Editing Michael Curtiz (section)

=== Cinematography ===
[[File:Curtiz and Dagover - 1932.jpg|thumb|Curtiz planning how best to photograph a scene with [[Lil Dagover]] in 1932]]
Sidney Rosenzweig argues that Curtiz had his own personal style, which was in place by the time of his move to America: "high crane shots to establish a story's environment; unusual camera angles and complex compositions in which characters are often framed by physical objects; much camera movement; subjective shots, in which the camera becomes the character's eye; and high contrast lighting with pools of shadows".<ref name=Rosenzweig />{{rp|6–7}} [[Aljean Harmetz]] states that, "Curtiz's vision of any movie... was almost totally a [[visual]] one".<ref name=Harmetz />{{rp|183–184}}

A few months after arriving in Hollywood as Warner Bros.' new director, Curtiz explained that he wanted to make viewers feel as though they were actually witnessing a story on screen:
{{blockquote|To accomplish this end the camera must assume many personalities. For the most part it assumes the personality of the audience. At moments when the interest is high and the illusion of the audience is greatest, the camera alternately places itself in the position of the various characters, as the dramatic burden shifts from actor to actor. This entails much movement of the camera. If it cuts off at each position so that it seems to jump from place to place, the effect is noticeable and the reception of the story is marred. In many cases, therefore, the camera must move from position to position without stopping, just as a person would.<ref>"U.S. Cameramen Take New Ways: German Idea of Shifting Plan for Narrative Power Adopted", ''The Courier-Journal'', Dec. 13, 1926, p. 2</ref>}}

In preparing scenes, Curtiz liked to compare himself to an artist, painting with characters, light, motion, and background on a canvas. However, during his career, this "individualism," says Robertson, "was hidden from public view" and undervalued because, unlike many other directors, Curtiz's films covered such a wide spectrum of different genres.<ref name=Robertson />{{rp|2}} He was therefore seen by many as a versatile master technician who worked under Warner Bros.' direction, rather than as an auteur with a unique and recognizable style.<ref name=Robertson />{{rp|2}}

Hal B. Wallis, the producer of many of Curtiz's films,  including ''Robin Hood'', was always watchful over budgets. He wrote to Jack Warner during the shooting of that film, "In his enthusiasm to make great shots and composition and utilize the great production values in this picture, he is, of course, more likely to go overboard than anyone else ... I did not try to stop Mike yesterday when he was on the crane and making establishing shots."<ref name=Marton />{{rp|123}}

Curtiz himself rarely expressed his philosophy or filmmaking style in writing since he was always too busy making films, so  no autobiography and only a few media interviews exist.<ref name=Robertson />{{rp|3}} His brother observed that Curtiz was "shy, almost humble," in his private life, as opposed to his "take-charge" attitude at work.<ref name=John /> His brother added that "he did not want anybody to write a book about him. He refused to even talk about the idea."<ref name=John /> When Curtiz was once asked to sum up his philosophy of making movies, he said, "I put all the art into my pictures that I think the audience can stand."<ref name=John />