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Vilmos Zsigmond

Vilmos Zsigmond

Cinematographer, also actor · Died January 1, 2016, aged 85 · Szeged, Hungary

Vilmos Zsigmond (June 16, 1930 - January 1, 2016) was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. His work in cinematography helped shape the look of American movies in the 1970s, making him one of the leading figures in the American New Wave movement. Zsigmond worked frequently with many leading American directors, such as Robert Altman, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Michael Cimino and Woody Allen.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 16, 1930
Died
January 1, 2016 (aged 85)
From
Szeged, Hungary
Works as
Cinematographer, also actor
Titles
57 on MovieCove · 93 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 63 days to Oct 26Up 37% in 30 days

What are Vilmos Zsigmond's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama21 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
26%
Self
22%
Morality
16%
Survival
14%
Power
9%
Society
7%
Ideas
6%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 54 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 12 · Serious 19 · Dark 23

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 28 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 8

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 13 · Charged 20 · Intense 21

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

Steady 17 · Shifting 30 · Whiplash 7

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 35 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 32 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 18 · Engaged 29 · Full focus 7

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 14 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 22

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 29 · Open-ended 16 · Ambiguous 9

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
33
Dread
13
Contemplative
9
Warm
8
Other
44

How their films linger

Bittersweet28 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic9
  • Ambiguous16

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 Vilmos Zsigmond's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 32 of their 57 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Vilmos Zsigmond'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

93 credits, 57 with a MovieCove page; 22 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • God the Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • Compulsion(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Maiden Danced to Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Louis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer · as Hungarian Photographer

  • Torn from the Flag (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer · Executive Producer

  • Cassandra's Dream(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Black Dahlia(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Surrender, Dorothy(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Melinda and Melinda(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Jersey Girl(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Timeline(2003)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Ban Bánk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • Life as a House(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Mists of Avalon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • The Body(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Ljuset håller mig sällskap(2000)

    Cinematographer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Argument (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Playing by Heart(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Ghost and the Darkness(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Assassins(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Crossing Guard(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Maverick(1994)

    Cinematographer · as Albert Bierstadt

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Intersection(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Sliver(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Stalin(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Long Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Bonfire of the Vanities(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Two Jakes(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Fat Man and Little Boy(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Journey to Spirit Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • The Witches of Eastwick(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Real Genius(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The River(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • No Small Affair(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Table for Five(1983)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Jinxed!(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Border(1982)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Blow Out(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Heaven's Gate(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Rose(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Flesh & Blood(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Flesh & Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Winter Kills(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Deer Hunter(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Last Waltz(1978)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Obsession(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Death Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • Sweet Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • Iron and Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • Mahogany(1975)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Funny Lady(1975)

    Additional Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Girl from Petrovka(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Sugarland Express(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Cinderella Liberty(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Scarecrow(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Long Goodbye(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Images(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Deliverance(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Hired Hand(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • McCabe & Mrs. Miller(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Red Sky at Morning(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Ski Bum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Cinematographer

  • Threshold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Cinematographer

  • Horror of the Blood Monsters(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • A Long Way from Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • Futz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • Five Bloody Graves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • The Monitors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • The Picasso Summer(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Name of the Game Is Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • Prelude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • Blood of Ghastly Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • The Fiend with the Electronic Brain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • Jennie: Wife/Child(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Mondo Mod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • 1999 A.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • Road to Nashville (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • Rat Fink (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Psycho a Go Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Summer Children(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Deadwood '76(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tales of a Salesman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • The Nasty Rabbit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • The Time Travelers(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • What's Up Front! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Camera Operator

  • Living Between Two Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • The Sadist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • I Hear the Carpenter Singing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 93 titles from 1963 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

$307M worldwide

Highest rated

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

The Black Dahlia (2006)

Film career

  • 2019Screen debut· Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 93: 1 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting1 of 93: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleProducing1 of 93: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography87 of 93: 84 only cinematography, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thOther crew4 of 93: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

93 titles, 3 with more than one role.

By decade

1960s24 · crew1970s27 · crew1980s11 · crew1990s12 · 1 acting · 12 crew2000s12 · crew2010s7 · 2 acting · 6 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.

How do Vilmos Zsigmond's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 57; across their 54 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Approval · how many liked their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Midcredits score across 57 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th13

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 57 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · cinematographer

Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970)

83rd percentile spread · 74% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Midcredits 99th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 70/100 in their films, across 49 reviewed titles; fans 76, 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 Vilmos Zsigmond's work okay for kids?

Across up to 29 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore19 titles35–86 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity29 titles15–66 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity20 titles31–77 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs19 titles25–55 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles36–82 · median 58 · 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 Vilmos Zsigmond work with?

People who share at least 2 of Vilmos Zsigmond's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Williams shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles