CineTributes: Maryse Alberti
It's one of the strange, somewhat sad quirks of American cinema that what few female cinematographers there are often work mainly in documentary film. While many, like Maryse Alberti, excel, that format rarely affords them the opportunities they deserve to show off their abilities. French-born Alberti is an excellent DP regardless of what the format, and she's certainly shown off her superb artistic abilities across the features she's worked on over her near 40 years in the business.
Alberti cut her teeth in cinematography by working on film sets, and had the great fortune of working alongside producer Christine Vachon in the early stages of both ladies' careers. Through Vachon, she got the chance to collaborate with filmmakers such as Todd Haynes and Todd Solondz, with whom she's done some of her very best work. Despite delivering dazzling cinematography over many well-received films, Alberti has yet to be Oscar-nominated for her efforts; that may be about to change, however, as this year sees the release of Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy, on which she served as DP. Fingers crossed it's finally her year, but even if not, Alberti will remain one of American cinema's most talented and underrated cinematographers.
Films featured
Poison, 1991
Happiness, 1998
Velvet Goldmine, 1998
The Wrestler, 2008
Stone, 2010
Creed, 2015
Chappaquiddick, 2017