As Halloween approaches, let’s look at one of the main matte painters of Hammer Horror – as well as the frightening THE RED SHOES (1948) – and all-around godfather of the industry; Canadian-born painter LES BOWIE
Bowie was spotted by a producer in a WW2 POW camp, making backings for camp shows. Later, Bowie got work at Pinewood, which was where his (uncredited) work brought Powell & Pressburger’s THE RED SHOES to startling life.
‘Uncle Les’ also supervised work by Joseph Nathanson and Ivor Beddoes. Of course, it wasn’t only such fantastical sequences that required mattes. Even ‘ordinary’ ornaments and furniture were extended and glamourised by usages of mattes throughout the film.
In 1950 Bowie went freelance with Bowie Films Ltd., frequently working with Hammer Studios for their delicious vivid look. REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958), THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) and TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA (1970) were a handful of his innumerable contributions.
Special mention should be made for apocalyptic disaster film THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (1961), where Bowie’s supervision on mattes made the desolate London landscapes possible.
Finally, Bowie went big with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978), supervising the mattes and composites that eventually won an Oscar for best VFX. Sadly, Bowie passed away just before the winner was announced, leaving us only with the extraordinary visions he made through the years.
Credit to NZPete and Dennis Lowe for their research and imagery!
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