Van Nest Polglase ~ Architect Of Cinematic Dreams, Part II

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ5hzKKenNU9Q8zv2ix7KD0GcPgm89rNNzwmT3HZZ8TdZZ86uTK6g-xqsX-s3SqTVDIOclOneQniL-d8CnYfMKnbehGRNPRL4mkSZ-aGeFrUKn-2fk8OTxPjMV6Xr0288uYZar2JsJ_Jz/s1600/artdirectionTheInformer1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536896414924983106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ5hzKKenNU9Q8zv2ix7KD0GcPgm89rNNzwmT3HZZ8TdZZ86uTK6g-xqsX-s3SqTVDIOclOneQniL-d8CnYfMKnbehGRNPRL4mkSZ-aGeFrUKn-2fk8OTxPjMV6Xr0288uYZar2JsJ_Jz/s320/artdirectionTheInformer1.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 257px;" width="257" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>by guest contributor Whistlingypsy</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The emergence of those stylistic elements in American films later termed <i>noir </i>by critics is often debated and open to interpretation.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Five years before the films that captivated French critics for their “dark” plots and visual style, John Ford directed an equally dark film for RKO Studios. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Informer</span> (1935) was based on the novel by Liam O’Flaherty and tells the story of an increasingly desperate man. <span lang="EN">Whether John Ford had the stylistic treatment of German expressionism in mind when</span><span lang="EN"> making the film seems unlikely, but </span>Gypo Nolan’s (Victor McLaglen) flight through Dublin’s fog wreathed streets suggests these atmospheric elements as an archetype of <i>noir</i> essentials. Through the effective use of black velvet drapery and fog, to disguise the minimal budget for art direction, Polglase and assistant art director Charles Kirk created an atmosphere that is alternately brooding and menacing, dark, claustrophobic and bleak. Setting the story over the course of one night gives immediacy to Nolan’s frantic race to outrun his conscience and his pursuers. <span lang="EN">This small film would proved an artistic triumph, surprising studio executives, and won four Academ</span></span><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">y Awards, one for John Ford’s direction and Victor McLaglen’s portrayal of the lead character.</span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;"></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;">Alfred Hitchcock, before he began directing films in 1925, was active as an art director. He entered the industry in 1919 when he was employed by the Islington studio location of Famous Players-Lasky and he worked as an art director on at least six films before moving on to directing. Hitchcock’s lifelong interest in production design has often been understood in light of his experi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegK03W6KHP0AIIXY8PICgLOKNTygJImp0HUdDjESJKHZB1T2jte_qMHUXL9TOj3H1sKXG74ghqj10UBx0HKDDOed3bpsQNp9GlI2-y9nFV4GWxAG6Z1_-6NSzZEka53fSjT1L9zo9Xz1k/s1600/artdirectionSuspicion1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536893241127740146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegK03W6KHP0AIIXY8PICgLOKNTygJImp0HUdDjESJKHZB1T2jte_qMHUXL9TOj3H1sKXG74ghqj10UBx0HKDDOed3bpsQNp9GlI2-y9nFV4GWxAG6Z1_-6NSzZEka53fSjT1L9zo9Xz1k/s200/artdirectionSuspicion1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 150px;" /></a>ences at German studios both in Berlin and Munich and his exposure to German expressionism.</div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;">Hitchcock’s first project for RKO Studios had been a comedy and with his next assignment he was given the opportunity to pursue a subject in keeping with his earlier darker films. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Suspicion</span> (1941) was notable for first introducing actor Cary Grant and director Hitchcock, and for using art d<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95S5fE57dHpHjWjcMNzBPmfN1Dkn65z07j_YP1wB65ymq-OfB6eK8KeOlohodtGX2DC00NKNjV9ewDK4hWbP2uc9ALDezkUNZr6h1lOCRI4Opcg_otgQsD3DTOzImVtnxZu1rF2aQ8dS4/s1600/artdirectionSuspicion2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536893545410650658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95S5fE57dHpHjWjcMNzBPmfN1Dkn65z07j_YP1wB65ymq-OfB6eK8KeOlohodtGX2DC00NKNjV9ewDK4hWbP2uc9ALDezkUNZr6h1lOCRI4Opcg_otgQsD3DTOzImVtnxZu1rF2aQ8dS4/s320/artdirectionSuspicion2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 257px;" /></a>irection as a psychological element in storytelling. The contrast between Lina’s (Joan Fontaine) reassuringly stuffy family home and the coldly menacing home she shares with husband Johnny (Grant) personifies the tension of her state of mind.</div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;">The film’s art direction, supervised primarily by Carroll Clark, is also noteworthy for using the human form as an architectural element. The tall and solid form of Cary Grant balanced on the stairs is echoed in the equally tall and solid column at the foot of the stairs. The graceful line of the pinstripe in Grant’s suit is echoed, but altered, in the equally graceful lines of the treads and risers of the stairs. These lines are further mimicked in the lines falling across the wall and surrounding Grant’s head. The elements confirm and confuse by communicating both Grant’s guise of reliability and the shadow of suspicion regarding his motives, all combining to create one of the most emotionally menacing sequences in the film.</div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: arial;"></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Van Nest Polglase is credited with supervising art direction on what is considered the finest film ever made in America. However, the credit for most of the innovative art direction rightly belongs to Perry Ferguson. Many film scholars have written in depth on the making of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Citizen Kane</span> (1941), with a focus on cinematography and the use of lighting, but few focus on the contribution of art direction.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5GOH44SCXhWHTRlXsiIpWtedR2CJS1UW03i6sSieH8YP0LKGzuYWpNjpC8gky1E2vE787aTui_dy2KXCwo14wdLZ4yTldsRdTPeviAZ-GrfEXKvX583vcGG7gyHS7zbGtBO0KSL2dAdT/s1600/artdirectionCitizenKane.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536894085944090018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5GOH44SCXhWHTRlXsiIpWtedR2CJS1UW03i6sSieH8YP0LKGzuYWpNjpC8gky1E2vE787aTui_dy2KXCwo14wdLZ4yTldsRdTPeviAZ-GrfEXKvX583vcGG7gyHS7zbGtBO0KSL2dAdT/s320/artdirectionCitizenKane.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>Pauline Kael, film critic and author of <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Citizen Kane Book</span>, mentions neither Polglase nor Ferguson. Orson Welles, in trade paper ads the day of the film’s Hollywood premiere, gave thanks “to everybody who gets screen credit for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Citizen Kane</span> and thanks to those who don’t.” Considering the risk involved in screening the film, this was a generous acknowledgment of the work of many creative individuals. Although Welles appears to have refused to acknowledge Polglase’s contributions, he praised Perry Ferguson’s historical details stopping short of giving Ferguson his due credit on the film.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ferguson’s use of revers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbVsxXHB8e6FMuT3tMYs3zJK5ko01VdFYDqbHjlwVb3QOPPQs5VaXx7BerOutSBrJYQw9lSG1oq3Pd77Ilf_6FBh_2yxmQN_tWyuArKx1U2C0OpHewZfbQY0D9kjhFGmnCEaDDccAkvvL/s1600/artdirectioncollage3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536894483708036914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbVsxXHB8e6FMuT3tMYs3zJK5ko01VdFYDqbHjlwVb3QOPPQs5VaXx7BerOutSBrJYQw9lSG1oq3Pd77Ilf_6FBh_2yxmQN_tWyuArKx1U2C0OpHewZfbQY0D9kjhFGmnCEaDDccAkvvL/s320/artdirectioncollage3.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 211px;" /></a>al of scale as Kane’s ambitions move from larger than life to dwarfing the man who created the illusion is one of the film’s benchmarks and an example of RKO’s sophisticated art direction. A comparison of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Citizen Kane</span> with a lesser film in production the same year proves the level of RKO’s emerging visual style.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stranger on the third Floor</span> (1940) was a minor B-film that caused no great stir at the time and could have easily disappeared to the dustbin. Some film historians claim the film contains the first examples of what would later be termed <span style="font-style: italic;">noirish</span> elements (but this is open to debate). Compare the two films for their remarkable similarities: the often dream-like quality, elaborate sets, oversized props and the exaggerated reversal of perspective found in both is significant. <span class="postbody1">The photos to the right show a scene from each film that again reveals a stylistic use of the human form in an architectural environment, and nearly duplicates the body language of the lead character poised at the top of the stairs. </span>Two different art directors created the design of these films, but the designs were produced under the guidance of Van Nest Polglase and RKO art direction.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="postbody1">Polglase left RKO Studios as head art director in 1942 and divided his time between freelance and studio projects before retiring fifteen years later. His film credits during this period include <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fallen Sparrow</span> (1943); <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Song To Remember</span> (1945); <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gilda</span> (1946);<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Slightly Scarlet</span> (1956) and B-films directed by Allan Dwan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In February of 2005, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Art Directors Guild</span> unveiled its new Hall of Fame and inducted the following legendary production designers at the ninth annual <span style="font-weight: bold;">Art Directors Guild Awards</span>: Wilfred Buckland, Richard Day, John DeCuir Sr., Anton Grot, Boris Leven, William Cameron Menzies and Van Nest Polglase.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="postbody1">A trend in film criticism seems to have developed regarding Polglase’s contributions to RKO’s art direction, dismissing them as negligible at best. An unfair appraisal of Polglase may be due to the assumption that he ran his department based on his experiences at and observations of M-G-M and Cedric Gibbons. Richard B. Jewell, film historian and author of <span style="font-weight: bold;">The RKO Story</span> states, </span>"The supreme irony of RKO's existence is that the studio earned a position of lasting importance in cinema history largely because of its extraordinarily unstable history. Since it was the weakling of Hollywood's 'majors,' RKO welcomed a diverse group of individualistic creators and provided them...with an extraordinary degree of freedom to express their artistic idiosyncrasies.... [I]t never became predictable and it never became a factory." </span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jewell’s assessment that RKO was a studio of artistic freedom did not preclude conflict over creative control. David O. Selznick, the man responsible for Polglase being made head of art direction, left the studio after a brief fifteen months. Polglase remained with the studio for ten years as an administrator and art director, successfully filling both roles with films that satisfied audience demand for inventive entertainment and studio executives’ demand for new revenue.<span class="postbody1"> A change of perspective from Polglase taking credit for work he did not do would result in his making possible the outstanding work of art directors Carroll Clark and Perry Ferguson.</span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="postbody1">There are many elements that form a link between architecture and art direction. </span>The difference between the two disciplines is where architecture “encompasses” space from without art direction “evokes” space from within, and the architecture of film works within cuts and edits, frames and openings. The architect designs a space with an eye to permanence while the art director designs a space with an eye to the ephemeral. This leaves the art director a greater sense of flexibility when creating his projects unfortunately; the <span class="postbody1">architect and the art director both depend on the efforts of preservation to maintain a permanent record of the artist’s original vision.</span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" face="arial"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Scroll down to read Part I of Van Nest Polglase ~ Architect of Cinematic Dreams</i></span></div>

Alfred Hitchcock Carroll Clark Cary Grant Charles Kirk Film Noir John Ford Orson Welles Perry Ferguson RKO Studios Van Nest Polglase Victor McLaglen Whistlingypsy (author) Van Nest Polglase ~ Architect Of Cinematic Dreams, Part II

by guest contributor WhistlingypsyThe emergence of those stylistic elements in American films later termed noir by critics is often debated and open to interpretation.Five years before the films that captivated French critics for their “dark” plots a…

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Van Nest Polglase ~ Architect Of Cinematic Dreams, Part I

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fKuLNpex1jwHYBdjS8KrRsPV_la-fLsfQs5NtafmCUrw2c3xa81CaU7SgeWVGe-PLuTos12-9i0VaOTmxjUaqEUDR-Lx3dOZGdLjFZnTkrPezj7n6z3xPoxm8Xy6OGhePEBoV7XE_qeD/s1600/artdirectionTheMan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534727802972294098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fKuLNpex1jwHYBdjS8KrRsPV_la-fLsfQs5NtafmCUrw2c3xa81CaU7SgeWVGe-PLuTos12-9i0VaOTmxjUaqEUDR-Lx3dOZGdLjFZnTkrPezj7n6z3xPoxm8Xy6OGhePEBoV7XE_qeD/s320/artdirectionTheMan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 248px;" /></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>by guest contributor Whistlingypsy</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">The artistry of classic films reveals a cinematic alchemy in melding talent both before and behind the camera. The actor/actress and director are the two most visibly recogn</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">izable artists who created the image on screen. A careful viewer can also learn to recognize the names of the creative individuals who labored beh</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ind the scenes. Van Nest Polglase was one of these individuals who created the world in which our favorite characters move and have their lives.</span><br /><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Despite his elegant and intriguing name, his nearly decade-long tenure as RKO Studios’ art director and over 300 films to his credit, Polglase remains something of a</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">n enigma. In the absence of a definitive biography on the man’s life and career, much of what has been written is often contradictory and filled with errors (he was not mar</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ried to actress Dolores Del Rio as one source claims). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Van Nest Polglase was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 25, 18</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">98, and his unique name is a result of his family’s Cornish heritage. His education included the study of both architecture and interior design, but this is where the two paths of his life story diverge.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Some sources claim that Polglase finished </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">school an</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d was employed </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">by Berg and Orchard, a New York architectural firm. He is also credited with work on the Presidential Palace under constru</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ction in Havana, Cuba. The likelihood that he was involved in the Cuban project is remote, the architects of record were Cuban born Carlos M</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">aruri and Belgian born Paul Belau, and some sources claim that Polglase actually dropped out of school before receiving a degree in architecture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">However, in 1919, at the age of 21, Polglase was working for Famous Players-Lasky (today known as Paramount Studios) at their New York studio facilities. He made the move to the studio’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hollywood location when financial constraints forced the</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> closing of the locations in New York and Europe. He remained with Paramount Studios for a decade before mov</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ing to M-G-M where he wo</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">rked under Cedric Gibbon’s leadership.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">During his first decade alone, advances in architectural design and filmmaking technology forced Polglase frequently to reevaluate his style and expand his visual vocabulary of art dire</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ction. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">He came to filmmaking at a time when the first sets </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">were built to resemble a theater stage to give audiences a reference point, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">and the</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> category of “settings” covere</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d everything</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> from art direction to set design. The practice of group</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ing t</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">h</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">e </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7BFPGO57d1vAwNWwIZQLvlkQqcgenj81hf-xn4gWkjHNuuZrFp3kWk7zbtS75i9sRyymp6y0kDywZmWDL-fDrddwYfbIiFad22bAI7hX6anFMXSsCCAXVeSdOdDvW6iw9s_O26MuhhOP/s1600/artdirectioncollage1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535049549163415026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7BFPGO57d1vAwNWwIZQLvlkQqcgenj81hf-xn4gWkjHNuuZrFp3kWk7zbtS75i9sRyymp6y0kDywZmWDL-fDrddwYfbIiFad22bAI7hX6anFMXSsCCAXVeSdOdDvW6iw9s_O26MuhhOP/s320/artdirectioncollage1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 162px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 321px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">different disciplines into o</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ne category, as well as crediting an individual for a department’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> work, makes it difficult to track Polglase’s work during his early career. However, the AFI Catalog of Motion </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pictu</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">res lists <b>Stage Struck</b> (1925, Paramount) and <b>Untamed</b> (1929, M-G-M) among his</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> early titles.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Stage Struck</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> proved a challenge for Polglase to create a design suitable </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">for Gloria Swanson, who had distinguished herself as a design and style icon through her previous films in partnership with Cecil B. De Mille. <b>Untamed</b> was set in three distinctly different locations requiring equally distinct design sensibilities and featured Joan Craw</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ford in her first sound picture, which came with the adde</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d challenge of incorporating the new technology into the set design.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">RKO Studios was formed when the KAO (Keith-Albee-Orpheum) theater chain an</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d FB</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">O (Film Booking Offices Of America) were brought together under the control of RCA (Radio </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">C</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">orpor</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6JkJReYnJsdsINP5375IJz0xj5Y1nB-XuLtAKzkGbrIVTY04HYJk1RhBLhAQfkaD08gUUt1tk0g-thmxP42FX5XDGKr_ZM9gXzoyvZk7yZG2LIlOLIPJN6hq8SZYMVBpo5RiWxXrtpNM/s1600/artdirectionRKOlogo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535050296022427442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6JkJReYnJsdsINP5375IJz0xj5Y1nB-XuLtAKzkGbrIVTY04HYJk1RhBLhAQfkaD08gUUt1tk0g-thmxP42FX5XDGKr_ZM9gXzoyvZk7yZG2LIlOLIPJN6hq8SZYMVBpo5RiWxXrtpNM/s320/artdirectionRKOlogo.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">ation of America). David O. Selznick was hired in 1931 and in his new role as p</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">roduction </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">chief, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">he recruited producer/director Merian</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> C. Cooper, director George Cukor, actress Katharine </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">H</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">epburn and art director Van </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nest Polglase. One of Polglase’s first projects as art director was to redesign the studio logo to incorporate the blinking radio tower at the heart of RKO’s business ties with the RCA Corporation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The image most frequently associated with RKO’s art direction is the series of films that paired Fred Astaire and Gingers Rogers. The films were charming fantasy confections, but the art direction was equally roote</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wFxfzY9Smn2mlXpR3AUmuwwfGhvwt7lVBhgQv57EqCyXTmAHy-fV5HKJfffJV3NXAH3GHoR7_dHEQUhJh2UI5-f1AHtjqz7G-2NgxIRXZwv60q2f2pGfk72LoylZgyqm3d63mpD-2yyU/s1600/artdirectionFlyingDownToRio.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535050739205614562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wFxfzY9Smn2mlXpR3AUmuwwfGhvwt7lVBhgQv57EqCyXTmAHy-fV5HKJfffJV3NXAH3GHoR7_dHEQUhJh2UI5-f1AHtjqz7G-2NgxIRXZwv60q2f2pGfk72LoylZgyqm3d63mpD-2yyU/s200/artdirectionFlyingDownToRio.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 151px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">d in the c</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">oncepts of architecture. The art direction is ideally suite</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d to the dancers with both personifying the streamlined and elegant, witty</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">, athletic and sexy ideals of art deco architecture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The fantasy version of Venice in <b>Top Hat</b> (1934), which combines streamlined modernism a</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo0MlW_9odu_xGBmKc6E6Qrm2LKJJDQgfSdYhVMyVXMBVnRg876ZifBQhrodMv1OpeYVnzf9K2ZtfN_UbjmHr-lPLjlbebISdnPkuKHByX7aj9Uf9YvCRUYRsQCixEzB7gPq9W-Ryv5Ru/s1600/artdirectionGayDivorcee.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535051088026491762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo0MlW_9odu_xGBmKc6E6Qrm2LKJJDQgfSdYhVMyVXMBVnRg876ZifBQhrodMv1OpeYVnzf9K2ZtfN_UbjmHr-lPLjlbebISdnPkuKHByX7aj9Uf9YvCRUYRsQCixEzB7gPq9W-Ryv5Ru/s200/artdirectionGayDivorcee.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">nd neo-classical references, displays an architectural style both immediately recognizable and equally unfamiliar to movie audiences. The result is tied neither to the past nor the </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">present, but freely evokes the glamorous lifestyle of theatergoers’ dreams, transporting weary Depression era audiences out of their all too grim present and allowing them to hop</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">e for a better future. The popularity of the Astaire and Rogers films allowed the studio to pursue projects set in a wide variety of eras with equally varied plotlines.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A glimpse at Katharine Hepburn’s filmography during the perio</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d reveals the careful attention to detail in the Civil War era design of <b>Little Women</b> (1933); the modified art deco chic of Adolphe Menjou’s apartment in <b>Morning</b></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2ZbgsmJudjIbxsHOHbISiheakQWavrZMESV1kiixG8QLumxqmDJpAWUrqKn4rDFtyx4XPGiXxjY3qbYWGfO_R8fpgt5ZtdYEK6R5cOjqldJ2sTl-D__PjDb_mgyR7R9as_1k2I9l5wuz/s1600/artdirectionGrantandHepburn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535051969093367570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2ZbgsmJudjIbxsHOHbISiheakQWavrZMESV1kiixG8QLumxqmDJpAWUrqKn4rDFtyx4XPGiXxjY3qbYWGfO_R8fpgt5ZtdYEK6R5cOjqldJ2sTl-D__PjDb_mgyR7R9as_1k2I9l5wuz/s320/artdirectionGrantandHepburn.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 246px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b> Glory</b> (1934); the us</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">e of a Victorian era Arts and Crafts design blend in the boarding house of <b>Stage Door</b> (1937) to communicate homey comfort; the all for fun eccentric design of <b>Bringing Up Baby</b> (1938) from the jail cell to the museum display.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1939, RKO undertook the ambitious remake of <b>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</b>, a film that had been an enormous success for Universal Pictures d</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">uring the silent era. The challenge was to create a new version that would exceed the expectations of those who could remember the original and make new fans of younger moviegoers. The film proved a showcase for Polglase’s attention to detail, and his perfectionism gave the historical sets an element of accuracy not found in the creations of the larger studios.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Paris of the RKO version features extravagant sets, immense staircases and oversized doors; the attention to detail is evident in the massive bells (Gabrielle, Big Marie and the rest) and a whole cow roasting on a spit (a prop that seems to have traveled to <b>Citizen</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b> Kane</b> for a picnic), the garden party lit by paper lanterns and the grand spaces within Notre Dame, from Clophin’s (Thomas Mitchell) court of miracles to Quasimodo’s (Charles Laughton) sanctuary in the clouds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizey410aTpvP9rOiuv3t5H7hK_y3BJ04dObUeN1i8HPilAWo8aBEXazbV9YmNGDBlOuhTVIIGLJ7ONJeX8lfSCUcV_bJTCbXZ4QqobqNPSoug7UBiVdr204WfBcd_A6HuibnbTOB3mHM_9/s1600/artdirectioncollage2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535051352448946946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizey410aTpvP9rOiuv3t5H7hK_y3BJ04dObUeN1i8HPilAWo8aBEXazbV9YmNGDBlOuhTVIIGLJ7ONJeX8lfSCUcV_bJTCbXZ4QqobqNPSoug7UBiVdr204WfBcd_A6HuibnbTOB3mHM_9/s400/artdirectioncollage2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 177px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A fundamental point to keep in mind is the emergence during this period of an RKO-specific visual style, and while the stylistic elements of art direction are the product of a talented art director, other factors contribute to this development. The influence of German expressionism in <i>film noir </i>is widely acknowledged and can be observed in films made by German expatriates in Hollywood during the silent era. The creative individuals of RKO’s art direction were working between the influence of expressionism and the emergence of <span style="font-style: italic;">film noir</span>, and the challenges of the studio system; reduced budgets and relatively modest sets provided the genesis of a new genre. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">During Polglase’s tenure at RKO, the studio faced continued economic challenges and numerous changes at the executive level. One such change in management philosophy led the studio to distribute films for independent producers, with Walt Disney’s earliest feature length titles among these films. The artistic vision of any RKO film bore Van Nest Polglase’s name, but he was not solely responsible for realizing this vision. Polglase relied heavily on his department and especially on the talents of Carroll Clark, Perry Ferguson and Charles Kirk. The question regarding artistic vision is additionally problematic when such independent directors as Ford, Hitchcock and Welles are behind the camera. Did these directors have cooperative relationships with Polglase, working to bring their visions to the screen, or was an art director entirely secondary to their vision? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Part II will follow soon...</i></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Thank you Lady Eve for your gracious invitation to contribute to your blog site, and thank you filmguy24 for your invaluable insights into the world of architecture as it relates to art direction.</i></span></div>

Alfred Hitchcock Cedric Gibbons Charles Laughton David O. Selznick Gloria Swanson John Ford Katharine Hepburn Orson Welles RKO Studios Van Nest Polglase Whistlingypsy (author) Van Nest Polglase ~ Architect Of Cinematic Dreams, Part I

by guest contributor WhistlingypsyThe artistry of classic films reveals a cinematic alchemy in melding talent both before and behind the camera. The actor/actress and director are the two most visibly recognizable artists who created the image on scr…

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