Climbing with Bob Cuff

Rock cliffs, gorges, and chasms are usual topics in matte painting. When a matte artist spends around 40 years of his life painting for films, it is not surprising that he has to paint the same subject repeatedly.

British matte painter Bob Cuff started in 1952 at Shepperton Studios under Wally Veevers; he later worked for Les Bowie and then formed the company Abacus Productions with matte camera John Mackey.

He retired in 1989 after painting mattes for Eric the Viking.

During his long career, he had to execute some spectacular paintings of cliffs for several well-known films. 

The first time was for The Guns of Navarone (1962), Gregory Peck climbing at Shepperton Studios surrounded by matte paintings. Bob Cuff was the main matte artist at Shepperton with Ted Samuels. 

Some years later, the same art director from Navarone, Geoffrey Drake, called Bob Cuff to take responsibility for the mattes for the film MacKenna’s Gold (1969)

This time Bob Cuff shared the painting work with Ray Caple and Joy Sheddon, who, after marrying his son Paul, became Joy Cuff. Again, Gregory Peck had to undergo dangerous vertical climbing.

The last one was for The Princess Bride (1987). This time it was Cary Elwes who made a hand climbing on the Cliffs of insanity. The main painters were  Bob Cuff and Doug Ferris,  with the assistance of Kevin McNamara and John Grant as matte camera.