If you‘re like me, you‘ve spent the days since hearing of Sir Ken Adam‘s passing trying to absorb everything he made - trying to find the photos and drawings of his sets, watching clips of his work and interviews with him, hoping somehow his mastery would find its way into my blood. Most recognized in pop culture for his run of early Bond films, he also spent a few notable films with Stanley Kubrick, and dabbled with some fun favorites, including “Addam‘s Family Values“ and “The Madness of King George.“ To put his genius bluntly, he designed “The War Room,“ a space so unavoidably powerful I‘ve no doubt it‘s the first time many new cinefiles recognize production design as a feature of filmmaking at all. And what a way to have your eyes opened.
So, beyond running down IMDb and watching all his films (to all my friends I used to have plans with, I'm sorry, I'm suddenly busy), and drooling into my keyboard as I scroll through Google Image, here are some of the open tabs I'm spending time with:
To start, I have to direct you to the wonderful little profile on PDC member Rose Lagacé‘s blog Art Departmental, by Alison Hickey.
To learn about the man, his life & times:
And a few far too short slideshows: