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Donald E. Thorin

Donald E. Thorin

Cinematographer · Born October 12, 1934 (92) · Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Donald Eugene Thorin (October 12, 1934 – February 9, 2016) was an American cinematographer.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 12, 1934 (92)
From
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
37 on MovieCove · 40 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 38% in 30 days

What are Donald E. Thorin's films like?

Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
38%
Self
20%
Morality
18%
Power
9%
Society
8%
Survival
6%
Ideas
2%
Friendship9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 27 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 17 · Serious 7 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 3

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 11 · Charged 8 · Intense 8

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

A split, not a type: Steady 13 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 14

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 4

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

Casual 20 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 26 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
15
Tense
10
Absurd
9
Thrilling
6
Romantic
7
Other
25

How their films linger

Feel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Donald E. Thorin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 37 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Donald E. Thorin'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

40 credits, 37 with a MovieCove page.

  • Head of State(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Shaft(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Dudley Do-Right(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Mickey Blue Eyes(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Nothing to Lose(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The First Wives Club(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls(1995)

    Cinematographer · Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Boys on the Side(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Little Big League(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Undercover Blues(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Scent of a Woman(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Out on a Limb(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Marrying Man(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Tango & Cash(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Lock Up(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Collision Course(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Troop Beverly Hills(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Midnight Run(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Couch Trip(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Child(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • American Anthem(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Wildcats(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Mischief(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Purple Rain(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Against All Odds(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Bad Boys(1983)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • An Officer and a Gentleman(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Thief(1981)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Cutter's Way(1981)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Black Marble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Camera Operator

  • Walking Through the Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Camera Operator

  • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band(1978)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Coming Home(1978)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Annie Hall(1977)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Bound for Glory(1976)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York(1975)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Report to the Commissioner(1975)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore(1974)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Harrad Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Camera Operator

  • Minnie and Moskowitz(1971)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1971 to 2003.

Biggest box office

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

$212M worldwide

Highest rated

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography28 of 40: 27 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thOther crew13 of 40: 12 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score80th

By decade

1970s10 · crew1980s17 · crew1990s11 · crew2000s2 · 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 Donald E. Thorin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 37; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Midcredits score across 37 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

19 of their 37 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

American Anthem (1986)

86th percentile spread · 46% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 57/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 40. 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 Donald E. Thorin's work okay for kids?

Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore18 titles22–74 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity20 titles20–58 · median 43 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity20 titles45–90 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs18 titles30–59 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles10–65 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all 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 Donald E. Thorin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Donald E. Thorin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michel Colombier shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers