Kurrle's first foray into the film industry was on the 1916 film, Her Great Price, directed by Edwin Carewe.
He later collaborated with Carewe on a number of pictures during the 1920s.
He began his career working for Metro Pictures, where he stayed at until 1921.
Metro was one of the film companies which merged in 1924 to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The quality of Kurrle's work was noticed even early in his career.
His filming of 1919's Lion's Den was called "spectacular".
Kurrle's work the following year on The Right of Way was described by some as "... remarkable even in this day of almost perfect cinematography."
By 1921, Kurrle was already a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
 Early that year, he followed Carewe and left Metro to become a freelance cinematographer.
Fifteen of the twenty-four films Kurrle worked on during 1921-27 were directed by Carewe.
In 1922, while filming a Carewe picture, I Am the Law, Kurrle successfully tested a new high-speed film from Eastman.
The new film allowed interior filming with less lighting, reducing both equipment and staffing costs.

Over the course of his career, Kurlle received numerous positive criticism and attention from other industry members and publications.
He was highlighted in American Cinematographer on many occasions, the first time being in the 1922 edition, where he was called a "valued member" of the ASC.
When he was selected to man the camera for fellow ASC member Phil Rosen's film, Abraham Lincoln, a prominent industry magazine stated that Kurlle's career had been "brilliant" up to that point.
In July 1924, after Kurrle's return from north Africa where he shot A Son of the Sahara, American Cinematographer called him "... a master of his profession."

For 1926's Wings of the Storm, Kurrle's exterior shots in Mt. Rainier National Park received positive comments from industry trade papers.
In 1927 Kurrle was lauded for his camerawork on the film adaptation of Tolstoy's Resurrection, which was directed by his long-term collaborator Carrewe.
The following year, in the first ever American Cinematographer poll of the top Hollywood directors, Kurrle was selected as one of the top 10 cinematographers in the industry.
That same year, 1928, his camera work on Sadie Thompson, was lauded as "... beautifully done, and the settings are completely in the mood of the story".
Kurrle's first foray into the film industry was on the 1916 film, Her Great Price, directed by Edwin Carewe. He later collaborated with Carewe on a number of pictures during the 1920s. He began his career working for Metro Pictures, where he stayed at until 1921. Metro was one of the film companies which merged in 1924 to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The quality of Kurrle's work was noticed even early in his career. His filming of 1919's Lion's Den was called "spectacular". Kurrle's work the following year on The Right of Way was described by some as "... remarkable even in this day of almost perfect cinematography." By 1921, Kurrle was already a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).  Early that year, he followed Carewe and left Metro to become a freelance cinematographer. Fifteen of the twenty-four films Kurrle worked on during 1921-27 were directed by Carewe. In 1922, while filming a Carewe picture, I Am the Law, Kurrle successfully tested a new high-speed film from Eastman. The new film allowed interior filming with less lighting, reducing both equipment and staffing costs.
Over the course of his career, Kurlle received numerous positive criticism and attention from other industry members and publications. He was highlighted in American Cinematographer on many occasions, the first time being in the 1922 edition, where he was called a "valued member" of the ASC. When he was selected to man the camera for fellow ASC member Phil Rosen's film, Abraham Lincoln, a prominent industry magazine stated that Kurlle's career had been "brilliant" up to that point. In July 1924, after Kurrle's return from north Africa where he shot A Son of the Sahara, American Cinematographer called him "... a master of his profession."
For 1926's Wings of the Storm, Kurrle's exterior shots in Mt. Rainier National Park received positive comments from industry trade papers. In 1927 Kurrle was lauded for his camerawork on the film adaptation of Tolstoy's Resurrection, which was directed by his long-term collaborator Carrewe. The following year, in the first ever American Cinematographer poll of the top Hollywood directors, Kurrle was selected as one of the top 10 cinematographers in the industry. That same year, 1928, his camera work on Sadie Thompson, was lauded as "... beautifully done, and the settings are completely in the mood of the story".
Robert Kurrle