Skip to content
MovieCove
Allen Daviau

Allen Daviau

Cinematographer, also actor · Died April 15, 2020, aged 77 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

BAFTA Award winner · Oscar nominee

Allen Daviau (June 14, 1942 – April 15, 2020) was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg work on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), and Empire of the Sun (1987). He received five Academy Award nominations and two British Academy Film Award nominations, with one win. In addition to his work in film, Daviau served as Cinematographer-in-Residence at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 14, 1942
Died
April 15, 2020 (aged 77)
From
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 39% in 30 days

What are Allen Daviau's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
21%
Self
16%
Ideas
15%
Society
15%
Morality
14%
Survival
13%
Power
5%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 11 · Charged 7 · Intense 7

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 6

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Warm
10
Melancholic
10
Joyful
8
Contemplative
6
Other
19

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Allen Daviau's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Allen Daviau's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Van Helsing(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Tigger Movie(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Astronaut's Wife(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Congo(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Fearless(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Protozoa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Thanks

  • Bugsy(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Defending Your Life(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Avalon(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Empire of the Sun(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Harry and the Hendersons(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Color Purple(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Falcon and the Snowman(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Top Secret!(1984)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Twilight Zone: The Movie(1983)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Legs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Harry Tracy: The Last of the Wild Bunch(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Rage! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • The Boy Who Drank Too Much(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Streets of L.A.(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Everything You Know Is Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • Names of Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • The Brothers O'Toole(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Mooch(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Bleep(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Amblin' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles from 1968 to 2004.

Biggest box office

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

$797M worldwide

Highest rated

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography24 of 26: 24 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thOther crew2 of 26: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s5 · crew1980s11 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a BAFTA Award from 7 major nominations, 1983–1992.

WinNomination
  1. 1992
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
  2. 1991
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
  3. 1989
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Cinematography
  4. 1988
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
  5. 1986
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
  6. 1983
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Cinematography

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Allen Daviau's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

Bleep (1971)

95th percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 71/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Allen Daviau's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles35–69 · median 53 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles13–57 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles23–75 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles23–63 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles37–70 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Allen Daviau work with?

People who share at least 2 of Allen Daviau's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steven Spielberg shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers