---
name: "Henri Decaë"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/henri-decae"
fi1m_id: "henri-decae"
imdb_id: "nm0005684"
tmdb_id: 1657
wikidata_id: "Q1605811"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "31 July 1915"
died: "7 March 1987"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-05T04:24:46.580537+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Henri Decaë

## Identity

Henri Decaë

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/henri-decae
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** henri-decae
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005684
- **TMDB ID:** 1657
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1605811
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Deca%C3%AB, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1605811, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005684/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1657

Cinematographer. Born 31 July 1915 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. Died 7 March 1987.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 31 July 1915, Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
- **Died:** 7 March 1987
- **Active:** 1956–1967
- **Also known as:** Henri Decae
- **Frequently works with:** [Alain Delon](https://film.one/person/alain-delon.md), [Jean-Pierre Melville](https://film.one/person/jean-pierre-melville.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 84 (2), 1960s 85 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 87 to 79 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Crime 3, Thriller 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $0m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Deca%C3%AB, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1605811, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005684/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1657

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The 400 Blows*](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md) (91), [*Le Samouraï*](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md) (88)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Henri Decaë (31 July 1915 – 7 March 1987) was a French cinematographer. He entered the film industry as a sound engineer and sound editor, and worked as a photojournalist in the French army during the Second World War. After the war he made documentary shorts and industrial and commercial films, directing and photographing them; his first feature film was released in 1947.

Decaë collaborated frequently with directors associated with the French New Wave. He first worked as a cinematographer with Jean-Pierre Melville on *Le Silence de la Mer* (1949). He shot the debut features of Louis Malle, Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut, including *Elevator to the Gallows* (1958), *Le Beau Serge* (1958) and *The 400 Blows* (1959). Other credits include *Purple Noon* (1960), *Le Samouraï* (1967), *Le Cercle Rouge* (1970) and *The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob* (1973).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Le Samouraï* (1967), Fi1m 88, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md)
- *Purple Noon* (1960), Fi1m 82, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/purple-noon.md)
- *The 400 Blows* (1959), Fi1m 91, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md)
- *Bob le Flambeur* (1956), Fi1m 76, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/bob-le-flambeur.md)

## Complete filmography (74)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Vengeance of the Winged Serpent* (1984), Director of Photography
- *My Other Husband* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Exposed* (1983), Director of Photography
- *The Professional* (1981), Director of Photography
- *Inspector Blunder* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Umbrella Coup* (1980), Director of Photography
- *The Island* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Le Guignolo* (1980), Director of Photography
- *The Hard Way* (1980), Director of Photography
- *An Almost Perfect Affair* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Cop or Hood* (1979), Director of Photography
- *The Boys from Brazil* (1978), Director of Photography
- *These Sorcerers Are Mad* (1978), Director of Photography
- *Death of a Corrupt Man* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Bobby Deerfield* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Seven Nights in Japan* (1976), Director of Photography
- *The Wild Goose Chase* (1975), Director of Photography
- *I'm Losing My Temper* (1974), Director of Photography
- *The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Two People* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman* (1973), Director of Photography
- *The Right to Love* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Delusions of Grandeur* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Jo* (1971), Director of Photography
- *The Light at the Edge of the World* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Le Cercle Rouge* (1970), Director of Photography
- *Hello-Goodbye* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Only Game in Town* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Sicilian Clan* (1969), Director of Photography
- *Castle Keep* (1969), Director of Photography
- *D-Day Revisited* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Diabolically Yours* (1967), Director of Photography
- *The Comedians* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Le Samouraï* (1967), Director of Photography — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md)
- *The Thief of Paris* (1967), Director of Photography
- *The Night of the Generals* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Hotel Paradiso* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Viva Maria!* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The Sucker* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Weekend at Dunkirk* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Circle of Love* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Joy House* (1964), Director of Photography
- *The Black Tulip* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Magnet of Doom* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Sweet and Sour* (1963), Director of Photography
- *The Day and the Hour* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Sundays and Cybele* (1962), Director of Photography
- *Eva* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The Seven Deadly Sins* (1962), Director of Photography
- *Lust* (1962), Director of Photography
- *La Paresse* (1962), Director of Photography
- *Pride* (1962), Director of Photography
- *A Very Private Affair* (1962), Director of Photography
- *Léon Morin, Priest* (1961), Director of Photography
- *The Joy of Living* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Les Bonnes Femmes* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Purple Noon* (1960), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/purple-noon.md)
- *À double tour* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Verdict* (1959), Camera Operator
- *The 400 Blows* (1959), Director of Photography — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md)
- *Witness in the City* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Cousins* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Le Beau Serge* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Lovers* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Elevator to the Gallows* (1958), Director of Photography
- *S.O.S. Noronha* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Bob le Flambeur* (1956), Director of Photography — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/bob-le-flambeur.md)
- *Le masque de Toutankhamon* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Heartbreak Ridge* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Heart of the Casbah* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Faits d'hiver* (1951), Director, Director of Photography
- *The Strange Ones* (1950), Director of Photography
- *The Silence of the Sea* (1949), Director of Photography, Editor
- *Pour bien filmer* (1937), Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/henri-decae