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Franz Planer, A.S.C. (March 29, 1894 - January 10, 1963) was a cinematographer born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic), The Planer family were very influential, and owned large tracts of farmland, businesses, libraries, and shops in Austria-Hungary, and several properties in and around Vienna, some of which were stolen by certain low ranking officers for their own families use in the mid to late 1930s using falsely issued papers, and threats. Planer had trained as a portrait painter, but realizing that photography was becoming very popular, and would replace the requirement... MORE

Franz Planer, A.S.C. (March 29, 1894 - January 10, 1963) was a cinematographer born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic), The Planer family were very influential, and owned large tracts of farmland, businesses, libraries, and shops in Austria-Hungary, and several properties in and around Vienna, some of which were stolen by certain low ranking officers for their own families use in the mid to late 1930s using falsely issued papers, and threats. Planer had trained as a portrait painter, but realizing that photography was becoming very popular, and would replace the requirement for talented artists changed his career path. He changed direction into films, and thus began his career as a director of photography for films in Germany and later throughout Europe in the early 1900s till 1933, In 1937, he left the failing Austrian film industry, to begin work in Hollywood. He shot over 130 movies, including the color films The Big Country (1958) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). LESS