Fledgling director Anthony Mann proved himself handily early on. He had the good fortune to team with master cinematographer John Alton on two of the definitive films noir, T-Men and Raw Deal. Both are impeccable examples of the genre, but for my money, Raw Deal takes the prize, as it is without question a truly seamless example of team film making. Alton got his start in 1940 photographing light-weight outings such as Remedy for Riches, Dr. Christian Meets the Women and even The Ice-Capades Revue. He began hitting his filmic stride with inventive horror fare like The Lady and the Monster wherein he was able to more freely experiment with shadows and setups. Beginning with his fortuitous 1947 teaming with Anthony Mann, Alton proceeded to produce a virtual photographic workbook that film makers of every stripe are still endeavoring to emulate. At the time of T-Men's release (1947), stark, semi-documentary crime stories were the rage. Veteran director Henry Hathaway cornered the market with hard-hitting flicks like House on 92nd Street and Kiss of Death. Alton and Mann upped the ante by introducing a noirish, pictorial fatalism into the mix. Shadows played along every wall and hallway, ready to envelope the protagonists at any given moment. Conflict was filmed from unsettling angles, throwing the audience as well as the hero off balance. This mix of nihilism and craftsmanship won the undying respect of foreign film makers. Alton later photographed Alfred Werker's cop classic He Walked By Night with the same graphic gusto, but it is Raw Deal that emerges as his most polished genre gem. The very fact that Alton and Mann could transform an essentially rural backdrop into a claustrophobically threatening setting is testament to their inventiveness. The scene wherein Whit Bissell as an accused wife killer emerges from the darkness to shatter the sanctity of our hero's hideout is at once surreal and oddly moving, due in no small measure to the way in which Alton and Mann stage the encounter. Raw Deal's cast is without peer as far as crime drama goes. Stalwart Dennis O'Keefe is one tough cookie, yet likable enough to be redeemed by the love of a good woman. Abetted by Alton's soft lighting dancing in her perpetually moist eyes, Marsha Hunt is a virtuous doll. Claire Trevor, in a characterization she made a specialty of, is her shrewish opposite number. John Ireland makes an effectively snaky hoodlum, but it is Raymond Burr who walks off with the picture. In an unforgettably menacing portrayal, he roasts a lackey's earlobe with a cigarette lighter and you'll think twice before ordering flaming cherries jubilee the next time you're out on the town. The careers of Alton and Mann ran roughly parallel. Both made the leap into prestigious A features with varying results. Mann directed a string of top-notch Jimmy Stewart westerns as well as blockbusters like The Glenn Miller Story and El Cid. Oddly, in the final year of his career, 1960, Alton photographed the ludicrous sci fi cheapie, 12 to the Moon, as well as the Oscar-winning smash, Elmer Gantry. Neither man ever duplicated the hand-crafted magic of Raw Deal. The credentials of cameraman of John Alton are surely some of the most impressive in film. The following pair of films noir offer further proof of his mastery of that genre: The Big Combo (1955) Directed in riveting fashion by Joseph H. Lewis, this sadly underrated caper was financed in part by star Cornel Wilde. An unbeatably sinister cast including Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy are masterfully abetted by Alton's unflinching lens. Watch for the silent scene wherein Donlevy "gets his." Acting: A Atmosphere: A+ Fun: A Slightly Scarlet (1956) Skillfully shot by Alton in color, this so-so treatment of James M. Cain's tale of mob treachery centers around hang-dog hoodlum John Payne, whose career found a second wind in film noir. Up-and-coming studio siren Arlene Dahl goes toe-to-toe with ravishing red-head Rhonda Fleming for Payne's loyalties. Acting: A- Atmosphere: B- Fun: B