I decided to dedicate this thread to Ken Adam, who I feel was an important part of why the Connery Bond movies were so successful. From the room in Dr. No where Professor Dent has his talk with the as yet unseen title character to the awesome SPECTRE briefing room in this film (and let's not forget Blofeld's incredible volcano headquarters in You Only Live Twice), Mr. Adam could do any kind of set, and do it well.
He was the Art Director's Art Director. It was disgraceful that he never got an Oscar for his work.
Any other opinions about this?
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Reply by AlienFanatic
on June 21, 2018 at 11:50 AM
According to Wikipedia, he earned two Oscars for art direction for Barry Lyndon and for The Madness of King George.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Adam
Perhaps you were referring to the lack of Academy recognition for the Bond movies, but they've never been an awards draw. In fact, the Academy has always been snobbish about "popular" fare versus more "deserving," artful films. (Gag!) He did earn BAFTAs for movies he didn't win an AA for, including one of my absolute all-time favorites, Dr. Strangelove. The War Room alone was a brilliant bit of staging. In fact, the B-52 cockpit was so realistic that the US Government was concerned that someone had leaked info to the designers since at that time the cockpit interior was still classified.
He also got an OBE for his lifetime of service. I think he was very much appreciated for all of his work, and (imo) the Academy Awards aren't proof of skill. (That, to me, would be awards from your peers, such as the Art Director's Guild.)
Reply by Maria Kelly
on June 21, 2018 at 1:28 PM
@AlienFanatic :😃I honestly didn't know about the Oscars for Barry Lyndon and The Madness Of King George. I'm so happy to hear that! 🎆🎉
I firmly believe that if there was one Bond film that he really deserved an Oscar for, my choice would be Blofeld's volcano hideout in You Only Live Twice. What a stunning work of art direction! Which Ken Adam Bond set would you pick?