Cortez utilized color for the first time on the superb thriller "The Man on the Eiffel Tower" (1949) which captured the beauty of its Paris setting as well as enhanced the story's inherent mysteries. That film's leading man, Charles Laughton, was impressed enough to hire the cinematographer for "The Night of the Hunter" (1955). Laughton as director created a stylized look for the film that borrowed from German expressionism to American silents. Although the film was a box-office flop in its day, it has since achieved a richly deserved reputation as a classic, with Cortez's photography a major factor in setting the thriller's mood. He also shot "The Three Faces of Eve" (1957) and his camerawork was instrumental in establishing each of the heroine's personalities. For the remainder of his career, however, the director of photography was often employed on low-budget productions that were of varying quality, although he was allowed room for visual experimentation.