Krause, Georg

   The cinematographer of PATHS OF GLORY (1957), Georg Krause entered the film industry of his native Germany in the 1920s, as an assistant to cinematographer Axel Graatkjaer. Krause worked prolifically in German films, right through World War II and beyond. Besides Paths of Glory, his other best-known film in the United States is Elia Kazan’s Man on a Tightrope (1953). Krause also did three films for director Robert Siodmak in the 1950s and ’60s.

   Film critic Markku Salmi characterizes Krause’s films as typically concerning themselves with war-hot and cold—and crimes, big and small. Gray, dead landscapes, dimly lit stairwells, and the like populate Krause’s photographic scenarios. Much of his work could be classified as FILM NOIR, but with added punch, as if shot by a newsreel cameraman who harbors greater aspirations.

   According to VINCENT LOBRUTTO, one advantage in shooting in Germany for STANLEY KUBRICK was that it freed him from the union regulations of Hollywood. Thus, he was able once again to operate the camera himself if he chose to do so. Perhaps still mindful of his difficulties with cinematographer LUCIEN BALLARD on THE KILLING (1956), Kubrick no doubt enjoyed having a less prominent, presumably more accommodating cinematographer on Paths of Glory.

   References

   ■ LoBrutto, Vincent, Stanley Kubrick: A Biography (New York: Da Capo, 1999);

   ■ Salmi, Markku, “Georg Krause,” Film Dope 32 (March 1985): 5–7.