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Arthur Ibbetson

Cinematographer · Died October 19, 1997, aged 75 · Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, UK

Primetime Emmy winner · Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee

Arthur Ibbetson was born on 8 September 1922 in Bishop Auckland, Durham, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for The Bounty (1984), Where Eagles Dare (1968) and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He died on 19 October 1997 in Hillingdon, Greater London, England, UK.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
September 8, 1922
Died
October 19, 1997 (aged 75)
From
Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, UK
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 62 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 26Down 19% in 30 days

What are Arthur Ibbetson's films like?

Across their 37 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
Morality
31%
Bonds
24%
Self
18%
Power
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
4%
Survival
1%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception9 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 37 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 18 · Serious 10 · Dark 9

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 18 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 10 · Charged 19 · Intense 8

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

A split, not a type: Steady 19 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 1

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 17 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 8

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 16 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 19 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 9

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

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
20
Warm
9
Melancholic
11
Absurd
8
Thrilling
7
Other
41

How their films linger

Feel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

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 Arthur Ibbetson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Arthur Ibbetson'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

62 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page.

  • Babes in Toyland(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Santa Claus(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Bounty(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Master of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 9 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Witness for the Prosecution(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Little Lord Fauntleroy(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Hopscotch(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Nothing Personal(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Prisoner of Zenda(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Medusa Touch(1978)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • A Little Night Music(1977)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Spectre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • The Sell Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • Brief Encounter(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Out of Season(1975)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • 11 Harrowhouse(1974)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Frankenstein: The True Story(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • A Doll's House(1973)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • All Coppers Are... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Cinematographer

  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • When Eight Bells Toll(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Railway Children(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Walking Stick(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Anne of the Thousand Days(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Where Eagles Dare(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Inspector Clouseau(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • A Matter of Innocence(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • A Countess from Hong Kong(1967)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Gypsy Girl(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Fighting Prince of Donegal(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Die! Die! My Darling!(1965)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Chalk Garden(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Espionage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Murder at the Gallop(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • I Could Go on Singing(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Nine Hours to Rama(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Inspector (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Cinematographer

  • Whistle Down the Wind(1961)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Canadians (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • A Story of David: The Hunted(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tunes of Glory(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • There Was a Crooked Man(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The League of Gentlemen(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Angry Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bridal Path (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • The Horse's Mouth(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • A Farewell to Arms(1957)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison(1957)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Hell in Korea(1956)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Moby Dick(1956)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Never Was(1956)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Melba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Camera Operator

  • The Magic Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Assistant Camera

  • Circle of Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Camera Operator

  • Fortune in Diamonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Camera Operator

  • Treasure Island(1950)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Spider and the Fly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Camera Operator

  • Stop Press Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Camera Operator

  • Vice Versa(1948)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Hotel Reserve(1944)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 60 titles from 1944 to 1986.

Biggest box office

Santa Claus (1985)

$24M worldwide

Highest rated

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography46 of 60: 46 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew14 of 60: 14 only other crew, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1940s4 · crew1950s12 · crew1960s20 · crew1970s16 · crew1980s8 · 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.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy from 5 major nominations, 1964–1983.

WinNomination
  1. 1983
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special
  2. 1981
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special
  3. 1970
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Cinematography
  4. 1965
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Cinematography (Colour)
  5. 1964
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Cinematography (Colour)

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Arthur Ibbetson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 45; across their 37 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

Babes in Toyland (1986)

71st percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 65/100 in their films, across 35 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 45. 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 Arthur Ibbetson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles14–57 · median 31 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles8–45 · median 19 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles14–43 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian 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 Arthur Ibbetson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Arthur Ibbetson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Denis Holt shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles