Articles & Texticles

Continuing a series about Art Directors in the British film industry up to 1948, when the book containing these articles was published.

This chapter deals with Andrei Andrejew (1887 – 1966)

What I particularly enjoy in the work of Andrei Andrejew is nicely explained and highlighted in the text commentary that appears below the fold:-

Andrejew is essentially a film man and his drawing matters little to him; for many years Ferdinand Bellan* collaborated with him as his sketch artist.

Bellan supplied the brilliant drawings so dear to producers; Andrejew thought three dimensionally and put up sets that possessed all those qualities that can only be described as essentially cinematic.

*(There will be a separate post about Ferdinand Bellan later on in this series of posts.)

Pattern, Contrast of Scale

Dramatic diagonals, High tonal contrast, Abstract shapes

Planar design, Silhouetting

Strong use of planes, Spirals, Contrasts of Scale.

Silhouetting, Radiating lines

Tonal contrasts

Here’s the chapter text:
ANDRE ANDREJEW

Andrejew was born in Russia where he studied to be an architect.
He is best known to students of film history as the designer of the wonderfully dramatic backgrounds to ‘Therese Raquin’ (1928) and to Pabst’s ‘Dreigroschenoper’ (1931). Many of his designs for the last-named were inspired by Gustave Dore who paid a visit to London in 1872 and returned to Paris to make some of the most romantic records of Victorian pomp and squalor. It was these same wood-engravings that later helped John Bryan when he made designs for Oliver Twist’ in 1947.

Following his great success in Germany with Pabst, Andrejew returned to Paris and, in collaboration with Pimenoff, art directed ‘Les Yeux Noirs’. Following this came sumptuous sets for ‘Les Nuits Moscovites’ and ‘Myerling’. His sets for Duvivier’s ‘Golem’ made in Prague were remarkable, the camera reproducing the artist’s original designs very faithfully.

Toeplitz brought Andrejew to England in 1937 to make ‘The Dictator’, and he stayed on to make ‘Whom the Gods Love’ for Basil Dean. Both these films were set against lavish eighteenth century backgrounds on which he was so much at home.

Andrejew is essentially a film man and his drawing matters little to him; for many years Ferdinand Bellan collaborated with him as his sketch artist. Bellan supplied the brilliant drawings so dear to producers; Andrejew thought three dimensionally and put up sets that possessed all those qualities that can only be described as essentially cinematic.

Until 1937 he was associated with many productions for London Films but returned to his chateau in France in 1938. He is now art directing for Duvivier once again. This time it is ‘Anna Karenina’. The French writer Lucie Derain describes Andrejew well as ‘an artist of the grand style, blessed with a vision full of lyrical quality . . . a style that does not suit subjects that are narrow or mediocre in conception’.