Among effects master Willis H.O’Brien’s more atypical film credits would have to be the big Merian C.Cooper Roman-disaster epic LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1935). Whereas O’Bie was the specialist in stop motion animation as witnessed in a number of classic films, most notably KING KONG his skills in special visual effects were less often utilised elsewhere, with LAST DAYS OF POMPEII being a prime example.
I get the impression from all of the articles I’ve read on O’Bie that he never reached the degree of fulfillment in the field of special effects that he’d have desired – with often considerable gaps between assignments and many projects which never got off the ground such as GWANGI (pictured here with O’Bie posing with a Jack Shaw pre-production oil painting). As if his stuttering film career wasn’t impediment enough, the numerous personal tragedies that befell O’Bie were enough to sink the strongest of men.
POMPEII is a fascinating film on a number of levels. It’s a film that tries hard to give the big studio look to an apparently modest budget film from a minor studio at the time. It’s pretty well written and well paced with several set pieces that shine through. Of course it’s the climactic eruption of Mt Vesuvius that was the selling point for the movie, and even though we have to wait until the last reel to see it there is enough drama and spectacle throughout to not leave one wanting…
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A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX
Please Note: Now, I am going further back into the archives of Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX to feature even more articles from this great site.
This blog is intended primarily as a tribute to the inventiveness and ingenuity of the craft of the matte painter during Hollywoods’ Golden Era. Some of the shots will amaze in their grandeur and epic quality while others will surprise in their ‘invisibility’ to even the sophisticated viewer. I hope this collection will serve as an appreciation of the artform and both casual visitors and those with a specialist interest may benefit, enjoy and be amazed at skills largely unknown today.