John A. Alonzo

A graduate of the Roger Corman school of fast-n-furious filmmaking, American cinematographer John A. Alonzo (1934-2001) was fortunate enough to be associated with some of the most significant films of the 1970s. He oversaw the photography of such classics as Harold and Maude (1971), Sounder (1972), Lady Sings the Blues (1972), and Norma Rae, and was co-photographer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978). The ever-inventive Alonzo was the man whose 1974 Chinatown set the industry standard for the use of soft focus and saturated color to convey the “look” of the 1930s. He remained in demand into the 1980s and 1990s, shooting films as varied as the airborne actioner Blue Thunder (1981) and the cartoon/live action hybrid Cool World (1992). Alonzo’s only foray into film directing was the engaging rock-n-roll comedy FM (1978). —allmovie guide