the world than by just those three.
An outsider from the back-end of nowhere: an inspirational insider on the world stage
Industry insiders have privately shared that Australian film and television remains a male WASP – White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant – preserve with those born different only grudgingly permitted a glimpse inside.
Its limitations and exclusions have changed too little since Robert Krasker made his valiant attempt to rejuvenate the once world-leading Australian film industry during his journey back here in 1951.
Robert Krasker was an outsider who earned his way into the heart of the American, British and European film industries, quickly rising to the summit on the basis of sheer talent allied with constantly evolving creativity and innovation.
He was an outsider in so many different ways that, in Australia today, would disqualify him from putting a foot on the lowest rung of the cinematography career ladder much less climb to the very top of it.
His story, his success, his acceptance overseas despite all his many differences is surely an inspiration for us all and a reminder to the Australian screen industry of how far it has to go to achieve equity, inclusivity and diversity.
Karin Gottschalk, 2023
The Robert Krasker Project 