Foreign Body

Ronald Elwin Neame CBE BSC was an English film cinematographer, producer, screenwriter and director. Neame's parents were the photographer Elwin Neame and the actress Ivy Close. He studied at the University College School and Hurstpierpoint College. His father died in 1923, and Neame took a job... with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company as an office boy. Later, through his mother's contacts in the British film industry, Neame started at Elstree Studios as a messenger boy. He was fortunate enough to be hired as an assistant cameraman on Blackmail , the first British talkie, directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. Neame's own career as a cinematographer began with the musical comedy Happy , and he continued to develop his skills in various "quota quickies" films for several years. His credits as cinematographer include Major Barbara , In Which We Serve , This Happy Breed , and Blithe Spirit . His camera work on One of Our Aircraft Is Missing got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Special Effects in 1943. Neame formed a production company, Cineguild, with David Lean and Anthony Havelock-Allan.
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