William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

who pioneered the discipline of

production design In film industry, film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and ...

, a job title he invented. His career spanned five decades, during which time he also worked as an

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

, director, producer, and special effects artist. He began his career during the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, and later pioneered the use of color in film for dramatic effect. Over the course of his career, Menzies was nominated for six

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

s and won two - one for Best Art Direction, and an Honorary Oscar for his work on ''Gone with the Wind''. He is considered one of the most influential figures of the

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

, described by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

as a “genius, hoseinfluence was incalculable.”

Early years

Menzies was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, to Scottish immigrant parents, Charles A. and Helen originally from Aberfeldy,

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

. He studied at

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and, after serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he attended the Art Students League of New York.

Career

Menzies joined Famous Players–Lasky, later to evolve into

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, working in special effects and design. He soon worked on such films as ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

'' (1922), '' The Thief of Bagdad'' (1924), '' The Bat'' (1926), '' The Dove'' (1927), '' Sadie Thompson'' (1928), and '' Tempest'' (1928). His contributions to '' The Dove'' (1927), as well as '' Tempest'' (1928) led to Menzies receiving the first Academy Award for Best Production Design, an accolade for achievement in art direction. In 1929, Menzies formed a partnership with producer Joseph M. Schenck to create a series of early sound short films visualizing great works of music, including a 10-minute version of Dukas's ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...

,'' and created the production design and special effects for Schenck's feature film '' The Lottery Bride'' (1930). Menzies's work on ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (also simply known as ''Tom Sawyer'') is a novel by Mark Twain published on June 9, 1876, about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1830s-1840s in the town of St. Petersbu ...

'' (1938) prompted

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...

to hire him for ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' (1939). Selznick's faith in Menzies was so great that he sent a memorandum to everyone at Selznick International Pictures who was involved in the production reminding them that "Menzies is the final word" on everything related to

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

scenic design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including Play (theatre), plays and Musical theatre, musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, wher ...

, set decoration, and the overall look of the production. His work on the film would also net Menzies an

Honorary Academy Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc ...

"for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood." "Production designer" (which is sometimes used interchangeably with "art director") was coined specifically for Menzies, to refer to his being the final word on the overall look of the production; it was intended to describe his ability to translate Selznick's ideas to drawings and paintings from which he and his fellow directors worked. Menzies was the director of the burning of Atlanta sequence in

. He also re-shot the

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

dream sequence of Alfred Hitchcock's '' Spellbound'' (1945). In addition, Menzies directed dramas and fantasy films. He made two science-fiction films: '' Things to Come'' (1936), based on a novel by

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

, for producer

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

which predicted war and technical advancement; and '' Invaders from Mars'' (1953), which mirrored many fears about aliens and outside threats to humanity in the 1950s.

Death

Shortly after completing his work as an associate producer on '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956), Menzies died of cancer. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Accolades

At the first Academy Awards, held on May 16, 1929, Menzies won for Best Art Direction for '' The Dove'' and '' Tempest''. He was the first to win the Academy Award for art direction. The following year he was nominated in the same categories for his work on '' Bulldog Drummond'', '' Alibi'', and '' The Awakening'', but lost to

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an American Art director#In film, art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons de ...

. At the 12th Academy Awards held on February 29, 1940, Menzies won an

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...

"for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood" in the production of ''Gone With the Wind''.

Legacy

In 2005, Menzies was in the first group of art directors and production designers inducted into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame. Several of Menzies home movies are part of the collection of the Academy Film Archive and were preserved by the archive in 2015.

Filmography

Silent Films, 1918-1930

Sound Era: 1930-1955

Theatre credits

DVD release

In October 2009,

Alpha Video Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company founded in 1985 as New Age Video, based near Philadelphia, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD. Alp ...

released the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

collection ''The Fantastic World of William Cameron Menzies'' on DVD, which included four early experimental films created by Menzies and Joseph M. Schenck, shorts that visualize great works of classical music: * "Irish Fantasy" (1929) * "Impressions of Tschaikowsky's Overture '1812'" (1930) * " Hungarian Rhapsody" (1930) * Paul Dukas' " The Wizard's Apprentice" (1930). According to Dave Kehr, ''The Wizard's Apprentice'' "clearly influenced Disney's version in '' Fantasia''.

Footnotes

References

*Curtis, James. (2015). ''William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come'', Pantheon Books,

External links

* *
William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come
by James Curtis, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Nov 17, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Menzies, William Cameron 1896 births 1957 deaths Academy Honorary Award recipients Alumni of the University of Edinburgh American art directors Art Students League of New York alumni Best Art Direction Academy Award winners Artists from New Haven, Connecticut American production designers English-language film directors American science fiction film directors American people of Scottish descent United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Film directors from Connecticut