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 Norman Arnold

Norman Arnold was one of the most prolific production designers active in British cinema in the two decades immediately before and after the second world war.

He was art director for at least 154 films, and

his experience has taught him to be able to work in two styles, one clear and precise so as to save time in construction and misinterpretation by assistants, the other full of atmosphere as a guide to the director. The twenty-minute sketch for the Law Court scene in ‘The White Unicorn’ is a good example of this last.

Hue & Cry, Ealing Studios

Flying Fortress, Warner Bros,

The Rake’s Progress, Individual Pictures

The White Unicorn, Ealing Studios

The Flying Fortress, Warner Bros.

The rest of the text appears below the fold ->

When I first came into films in 1927, Norman Arnold had already been in the business for seven years. He was looked upon as the ablest Art Director in the country, his decor for ‘Confetti’ was the best of its kind and I remember being greatly impressed in those days with its beauty and simplicity.

Norman had studied architecture, interior decoration, and design and, after a short time in practice, came into films in 1920 with the Famous Players Lasky. For them he designed eight productions and then joined Herbert Wilcox in 1922, going with him to Berlin where he was Art Director on two productions, ‘Chu-Chin-Chow’ and ‘Decameron Nights’.

At that time Junge, Richter and Roerig were all working in the same studios. On returning to England he was Art Director to the following companies between 1927 and 1946: 1927-28, First National; 1928-29, B.1.P. (supervising); 1929-31, Independent Companies; 1931-38, British Lion; 1939-44, Warner Brothers; 1944-46, Independent Producers; 1946, Ealing Studios and Excelsior Films. By this time he had been Art Director on 154 films!

Since 1939 he has designed the following productions: ‘Murder Will Out’ (Warners);
‘Confidential Lady’ (Warners);
‘Hoots, Mon’ (Warners);
‘Dr. O’Dowd’ (Warners);
‘That’s the Ticket’ (Warners);
‘The Midas Touch’ (Warners);
‘Dressed to Kill’ (Warners);
‘George and Margaret’ (Warners);
‘The Briggs Family’ (Warners);
‘Two for Danger’ (Warners);
‘Fingers’ (Warners); ‘Disraeli’ (Warners);
‘Atlantic Ferry’ (Warners);
‘This was Paris’ (Warners);
‘Flying Fortress’ (Warners);
‘Jewel Robbery’ (Warners);
‘Night Invader’ (Warners);
‘Tomorrow we Live’ (Warners); ‘
The Dark Tower’ (Warners);
‘They Met in the Dark’ (Warners);
‘Youth Looks Ahead’ (Warners);
‘Candlelight in Algeria’ (Warners);
‘Mr Emmanuel’ (Two Cities and Warners);
Rake’s Progress’ (Independent Producers);
‘I See a Dark Stranger’ (Independent Producers);
‘Hue and Cry’ (Ealing);
‘Meet Me at Dawn’ (Excelsior);
‘The White Unicorn’ (John Corfied);
‘Blind Goddess’ (Gainsborough).

Norman Arnold is a very modest man who does not tell you that he helped to establish British films during the hardest period in their history, but a little research helps to make this evident, his early association with Hitchcock being a most important factor.

He has exhibited his water colours at the Leicester Galleries, and during the 1914-18 war was commissioned to paint a number of pictures depicting various forms of aerial combat for the Imperial War Museum.

Except for Alfred Junge, Norman Arnold has had more experience as an Art Director than any other designer in the country. His recent work on ‘Hue and Cry’ for Ealing shows what a great amount of humour can be put into a background by a skilled hand.

His experience has taught him to be able to work in two styles, one clear and precise so as to save time in construction and misinterpretation by assistants, the other full of atmosphere as a guide to the director.

The twenty-minute sketch for the Law Court scene in ‘The White Unicorn’ is a good example of this last.