Certainly one of the better giant studio epics, Mervyn Leroy’s 1950 QUO VADIS is an enduring showcase of near biblical proportions. A good cast, screenplay and a masterful Miklos Rozsa score that still stands the test of time for us film score enthusiasts.
Naturally, being a matte shot fan I have to state from the outset that QV is one of the best Hollywood effects shows of the genre, although the photographic effects aspect was, oddly, entirely British. The physical effects were under the control of MGM’s chief special effects man A.Arnold Gillespie with ace miniatures expert Donald Jahraus – both Oscar winners a few years before for the excellent and utterly deserving THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO. Unusually, MGM’s matte department had no involvement in QV, with all matte and optical work under the control of another long time UK visual effects specialist Tom Howard who for many years ran the effects unit at the British MGM-Elstree.
Howard’s expertise largely in optical effects and blue screen work went back to the late thirties with solid credits on such films as THIEF OF BAGHDAD. For a film as grand as QV Howard needed the services of an experienced matte artist, one able to tackle the many and varied composition and design issues on such a film. Enter one Peter Ellenshaw…
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A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX
Please Note: Now, I am going further back into the archives of Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX to feature even more articles from this great site.
This blog is intended primarily as a tribute to the inventiveness and ingenuity of the craft of the matte painter during Hollywoods’ Golden Era. Some of the shots will amaze in their grandeur and epic quality while others will surprise in their ‘invisibility’ to even the sophisticated viewer. I hope this collection will serve as an appreciation of the artform and both casual visitors and those with a specialist interest may benefit, enjoy and be amazed at skills largely unknown today.