That’s right, he was the brother of the Art Director who was featured in the previous entry in this series, Norman Arnold, and they are known to have worked together occasionally (See text below).
Wilfred’s career as an Art Director started with `The Rat (of Paris)´ in 1925 and he worked as an assistant to Alfred Hitchcock in his 1929 film `Blackmail´
(I believe that the name “Projects” was the name of the production company, British Projects, rather than the title of the film) Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
I like the way that there is so much variety in the surfaces, and yet it’s drawn with such economy.
A group of thumbnail sketches from `Atlantic Ferry´ starring a young Michael Redgrave.
This film was made in 1941 at Teddington Studios. IMDB entry here.
The writers, Derek and Wynne MacIver lent their surname to the two rival heroes of the film, Charles and David MacIver. Script meetings must have been hilarious.
More finely crafted thumbnails from `Atlantic Ferry´.
The text follows after the fold:
WILFRED ARNOLD
It was Wilfred Arnold who in 1929 designed the background for Alfred Hitchcock’s first great success, ‘Blackmail’.
This production was not only remarkable for the new and imaginative way in which it was directed, but also because the sets were simplified down to the bare essentials necessary for.dramatic effect. The usual clutter of ‘props’ that so overdressed many films at that time had gone and a new and imaginative approach to camera set-up and lighting set a new style in film making.
Some years earlier Wilfred Arnold had been assistant to Hitchcock when he also was interested in the design of sets.
Arnold’s first job as Art Director was on ‘The Rat’, since when he tells me he has worked on over a hundred productions.
He entered the industry in 1920 as a draughtsman at Famous Players Lasky, Islington, where his brother Norman was Art Director. Like his brother he had practical experience of film making in Berlin and Munich and then went to Italy to help make ‘Escape Me Never’.
He has been chiefly associated with production at B.I.P. studios and British and Dominion At present he is working at British National Films, Elstree.
Wilfred Arnold’s long experience has given him a reputation for versatility and ingenuity. He is a very facile artist and his little drawings for ‘Atlantic Ferry’, on which he was Associate Art Director with his brother, are in a delightful unaffected style, more in harmony with the character of the film than were the actual sets after they had been. lighted with a less imaginative approach.
Table of contents for Art & Design in The British Film
- Art & Design in The British Film # 1: W.C.Andrews
- Art & Design in The British Film # 2: Andre Andrejew
- Art & Design in The British Film # 3: Norman Arnold
- Art & Design in The British Film # 4: Wilfred Arnold
- Art & Design in The British Film # 5: Ferdinand Bellan
- Art & Design in The British Film # 6: Ralph Brinton
- Art & Design in The British Film # 7: John Bryan
- Art & Design in The British Film # 8 Edward Carrick
- Art & Design in The British Film # 9 Maurice Carter
- Art & Design in The British Film # 10: Douglas Daniels
- Art & Design in The British Film # 11: Cedric Dawe
- Art & Design in The British Film # 12: Roger Furse
- Art & Design in The British Film # 13: Hein Heckroth
- Art & Design in The British Film # 14: John Howell
- Art & Design in The British Film # 15: Laurence Irving
- Art & Design in The British Film # 16: Alfred Junge
- Art & Design in The British Film # 17 Vincent Korda
- Art & Design in The British Film # 18 Oliver Messel
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