Scenic-Art Masterpieces From The 60's You Must See
American cinematography in the 60’s reflected a time of tremendous social changes from fashion to music, followed by transitional cultural values which made this period the era of civil rights and freedom marches. During the 1960 hundreds of full-length movies were produced, ranging from psychological horrors and thrillers, to comedy films, trough film noir and spy films to historical dramas and spaghetti westerns. From a long list of memorable, even classic films, Mark N Tompkins, the famous matte painter and scenic artist has created a short list that he believes are the best films from the 60’s. Note, he believes that these movies have brought a new dimension to the stage design and opened up new possibilities for new set design projects. Thus, the movies present on this list were among the most modern and most advanced in terms of set creation and scene development.
Tompkins starts off his list with what is considered as one of America’s most popular classics, Hitchcock’s 1960’s film Psycho. When you stretch the limits of violence and nudity shown in a motion picture, you probably don’t see all the great work the scenic artists have done. It is simply embedded into the DNA of the film. Because of the great work these scenic artists and matte painters have done, Hitchcock’s slasher film will forever be remembered as one of the most influential films in American cinema history. And yes, Psycho was an extremely dark and disturbing film for that era. It left the viewers shocked, and the reversal at the end of the film is still remembered as one of the most unexpected turnarounds ever seen on film.
Next on Mark N Tompkins’ list from the 60’s is yet another American classic, David Lean’s 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia. Till this day, this is the longest film ever to win an Oscar, telling the story of a real British soldier who initiated the revolt against the Ottoman Empire. This true story remains known as one of the most spectacular film epics ever made. According to Tompkins this visually spectacular masterpiece directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel is equally loved by viewers and critics, making it one of the most awarded films, with seven Oscars in total. What is spectacular is that the Oscar for Best Art Director went to Lawrence of Arabia, specifically to the art directors John Box and John Stoll and the set decorator Dario Simonidouble. They all have done a great job of designing every scene to the smallest details. As a viewer, you can practically feel the hot atmosphere of the desert while watching some of the scenes. This illusion is not easy to pull off, taking into consideration the filming techniques used in the early 1960’s.
Last but not least, Tompkins finishes off his list with Robert Mulligan’s 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird. If you were not convinced that the courtroom was real at the end of the movie, then you need to watch the movie again and watch closely. Additionally, Robert Mulligan's adaptation of Harper Lee's book also brought Gregory Peck one of the most important roles of his great career. The story about a lawyer who gets the task to defend a black person accused of rape in Alabama during the 30’s is also one of the first movies that publicly pointed to the problems with racism.
Tompkins starts off his list with what is considered as one of America’s most popular classics, Hitchcock’s 1960’s film Psycho. When you stretch the limits of violence and nudity shown in a motion picture, you probably don’t see all the great work the scenic artists have done. It is simply embedded into the DNA of the film. Because of the great work these scenic artists and matte painters have done, Hitchcock’s slasher film will forever be remembered as one of the most influential films in American cinema history. And yes, Psycho was an extremely dark and disturbing film for that era. It left the viewers shocked, and the reversal at the end of the film is still remembered as one of the most unexpected turnarounds ever seen on film.
Next on Mark N Tompkins’ list from the 60’s is yet another American classic, David Lean’s 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia. Till this day, this is the longest film ever to win an Oscar, telling the story of a real British soldier who initiated the revolt against the Ottoman Empire. This true story remains known as one of the most spectacular film epics ever made. According to Tompkins this visually spectacular masterpiece directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel is equally loved by viewers and critics, making it one of the most awarded films, with seven Oscars in total. What is spectacular is that the Oscar for Best Art Director went to Lawrence of Arabia, specifically to the art directors John Box and John Stoll and the set decorator Dario Simonidouble. They all have done a great job of designing every scene to the smallest details. As a viewer, you can practically feel the hot atmosphere of the desert while watching some of the scenes. This illusion is not easy to pull off, taking into consideration the filming techniques used in the early 1960’s.
Last but not least, Tompkins finishes off his list with Robert Mulligan’s 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird. If you were not convinced that the courtroom was real at the end of the movie, then you need to watch the movie again and watch closely. Additionally, Robert Mulligan's adaptation of Harper Lee's book also brought Gregory Peck one of the most important roles of his great career. The story about a lawyer who gets the task to defend a black person accused of rape in Alabama during the 30’s is also one of the first movies that publicly pointed to the problems with racism.
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