A few days ago I promised to explain Menzies as my suggested middle name for the forthcoming Cameron Turner . Menzies’ IMDb reference page makes very interesting reading: many more credits as a production designer than as a director. According to Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia, Menzies was the first person ever to be credited as a Production Designer on a movie, and frequently had a much greater influence on the look of a film than the director, since the responsibility extended into costume and special effects.
The lead comment on Things To Come (1936) declares that it was the beginning of the ‘Intellectual Cinema’ anticipated by Eisenstein, and the only recommended viewing suggested in connection with it is Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971). Menzies also co-wrote a screenplay, with Joe Mankiewitz, of a 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland which I’ve never seen. He was second unit director (as well as production designer) for Gone With The Wind (1939) – which is to say he was responsible for most of the good things about that movie. And he is all over the 1940 version of Thief of Baghdad (1940), as uncredited director, associate producer and associate art director, amongst others. It was his second crack at this – he had been art director on the 1924 Roaul Walsh / Douglas Fairbanks Sr. version, too.
Aside: have you noticed how web searches for poets, authors and visual artists, the chances are you’re going to find something reasonably to the point, whereas if you’re looking for film directors, actors and more obvious Celebrities, you find nothing but commercial crap?