Showing posts with label Carmen Dillon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carmen Dillon. Show all posts

Marian in Disguise


 Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men has many scenes that still leave me in awe. One that I haven’t mentioned before is when Maid Marian (Joan Rice) decides to escape from Nottingham Castle disguised as a pageboy. 



Giles the pageboy, is walking down the castle steps when he notices Marian looking gloomily out from an upper corridor window. He asks why she is looking so glum? She explains that the Queen has forbidden her to leave the castle. Giles wishes that Prince John would forbid him as he feels he has had to walk as far as Jerusalem and back making trips to Nottingham. He sighs and says he is on their way now to fetch the Sheriff.



This gives Marian the idea to borrow Giles's cloak and escape from the castle to find Robin.

The images above demonstrate how art director Carmen Dillon (1908-2000) and matte artist Peter Ellenshaw (1913-2007) managed to create a sense of isolation and imprisonment amidst the castle's towering stone walls and pillars. 


The secret of Carmen Dillon's Oscar-winning success was her meticulous pre-planning and prefabrication. The grey ‘stone’ walls of Nottingham Castle were really plaster, cast in giant moulds and rigged onto movable steel scaffolding, while the forbidding curtain walls and towers, which looked as if they would defy an army, were in fact perspective cutouts. This was just one of twenty-five interior sets designed by her.

The four images in this article also demonstrate the visual beauty of this film. A lot of credit must go to legendary matte artist Peter Ellenshaw- another Disney legend, working many decades before the invention of computer-generated imagery. 

Ellenshaw's artistic skill, together with Carmen Dillon's art department created that storybook quality to the film. It is not surprising it was voted one of the best Technicolor movies ever made in Britain. Disney Magic!


Carmen Dillon's Robin Hood

Scathelock is put in the stocks


Neil has been a regular contributor to this blog for many years and shown above is a still that he recently sent to me. It is of course from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). I love seeing these images from my favourite movie. When concentrating on the film's
action, it is easy to miss some of this detail. Look at the elaborate hinges on the door for example.

It was Carmen Dillon (1908-2000) who was given the job of art director on Robin Hood by Walt Disney. She had a fine reputation on both sides of the Atlantic for imagination and artistic flair allied to a practical approach to set design and construction, which had been evident in her art direction of some of the biggest and most highly praised period films made in Britain at that time, including Henry V and Hamlet, for which she won her Oscar. 


Carmen Dillon discusses the design of Nottingham Square

Catherine O'Brien in her article, Carmen Over Came Prejudice
 ..........And Put On Her Slacks, gives a detailed account of this remarkable woman and her work on Robin Hood:

"Small and neat of figure, with greying hair and light blue eyes, Carmen Dillon was born in Ireland. After she had qualified as an architect, she became greatly attracted by the artistic possibilities of film set design and set out to get a job which would train her in this field. It is strange to reflect that this happened only fifteen years ago and yet at this time no one in film studios would take the idea of a woman art director seriously.


Carmen discussing a castle interior

Anyone knowing Carmen Dillon, however, would realise that such an attitude would only serve to strengthen her determination to attain her objective. Eventually, she obtained toe-hold in a studio at Wembley, as an assistant in the art department. Even then petty restrictions beset her at every turn. She was not permitted to go on a set in slacks and was forbidden to discuss her work with the men in the studio workshops and stages. After a few weeks of making the best of this difficult situation, Carmen was asked to take over the work of an art director who had fallen ill on the eve of a production. By proving her undoubted talent and aptitude for production design she was able to overcome the prejudice which had hitherto hampered her career.


The townsfolk turn on the Sheriff

On Walt Disney’s Robin Hood, Carmen was in control of a staff of over two hundred men, who accepted her advice and judgement with the same respect and deference as they would accord to any male art director. Among the technicians, she has earned, through her skill and tact, a reputation for knowing exactly what she wants, without fuss or muddle. She carries all the details of planning and building the sets in her head and has a remarkable knack of foreseeing and thus forestalling building problems.
Before the stage is set for the actors, the lighting cameraman and the director, Carmen plans the work, step by step, with fastidious detail. In the case of Robin Hood, the first step was research, to ensure that the pictorial effect should have a truly authentic 12th-century keynote.



Collecting for the King's ransom in Nottingham Square

Two of the twenty-five interior sets designed by Carmen Dillon for Walt Disney’s Robin Hood serve to illustrate the immense research and artistry with which she conjured up the background and atmosphere of 12th-century England. One of- Nottingham Square, in the reign of Richard Lionheart-was, constructed both on Denham lot and on one of the studio stages-to cater for both units.

Three sides of an irregular square were surrounded by houses, some half-timbered and all pre-fabricated in the plasterer's shop under the direction of Master Plasterer Arthur Banks. The houses and shops made of plaster and wattle (which was, in fact, the building material of that period) had every appearance of solid antiquity in despite of their backing of tubular steel scaffolding. Most imposing was the Sheriff’s house, with its carved arches and steep outside staircase. Thatching was carried out by one of Britain’s oldest surviving craftsmen in this line Mr A. Gilder of Stoke Poges.

The centre of the square was filled with wattle hurdles and pens in which were enclosed game and produce of every type. By the time the stars, featured players and extras-numbering up to two hundred-had taken their place in the square it was hard to imagine a more convincing reproduction of life in 12th century England. It is in this setting that Robin Hood and his men ride in from the forest to rescue a poacher and a farmer who are suffering at the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham and succeed in turning the tables on their hated persecutor.


The Outlaws receive a signal

One of the most important sets in the film is the Sherwood Forest camp where Robin Hood and his Merry Men live in outlawry, in their woodland hideout. Some weeks before the film, Carmen accompanied a research party including producer Perce Pearce, scriptwriter Larry Watkin, and film star Richard Todd to Nottingham and returned laden with photographs of every relic of Robin Hood days, which would help her construct the original setting at Denham Studios.

In what little remains of the original Sherwood Forest, Carmen studied the Queen Oak, where Robin Hood and Maid Marian are said to have their trysting-place; Robin Hood’s Larder, another giant oak, where legend has it, the outlaws stored their game and the vast labyrinth of caves at the foot of Creswell Crags, where Robin Hood and his men are said to have hidden their horses when the Sheriff of Nottingham was on their tracks. 

Back in the studio, Carmen incorporated many of these features of the Robin Hood country into her set design, which then became the subject of a conference between producer Perce Pearce, scriptwriter Larry Warkin and herself before passing it into the hands of the draughtsmen and model makers in her art department. From their blueprints and scale models the construction manager, Gus Walker, was then able to allocate to the various departments concerned the work required to bring the sketch into concrete existence".


Carmen plans Nottingham Square

Carmen Dillon was without a doubt one of the main reasons Disney's Story of Robin Hood oozed quality. I believe her remarkable talent needs to be highlighted a lot more. 

In an interview, Ken Annakin, the director of Robin Hood said of her:

"Carmen was one of the great art directors on the European scene. Not only was she an accomplished painter, but she was able to supervise big set construction and set-dressing, down to the last nail. So much so, that sometimes when I was lining up a shot, I found her a bit of a pain in the ass because she would insist that her designs and her visual conception of a scene must be adhered to, whereas I regarded the sets only as a background for the actors".

Carmen Dillon plans another set

Annakin went on:
"He [Walt] didn’t stay very long on Robin Hood. He had great trust in Carmen Dillon, who was responsible for the historical correctness. Everything, from costumes to sets to props and he - I’m not so sure why he was so certain - but he was dead right at having chosen her. And she did that picture and Sword and The Rose too. And his reliance was 100%. A director can’t go into every historical detail and so I would check with her also, pretty well on most things. And she would quietly be on the set and if we used a prop wrongly, she would have her say. Mine was the final say, as director, but one couldn’t have done without her ".

The Sheriff in Robin’s Camp



Stills from the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men often reveal the wonderful attention to detail by Walt Disney’s art and design department, led by Carmen Dillon. It is hard to believe this scene, like many, were filmed on one of the huge sound stages at Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire.

In this image we see a blindfolded Sheriff (Peter Finch) being led into Robin Hood’s (Richard Todd) camp in Sherwood Forest. 

The Sheriff in the Outlaws' Camp

The Sheriff (Peter Finch) at the head of the table of outlaws

This very rare image taken from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) was sent to me by Christian.
In this scene the Sheriff of Nottingham (Peter Finch) has been captured by Robin Hood and his men and brought to the outlaws' camp in Sherwood Forest.

The outlaw camp was part of the magnificent sent designed by Carmen Dillon on one of the huge sound stages at Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire. The picture above shows her legendary attention to detail and is an example of why Walt Disney chose her to be the art director (a rare position for a woman in those days) on The Story of Robin Hood. Information about her life and work can be read here.

Below is a list of some of the actors that played Robin Hood's Merrie Men:

John Brooking: - Merrie Man

Ivan Craig: - Merrie Man

John French: - Merrie Man

Richard Graydon :- Merrie Man

Geoffrey Lumsden: - Merrie Man

John Martin: - Merrie Man

Larry Mooney: - Merrie Man

Nigel Neilson: - Merrie Man

Charles Perry: - Merrie Man

Ewen Solon: - Merrie Man

John Stamp: - Merrie Man

Jack Taylor: - Merrie Man

If you know of any other actors that appeared in the movie as Merrie Men or have any anecdotal stories about their experiences on set please get in touch.

Robin Hood's Chair (Again)


Over the last few years, interest in my Disney's Story of Robin Hood Facebook page has been growing and there are now 41 members. One new member, Brian Varaday, has very kindly sent me another example of what has become known on this blog as Robin Hood's Chair.


The chair used in The Dark Avenger (1955)

Brian sent me a still from the movie The Dark Avenger (1955) which not only starred Errol Flynn, but also had many people involved in its production who would have been familiar with the chair when it was first used on the set of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood at Denham Studios in 1951. Actors such as Peter Finch, Michael Hordern, Ewen Solon, crew members Guy Green, Alex Bryce and technical adviser Charles R. Beard had all previously worked on Robin Hood.



The original chair used in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood (1952)


It was while watching the classic television series the Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960) starring Richard Greene, that I noticed a familiar piece of furniture in the Sheriff of Nottingham's chamber. I was sure I had seen the highly decorated chair with its circular headrest and carved pineapples before.


                             
That chair in the Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960)

I immediately paused the DVD and quickly grabbed my illustrated copy of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men. I was correct! It was the same chair that had been designed by Carmen Dillon and her art department for Disney's live-action movie in 1951. Somehow it had found its way to Nettlefold Studios and the ground-breaking set of the black and white television series.

The chair used in TV's Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960)

As a young lad, these two versions of the Robin Hood legend had a huge influence on me. So you can imagine my surprise when I recently found, what I believe to be that very same chair (over thirty years later) in another all-time favourite of mine Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986).



The chair used over 30 years later in Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

I made a few enquires about this remarkable coincidence and received this message from a member of the Britmovie forum:

“I think it’s quite normal for props and costumes and even whole sets to be used in other films over the years. Studios normally had their own prop stores and there are also several large independent prop hire companies around London that have been on the go for years. I remember visiting one in Acton many years ago while helping a friend find some props for a theatre production; it was like an Aladdin’s cave with the proprietor cheerfully pointing out what other famous plays some of the props had been used for in the past.”

And:

"I guess most of the props these days are located in private rental firms. In the old days before studios went four walls they contained huge prop departments on site. I know Pinewood had a massive prop dept so it’s not unusual for the same prop to pop up in many films and are now privately owned. I know when MGM Borehamwood closed they flogged a lot off in a huge auction and many went down the road to Elstree."

The Robin Hood Chair in The Men of Sherwood (1954)

A while ago another regular blog visitor kindly sent me stills of those chairs being used in another movie, The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954). This was the first of a trilogy of Robin Hood features made by Hammer Film productions and also their first colour movie. Recently some critics have described it as the possibly the worst sound film about the outlaw ever made! Although in my opinion, American actor Don Taylor gives a good performance as Robin Hood and Reginald Beckwith is an excellent Friar Tuck in this low budget romp.


The Men of Sherwood (with chairs designed by Carmen Dillon for Disney in 1951)



To read more about the work of art director Carmen Dillon, please click here.

If anybody reading this blog, knows of any other movies in which the props (particularly those chairs) from the Story of Robin Hood can be clearly seen (and if they still exist) please get in touch! 

Robin Hood's Camp in Sherwood Forest

Maid Marian with Friar Tuck and some of the outlaws.


A fortnight ago I posted a favourite still of mine from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). It showed Maid Marian (Joan Rice) at the camp of Robin Hood surrounded by some of the outlaws. The image above was recently sent in by Neil and gives us another view of the scene, this time from a different angle. Looking at this picture, it is almost possible to feel the warmth of the camp fire and smell the cooking pot. This is yet another example of the artistry and fine attention to detail by the set designer, Carmen Dillon (1908-2000).

Carmen Dillon reveils a model of Nottingham Square for Robin Hood


Four years ago, Neil sent me the article Prejudice and Slacks from The Cinema Sudio (November 1951) in which reporter Catherine O'Brien looked at the immense amount of research and work Carmen Dillon did on the set of Robin Hood. On top of all this of course, we must consider the fact that at the time she was the only woman to succeed in becoming an Oscar winning director. She overcame a huge amount of prejudice during her career at a time when no one in the film business would take a female art director seriously.

Below is an excerpt from the article Prejudice and Slacks:

Carmen Dillon's set design of Robin Hood's camp


"One of the most important sets in the film is the Sherwood Forest camp where Robin Hood and his Merry Men live in outlawry, in their woodland hideout. Some weeks before the film, Carmen accompanied a research party including producer Perce Pearce, script writer Larry Watkin, and film star Richard Todd to Nottingham and returned laden with photographs of every relic of Robin Hood days, which would help her construct the original setting at Denham Studios."

Robin Hood's Caves in Nottingham

Larry Watkin, Richard Todd and some of Disney's research team.



"... the Robin Hood sets are sufficient to demonstrate the huge scale assignment tackled by Carmen Dillon on her latest appointment as art director and the great confidence placed in artistic talent by Walt Disney in the realisation of one of his most ambitious ventures."

(The Cinema Studio: November 1951) 



To learn more about the life and career of Carmen Dillon and to read the fascinating article Prejudice and Slacks please click here. There is also a lot more information on Disney's research party and their look at the incredible caves and sites associated with the Robin Hood legend under the tag 'Film Production' here.


Film of the Month




These two YouTube clips from the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco were kindly sent in by Neil.   The first one advertises the fact that the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) was going to be the film of the month for May. I would have loved to have been there and would be interested to know if the museum had an exhibition dedicated to the movie!


The second clip is part of a fascinating interview with the late Ken Annakin (1914-2009), describing his work for Walt Disney. In this small section we hear him explain about Disney’s choice of CarmanDillon as Art Director on Robin Hood and the technique of sketching out each and every scene.


To read a longer interview with Ken Annakin on the making of Robin Hood, please click here.


Huntingdon Manor



Above is a rare image of Huntingdon Manor showing the wonderful attention to detail by art director Carman Dillon (1908 -2000) on Walt Disney’s live action movie the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men(1952). Information about the research and attention to detail by this remarkable woman can be seen here.

Huntingdon Manor appears at the opening of the film and the courtyard is full of hustle and bustle as Marian’s father prepares to go on Crusade with the king. It is here we see some of Carmen Dillon’s artistry and the product of her immense research.
Twenty five interior sets were designed by her, including ‘Nottingham Square’ which was constructed both on Denham lot and on one of the huge sound stages.

Film & Television Production at Burnham Beeches


Due to its beautiful woodland and close proximity to London (25 miles) and many film studios, (Shepperton, Bray and Pinewood) Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire, England, has been used for many movie and television projects down the years. It is characterised by a diverse mixture of ancient woodland, wood pasture, coppice, ponds and streams, grassland, mire and heath land. The sites most prominent features are the veteran Beech and Oak pollarded trees which provide a stable habitat for many rare and endangered deadwood species.

It covers an area of 220 hectares (540 acres) and is located close to Farnham Common, Burnham and Beaconsfield.


An ancient pollarded tree in 2009

Filming is tightly controlled due to recognition of the Beeches' international importance for wildlife, restricting filming to no more than 20 days per year and to certain times of year. Filming in environmentally sensitive areas has also been banned. The revenue from filming goes directly to fund the upkeep and management of the Beeches.

During my visit in April 2009 I was given a list of ‘all’ the filming that has taken place there since 1946 and too my horror one film in particular was omitted. Yes you guessed it, Walt Disney’s ‘Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men,’ which was filmed at a number of places in the area, including Mendelssohn’s Slope and Upper and Middle Pond in 1951.

So let’s try and put the record straight:


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Film 2010: Daniel Radcliffe



The film crew and production team of Harry Potter at Burnham Beeches in 2009


Creation Film 2008: Paul Bettany, Jenifer Connelly


Made With Magic TV 2008: Jamie Oliver


Jonathan Creek Christmas Special TV 2008: Alan Davies


New Tricks Series 5 TV 2008: Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman


Merlin TV 2008: Colin Morgan, Bradley James


Midsomer Murders TV 2008: John Nettles


Eden Lake Film 2007: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender


Sense & Sensibility TV 2007: Mark Williams, David Morrissey


Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix Film 2006: Daniel Radcliffe, Evanna Lynch


Primeval TV 2006: Douglas Henshall, Hannah Spearitt


Waking the Dead TV 2006: Trevor Eve, Sue Johnson


New Tricks TV 2005: Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman


I Could Never Be Your Woman Film 2005: Michelle Pfeiffer


Driving Lessons FILM 2005: Rupert Grint, Julie Waters


Waking the Dead TV 2005: Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston


King Arthur Film 2004: Clive Owen, Keira Knightley


Winter Solstice TV 2003: Jan Niklas, Geraldine Chaplin


In Deep TV 2002: Nick Berry, Stephen Tompkinson


Born and Bred TV 2002: Naomi Radcliffe, Jenna Russell


The Hole Film 2000: Thora Birch, Keira Knightley


Midsomer Murders TV 2000 John Nettles


The Worst Witch TV Una Stubbs


Alice in Wonderland TV 1998 Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Lloyd


Family Affairs TV 1998 Ebony Thomas, Kazia Pelka


Plunkett & Macleane Film 1998 Robert Carlyle, Liv Tyler


Merlin TV 1997/8 Sam Neil, Martin Short


Tess of the D’Urbervilles TV 1997 Justin Waddell


Bedroom 7 Hallways Film 1997 Kevin McKidd, Simon Callow


Kavanagh QC TV 1997 John Thaw


Spiceworld Film 1997 The Spice Girls, Richard E Grant


Bright Hair TV 1997 Emilia Fox, John Bowe


Bliss TV 1996 Simon Shepherd


Touching Evil TV 1997 Robson Green


Wilderness TV 1996 Amanda Ooms, Michael Kitchen


Ivanhoe TV 1996 Steve Waddington, Nick Brimble


The Wind in the Willows Film 1996 Steve Coogan, Eric Idle


The Hollow Reed Film 1995 Joely Richardson


Roald Dahl’s Red Riding Hood TV 1995 July Walters, Danny Devito


Guliver’s Travels TV 1995 Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen


Soldier Soldier TV1994/5 Robson Green, Jerome Flynn


Martin Chuzzlewit TV 1994 Julia Sawalha


First Knight Film 1994 Richard Gere, Julia Ormond


Circle of Friends Film 1994 Minnie Driver, Chris O’Donnell


Between The Lines TV 1993 Neil Pearson, Siobhan Redman


The Crying Game Film 1992 Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson


King Ralph Film 1991 Peter O’ Toole, John Goodman


Kevin Costner in Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves
The movie was filmed all over Burnham Beeches



Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Film 1990 Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman


Minder-Xmas Special TV 1988 Denis Waterman, George Cole


The Princess Bride Film 1987 Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn


Slipstream Film 1987 Mark Hamill, Robin Coltrane


Lair of the White Worm Film 1987 Hugh Grant, Amanda Donohoe


Mr Corbett’s Ghost TV 1987 Burgess Meredith, Mel Smith


Company of Wolves Film 1982/3 Angela Lansbury


Who Dares Wins Film 1982 Lewis Collins


Hawk the Slayer Film 1981/2 Jack Palance


Time Bandits Film 1981 John Cleese, Bernard Bresslaw


John Cleese as Robin Hood in Time Bandits


Agatha Film 1979 Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave


Dick Turpin TV 1978 Richard O’Sullivan


The Professionals TV 1977 Lewis Collins, Martin Shaw


Carry On England Film 1976 Sid James, Kenneth Williams


The New Avengers TV 1976 Patrick Macknee, Joanna Lumley


Carry On Behind Film 1975 Sid James, Kenneth Williams


Frankenstein: The True Story Film 1973 Ralph Richardson, Jane Seymour


Bless This House Film 1972 Sid James, Diana Coupland


The Benny Hill Show TV 1971 Benny Hill


The Persuaders TV 1971 Roger Moore, Tony Curtis


Carry On Camping Film 1969 Sid James Kenneth Williams


Randall & Hopkirk-Deceased TV 1969 Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope


Manhunt TV 1969 Cyd Hayman


The Siege of the Saxons Film 1963


Z Cars TV 1962 Colin Welland


The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Film 1962 Michael Redgrave, Tom Courtenay


The Avengers TV 1961 Patrick Macknee, Diana Rigg


Dangerman TV 1960 Patrick McGoohan


(VARIOUS) Hammer Horror films FILM 1960’s -70’s


Goldfinger Film 1960 Sean Connery


A Town Called Alice Film 1956 Peter Finch, Virginia Mc Kenna


Lost Film 1955 Thora Hird

Men of Sherwood Forest Film 1954 Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith

Perce Pearce the producer of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood
with Art Director Carmen Dillon and 2nd Unit Direcor Alex Bryce at Burnham Beeches



Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men Film 1952 Richard Todd, Joan Rice


London Belongs To Me FILM 1948: Richard Attenborough


Great Expectations FILM 1946 John Mills

If you know of any other TV of film productions not listed that used Burnham Beeches as a location, please get in touch.

Carmen Dillon - Prejudice and Slacks

When I first started this blog about Disney’s Story of Robin Hood three years ago, I tried to piece together as much information as I could about the art director on the movie, Carmen Dillon. The more I read about her the more there was to admire about her. What an amazingly talented woman she was. But there wasn’t a great deal about her work with Walt Disney. So I posted all that I could find.

But a few weeks ago Neil once again turned up an ace with this fantastic article from The Film Studio in 1951 about her work on Disney’s Story of Robin Hood. It is full of the information I had hoped for, including details of her battle in the early days against male prejudice, her detailed research for the Robin Hood movie and the construction of the massive sets at Denham. Read and enjoy!
Carmen Over Came Prejudice
 ..........And Put On Her Slacks

Carmen Dillon. Only woman who has succeeded in becoming an Oscar-winning director, has just completed one of her biggest assignments in this capacity on Walt Disney’s new, all live-action picture ‘Robin Hood’, starring Richard Todd in the title role, opposite Joan Rice as Maid Marian [November 1951].

The art director on ‘Robin Hood’ was a two-fold job; firstly to achieve period authenticity combined with photogenic scope on the many large scale Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle settings, which were spread over three stages at Denham Studios for filming by the interior unit, directed by Ken Annakin and photographed by Guy Green; secondly to find matching locations within easy reach of the studios for sequences in which the exterior unit, directed by Alex Bryce, with Geoffrey Unsworth as lighting camera man, took over the action and carried the scenes to completion.

Carmen Dillon was deemed the ideal art director for the job. She has a fine reputation on both sides of the Atalantic for imagination and artistic flair allied to a practical approach to set design and construction, which has been evidenced in her art direction of some of the biggest and most highly praised period films made in Britain, including ‘Henry V’ and ‘Hamlet,' for which she won her Oscar.

Fight for Recognition

Small and neat of figure, with greying hair and light blue eyes, Carmen Dillon was born in Ireland. After she had qualified as an architect, she became greatly attracted by the artistic possibilities of film set design and set out to get a job which would train her in this field. It is strange to reflect that this happened only fifteen years ago and yet at this time no one in film studios would take the idea of a woman art director seriously.

Anyone knowing Carmen Dillon, however, would realise that such an attitude would only serve to strengthen her determination to attain her objective. Eventually she obtained toe-hold in a studio at Wembley, as assistant in the art department. Even then petty restrictions beset her at every turn. She was not permitted to go on a set in slacks and was forbidden to discuss her work with the men in the studio workshops and stages. After a few weeks of making the best of this difficult situation, Carmen was asked to take over the work of an art director who had fallen ill on the eve of a production. By proving her undoubted talent and aptitude for production design she was able to overcome the prejudice which had hitherto hampered her career.

Early Career

Carmen Dillon was art director for Fox British from 1935 to 1937 and later worked for Two Cities on a series of major productions. She was associated with Paul Sheriff on ‘Demi Paradise,’ ‘The Way To The Stars,’and ‘Henry V,’ all of which contributed much to establishing the prestige of British films abroad. She was then put in sole charge of the vast and impressive settings for the brilliant Laurence Olivier film production of ‘Hamlet’. Her recent assignments as art director include ‘Women Hater’ ( a title aptly linked with the initiation of her career), ‘Rocking Horse Winner,’ and ‘The Browning Version.’

Although she can be extremely feminine and elegant in off-duty hours, Carmen now claims the prerogative to wear slacks throughout a production. In no other way could she supervise the sets in the process of construction at every level from studio tank to gantry.

Robin Hood Assignment

On Walt Disney’s Robin Hood Carmen was in control of a staff of over two hundred men, who accepted her advice and judgement with the same respect and deference as they would accord to any male art director. Among the technicians, she has earned, through her skill and tact, a reputation for knowing exactly what she wants, without fuss or muddle. She carries all the details of planning and building the sets in her head and has a remarkable knack of foreseeing and thus forestalling building problems.

Before the stage is set for the actors, the lighting cameraman and the director, Carmen plans the work, step by step, with fastidious detail. In the case of Robin Hood, the first step was research, to ensure that the pictorial effect should have a truly authentic 12th-century keynote.
 
Robin Hood's camp in Sherwood Forest

One of the most important sets in the film is the Sherwood Forest camp where Robin Hood and his Merry Men live in outlawry, in their woodland hideout. Some weeks before the film, Carmen accompanied a research party including producer Perce Pearce, script writer Larry Watkin, and film star Richard Todd to Nottingham and returned laden with photographs of every relic of Robin Hood days, which would help her construct the original setting at Denham Studios.

In what little remains of the original Sherwood Forest, Carmen studied the Queen Oak, where Robin Hood and Maid Marian are said to have their trysting place; Robin Hood’s Larder, another giant oak, where legend has it, the outlaws stored their game and the vast labyrinth of caves at the foot of Creswell Crags, where Robin Hood and his men are said to have hidden their horses when the Sheriff of Nottingham was on their tracks.

Back in the studio, Carmen incorporated many of these features of the Robin Hood country into her set design, which then became the subject of a conference between producer Perce Pearce, scriptwriter Larry Warkin and herself before passing it into the hands of the draughtsmen and model makers in her art department. From their blueprints and scale models the construction manager, Gus Walker, was then able to allocate to the various departments concerned the work required to bring the sketch into concrete existence.

Continuity Sketches

The Robin Hood art department was also responsible for producing continuity sketches of every camera set up in the film, somewhat on the lines of a static Disney cartoon, to ensure dovetail co-ordination between the two units, who were frequently filming sections of the same film, several miles apart.

These were the work of Stephen Grimes, son of ‘Grimes,’ the well known newspaper cartoonist, and himself an artist of distinction. Also working with Carmen Dillon in the Robin Hood art department was Arthur Lawson, as associate art director, Harry White and Jack Stevens as set dressers, Ivor Beddces as model constructor and a large staff of draughtsmen.
Nottingham Square

Authentic Reproduction

Two more of the twenty-five interior sets designed by Carmen Dillon for Walt Disney’s Robin Hood serve to illustrate the immense research and artistry with which she conjured up the back ground and atmosphere of 12th-century England. One of- Nottingham Square, in the reign of Richard Lionheart-was constructed both on Denham lot and on one of the studio stages-to cater for both units.

Three sides of an irregular square were surrounded by houses, some half-timbered and all pre-fabricated in the plasterers shop under the direction of Master Plasterer Arthur Banks. The houses and shops made of plaster and wattle (which was in fact the building material of that period) had every appearance of solid antiquity in spite of their backing of tubular steel scaffolding. Most imposing was the Sheriff’s house, with its carved arches and steep outside staircase. Thatching was carried out by one of Britain’s oldest surviving craftsmen in this line Mr A. Gilder of Stoke Poges.

The centre of the square was filled with wattle hurdles and pens in which were enclosed game and produce of every type. By the time the stars, featured players and extras-numbering up to two hundred-had taken their place in the square it was hard to imagine a more convincing reproduction of life in 12th century England. It is in this setting that Robin Hood and his men ride in from the forest to rescue a poacher and a farmer who are suffering at the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham and succeed in turning the tables on their hated persecutor.
The Great Hall, Nottingham Castle

Magnificent Illusion

Another fine set was the exterior and courtyard of Nottingham Castle, the scene of many of the most exciting and spectacular scenes in the film. On one side of the set a flight of steps ran up beside the forbidding stone wall of a Norman keep to an archway leading into the main building of the castle, facing, over a vast cobbled courtyard, ramparts overlooking the moat.

The drawbridge was a work of art in itself. Designed strictly on 12th century lines, this complicated piece of wooden mechanism had to be strong enough to bear the weight of a huge procession of crusaders clattering out of the courtyard on horseback. The impression of strength and solidity which pervaded this entire stage was overwhelming and yet the whole set was erected and painted in one day-due to the constant demands of the brisk schedule on studio floor space.

The secret again was meticulous pre-planning and prefabrication. The grey ‘stone’ walls were really plaster, cast in giant moulds and rigged onto movable steel scaffolding, while the forbidding curtain walls and towers, which looked as if they would defy an army, were in fact perspective cutouts. To aid the illusion of height and grandeur, the steps were designed in two flights, with a landing between them; the lower flight was quite shallow and the top one almost sheer.

These samples from the Robin Hood sets are sufficient to demonstrate the huge scale assignment tackled by Carmen Dillon on her latest appointment as art director and the great confidence placed in artistic talent by Walt Disney in the realisation of one of his most ambitious ventures.

'The Cinema Studio', November 1951 by Catherine O’Brien