Butterfield 8 (1960) is certainly a cameraman's film. But despite the credits, I don't believe Charles Harten photographed Butterfield 8. He is also credited as one of three photographers on a Three Stooges compilation. As a matter of fact, I don't believe there ever was a Charles Harten. It was simply a name employed to cover the use of multiple photographers. If you don't believe me, you can look up Harten's credits on IMDb. They are a dead giveaway. We all know for a fact that Joseph Ruttenberg was employed. In fact, he and the mysterious Harten were jointly nominated for an Academy Award. Some or all of the brilliant deep focus effects are undoubtedly Ruttenberg's work. These effects help to cover Daniel Mann's rather static direction. For all that, however, Liz Taylor received an Academy Award for Best Actress – an award that many of us Hollywood insiders believe was really a show of support for Liz, rather than an indication of a stand-out performance. I'll admit it was certainly a quite adequate performance. It did have its moments, for sure. But best of the year? Liz was also nominated for a Golden Globe, but for that award, we critics voted a definite "no!"
Review of BUtterfield 8
