Mattes go West

There are many Western films with matte paintings.  Some of them have plenty of matte artistry, like Gone with the Wind, but that large number of paintings in a Western film is not usual. Most frequently, you can find one or two mattes per film. I have chosen some of those titles on which I have just found one or two matte paintings. Unfortunately, most of these tricks are uncredited.

Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953) was produced by Columbia Pictures, with no FX credit.  Lawrence Butler was Head of the Effects Department at Columbia Pictures from the mid-40s to the late 60s, but I think they didn’t have a permanent matte painter at Columbia during those years.

The upper part of the frame is a painting showing the faraway village in the valley and the surrounding mountains.

The One and Only, genuine Family Band. (1968) The good thing about Disney Films is that matte paintings are always credited. This time Alan Maley was in charge of painting a distant view of Dakota.

Across the Wide Missouri ( 1951)   M.G.M. matte department under the supervision of Warren Newcombe. There are also several remarkable backdrop paintings that are enhanced with matte shots.

 I first thought those mountains and sky were matte shots, but it was a huge backdrop painting.

 Whispering Smith (1948) A Paramount Pictures film with Gordon Jennings and Farciot Edouard credited for Photographic effects. Jan Domela, the resident matte artist at Paramount, must be responsible for the painting.

The Wyoming Mail (1950) was produced by Universal Pictures with no credit for FX, as usual at Universal films before Albert Whitlock arrived from Disney.  The matte paintings should be the work of Russell Lawson.

 The upper part of that huge rock formation is a painting.  I noticed that because the shadows on the rock only change on the lower side. You can see the difference on those two frames from different shots.

Another Universal film, Cattle Drive (1951). This time with David S. Horsley credited for Special photography. Russell Lawson again uncredited for his matte paintings.

Only the centre area of the frame with the railroad on the plain is real. All the surrounding landscape is painted

The same set of a cavalry fort was used on many Universal films. The first one is from Column South (1953). The second is from War Arrow (1953). Both paintings are by Russell Lawson.

 For War Arrow (1953), the photographic effects were provided by Jack Rabin Company.  At that time, he used to team up with matte artist Irving Block, but Rabin also executed some matte paintings by himself, so either of them could have painted.

Western Union (1941) was a film produced by T.C.Fox, but strangely there are no credits for photographic effects. Fred Sersen was head of T.C.F. 's effects department; being a great matte artist himself, he had a team of matte painters that could have worked on that film, like Emile Kosa Jr., Ralph Hammeras,  Cliff Silsby, Max de Vegas, or Scotty Welborne.

 I found two beautiful matte paintings; the last one at the end of the film is a full painting with a tilt-up camera movement from the headstone to a glorious sky.

Springfield Rifles (1952) and The Command (1954) produced  by Warner Bros

For Warner films, it was usual not to find any VFX credit.  Lou Lichtenfeld was in charge of matte paintings from the early 50´s to the late 60´s, and probably he was responsible for those paintings. 

I cannot close that small article without mentioning the European westerns.  Most of them were Italian and Spanish productions during the 60´s.

Italian director, cinematographer, and tricks expert Mario Bava executed some in-camera glass shots on many films. He used to work with some Italian artists like  Amedeo Gigli, who painted  miniatures for him for almost a decade. Mostly for sword-and-sandal films. Bava also used to use cut-out photos, pasted on glass. I guess he used that technique on The Road to Fort Alamo (1964)

You just have to show around twenty extras on Indian costume on a medium wide shots and then for the wide shot  paint or paste photos of hundred Indians.

Spanish miniature artist Emilio Ruiz del Rio executed in-camera glass shots very often for westerns filmed in Spain.  Emilio usually painted on cut-out aluminium sheets instead of glass and made use of panoramic movement very often.

West village painted by Emilio Ruiz for Terrible Sheriff (1962) with a camera movement on the foreground painting.

For the film Charge of the Seven Cavalry (1965) he painted an Indian camp with the same technique that allows camera movement.  The painting was held by two trunks behind the actors.

Another matte shot with a horizontal camera movement that follows the carriage entering the set from Cannon from Cordoba (1970). The right part of the wall and the far-away landscape were painted on a cut out hold  on the foreground cactus.