James Basevi (born 21 September 1890,

Plymouth, Devon Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth' ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

– d. 27 March 1962,

Bellflower, California Bellflower is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1906 and incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 79,190, up ...

) was a British-born art director and

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wo ...

expert. After his military service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Basevi emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and later on to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He began his career in 1924 with MGM, designing sets for silent films. After the advent of

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

s, Basevi became the head of MGM's special effects department, helping to create the

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

scene in ''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

). He also worked on the storm sequence in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's '' The Hurricane'' for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. In

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

, he shared an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for art direction with William S. Darling for '' The Song of Bernadette''. He was nominated for Oscars for ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'' ( 1939), '' The Westerner'' (

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

), '' The Gang's All Here'' (

) and ''

The Keys of the Kingdom ''The Keys of the Kingdom'' is a 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin. Spanning six decades, it tells the story of Father Francis Chisholm, an unconventional Scottish Catholic priest who struggles to establish a mission in China. Beset by tragedy in h ...

'' (

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

Filmography

* ''

The Big Parade ''The Big Parade'' is a 1925 American silent war drama film directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Tom O'Brien, and Karl Dane. Written by World War I veteran, Laurence Stallings, the film is about ...

'' (1925) * '' The Circle'' (1925) * ''

The Tower of Lies ''The Tower of Lies'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström. It was written by Agnes Christine Johnston and Max Marcin, based upon Selma Lagerlöf's 1914 novel '' The Emperor of Portugallia'' (MGM actually purchased ...

'' (1925) * '' Soul Mates'' (1925) * ''

Pretty Ladies ''Pretty Ladies'' is a 1925 American silent comedy drama film starring ZaSu Pitts and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is a fictional recreation of the famed Ziegfeld Follies. Directed by Monta Bell, the film was written by Alice D. G ...

'' (1925) * '' Confessions of a Queen'' (1925) * ''

The Devil's Circus ''The Devil's Circus'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Danish director Benjamin Christensen, based upon his screenplay. The film stars Norma Shearer and Charles Emmett Mack. It was the first of seven films directed by Christens ...

'' (1926) * ''

Dance Madness ''Dance Madness'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard based upon a script by Frederica Sagor. The film starred Claire Windsor, Conrad Nagel, and Hedda Hopper. According to the credited screenwriter, Frederica S ...

'' (1926) * ''

Bardelys the Magnificent ''Bardelys the Magnificent'' is a 1926 American silent romantic film directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman. The film is based on the 1906 novel of the same title by Rafael Sabatini. It was the second film of the ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Temptress ''The Temptress'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Roy D'Arcy. It premiered on October 10, 1926. The film melodrama was based on a novel by ...

'' 1926) * ''

The Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's f ...

'' (1929) * ''

Tarzan and His Mate ''Tarzan and His Mate'' is a 1934 American pre-Code action adventure film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by Cedric Gibbons, it w ...

'' (1934) special effects * ''

China Seas The China Seas consist of a series of marginal seas in the Western Pacific Ocean, around China. They are the major components signifying the transition from the continent of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.Pinxian Wang, Qianyu Li, Chun-Feng Li, ''Geolog ...

'' (1935) special effects * ''

'' (1936) special effects * ''

Dead End Dead End or dead end may refer to: * Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''. Film and television * ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by Davi ...

'' (1937) special effects * '' History Is Made at Night'' (1937) special effects * ''

The Good Earth ''The Good Earth'' is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a Chinese village in the early 20th century. It is the first book in her ''House of Earth'' trilogy, continued in ''Sons'' (1932) ...

'' (1937) special effects * '' The Hurricane'' (1937) special effects * ''

The Adventures of Marco Polo ''The Adventures of Marco Polo'' is a 1938 adventure film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie, and Basil Rathbone. It was one of the most elaborate and costly of Samuel Goldwyn's productions. Plot Nicolo Polo shows t ...

'' (1938) special effects * ''

Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

'' (1938) special effects * '' The Cowboy and the Lady'' (1938) * '' The Real Glory'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * ''

They Shall Have Music ''They Shall Have Music'' is a 1939 musical film directed by Archie Mayo and starring famed violinist Jascha Heifetz (as himself), Joel McCrea, Andrea Leeds, and Gene Reynolds. The screenplay concerns a young runaway finds his purpose in life aft ...

'' (1939) * '' Raffles'' (1939) * '' The Westerner'' (1940) * ''

The Long Voyage Home ''The Long Voyage Home'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell and Ian Hunter. It features Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, and Ward Bond, among others. The f ...

'' (1940) * '' Tobacco Road'' (1941) * '' A Yank in the R.A.F.'' (1941) * ''

Son of Fury ''Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake'' is a 1942 American south seas adventure film directed by John Cromwell and starring Tyrone Power. The film was adapted from Edison Marshall's 1941 historical novel ''Benjamin Blake''. It is notable ...

'' (1942) * ''

Moontide ''Moontide'' is a 1942 American romantic drama with elements of a thriller. It was produced by Mark Hellinger and directed by Archie Mayo, who took over direction after initial director Fritz Lang left the project early in the shooting schedule. ...

'' (1942) * ''

China Girl China Girl may refer to: Music *China Girl (song), "China Girl" (song), a 1977 song by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, rerecorded and released as a single by Bowie in 1983 *"China Girl", a song by John Cougar, released in 1982 on the album ''American Foo ...

'' (1942) * '' The Black Swan'' (1942) * '' Thunder Birds'' (1942) * '' Guadalcanal Diary'' (1943) * '' Paris After Dark'' (1943) * ''

The Ox-Bow Incident ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a ...

'' (1943) * '' Sweet Rosie O'Grady'' (1943) * '' Claudia'' (1943) * ''

They Came to Blow Up America ''They Came to Blow Up America'', also known as ''School for Sabotage'' and ''School for Saboteurs'', is a 1943 American war spy film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring George Sanders and Anna Sten. It is based on the World War II Operation P ...

'' (1943) * ''

Hello, Frisco, Hello ''Hello, Frisco, Hello'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Lynn Bari, and Jack Oakie. The film was made in Technicolor and released by 20th Century-Fox. This was one of the last ...

'' (1943) * '' Jitterbugs '' (1943) * ''

Bomber's Moon ''Bomber's Moon'' is a 1943 American wartime propaganda film, produced by 20th Century Fox, based on an unpublished magazine serial "Bomber's Moon" by Leonard Lee. Plot Captain Jeff Dakin ( George Montgomery) is shot down over Germany on a bomb ...

'' (1943) * '' Wintertime'' (1943) * '' Happy Land'' (1943) * ''

The Dancing Masters ''The Dancing Masters'' is a 1943 black and white American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair, produced by 20th Century-Fox, and featuring Laurel and Hardy. A young Robert Mitchum has a small, uncredited role as a gangster posing as an i ...

'' (1943) * '' The Gang's All Here'' (1943) * '' Stormy Weather'' (1943) * '' Holy Matrimony'' (1943) * '' The Gang's All Here'' (1943) * '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) * ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Moon is Down ''The Moon Is Down'' is a novel by American writer John Steinbeck. Fashioned for adaptation for the theatre and for which Steinbeck received the Norwegian King Haakon VII Freedom Cross, it was published by Viking Press in March 1942. The story ...

'' (1943) * '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943) * '' Home in Indiana'' (1944) * ''

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

'' (1944) * ''

In the Meantime, Darling ''In the Meantime, Darling'' is a 1944 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Arthur Kober and Michael Uris focuses on a wealthy war bride (Jeanne Crain) who is forced to adjust to living in spartan condit ...

'' (1944) * '' Wilson'' (1944) * '' The Eve of St. Mark'' (1944) * ''

Lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

'' (1944) * ''

Casanova Brown ''Casanova Brown'' is a 1944 American comedy romantic film directed by Sam Wood, written by Nunnally Johnson, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Frank Morgan. The film had its world premiere in western France after the Allies had li ...

'' (1944) * '' The Lodger'' (1944) * ''

The Fighting Sullivans ''The Fighting Sullivans'', originally released as ''The Sullivans'', is a 1944 American biographical war film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Edward Doherty, Mary C. McCall Jr., and Jules Schermer. It was nominated for a now-discontinu ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Purple Heart ''The Purple Heart'' is a 1944 American black-and-white war film, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, directed by Lewis Milestone, and starring Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Don "Red" Barry, Sam Levene and Trudy Marshall. Eighteen-year-old Farley ...

'' (1944) * ''

Four Jills in a Jeep ''Four Jills in a Jeep'' is a 1944 American comedy-drama musical film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II. Production The ...

'' (1944) * '' Ladies of Washington'' (1944) * '' Roger Touhy, Gangster'' (1944) * ''

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

'' (1944) * '' Pin Up Girl'' (1944) * ''

Bermuda Mystery ''Bermuda Mystery'' is a 1944 American mystery film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Scott Darling. The film stars Preston Foster, Ann Rutherford, Charles Butterworth, Helene Reynolds, Jean Howard and Richard Lane. The film was rel ...

'' (1944) * '' Buffalo Bill'' (1944) * ''

'' (1944) * '' Spellbound'' (1945) * ''

The Dark Corner ''The Dark Corner'' is a 1946 American crime film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix and Mark Stevens.. The film was not a commercial success but has since been described as a "Grade A exampl ...

'' (1946) * ''

Home, Sweet Homicide ''Home Sweet Homicide'' is an American mystery film directed by Lloyd Bacon and released in 1946. It stars Peggy Ann Garner, Randolph Scott and Lynn Bari, and was based on the eponymous mystery novel by Craig Rice. The film features the line ...

'' (1946) * '' Johnny Comes Flying Home'' (1946) * '' If I'm Lucky'' (1946) * ''

It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog ''It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog'' is a 1946 American comedy crime film starring Carole Landis, Allyn Joslyn and Margo Woode, and directed by Herbert I. Leeds.Fleming p.270 Synopsis After returning from World War II, a journalist is assigned by h ...

'' (1946) * '' Somewhere in the Night'' (1946) * '' My Darling Clementine'' (1946) * '' Claudia and David'' (1946) * ''

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita. Margie may refer to: People * Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater * Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...

'' (1946) * '' Duel in the Sun'' (1946) * ''

13 Rue Madeleine ''13 Rue Madeleine'' is a 1947 American World War II spy film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring James Cagney, Annabella, Richard Conte and Frank Latimore. Allied volunteers are trained as spies in the leadup to the invasion of Europe, bu ...

'' (1946) * '' Strange Triangle'' (1946) * ''

Carnival in Costa Rica ''Carnival in Costa Rica'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Gregory Ratoff and written by Samuel Hoffenstein, John Larkin, and Elizabeth Reinhardt. It was released in Technicolor by Twentieth Century-Fox. Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen, ...

'' (1947) * '' Thunder in the Valley'' (1947) * ''

The Homestretch ''The Homestretch'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Wanda Tuchock. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Maureen O'Hara, Glenn Langan, Helen Walker, James Gleason, Henry Stephenson and Margaret Bannerman. T ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Late George Apley ''The Late George Apley'' is a 1937 novel by John Phillips Marquand. It is a satire of Boston's upper class in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The title character is a Harvard-educated WASP living on Beacon Hill in downtown Boston. T ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Brasher Doubloon ''The Brasher Doubloon'' (known in the UK as ''The High Window'') is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. It is based on the 1942 novel '' The High Window'' by Raymond Chandler. ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim ''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film in Technicolor written and directed by George Seaton and starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes. The screenplay, based on a story by Ernest Maas and Frederica Maas, focuses on ...

'' (1947) * ''

Captain from Castile ''Captain from Castile'' is a historical adventure film released by 20th Century-Fox in 1947. Directed by Henry King, the Technicolor film stars Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, and Cesar Romero. Shot on location in Michoacán, Mexico, the film include ...

'' (1947) * '' Three Godfathers'' (1948) * '' Fort Apache'' (1948) * '' Somewhere in the Night'' (1948) * '' Mighty Joe Young'' (1949) * ''

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'' is a 1949 American Technicolor Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. It is the second film in Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", along with '' Fort Apache'' (1948) and '' Rio Grande'' (1950). With a b ...

'' (1949) * ''

To Please a Lady ''To Please a Lady'' is a 1950 American romance film produced and directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Plot Racing driver Mike Brannan ha ...

'' (1950) * ''

Wagonmaster ''Wagonmaster'' is the fifty-third and final studio album by American country music artist Porter Wagoner, who died on October 28, 2007. It was released on June 5, 2007, via the ANTI- Records label. A music video was made for the album's only s ...

'' (1950) * ''

Night Into Morning ''Night Into Morning'' is a 1951 American drama film starring Ray Milland, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis. Plot Everything is going very well for college professor Phillip Ainley (Ray Milland), who has a loving wife and son and an offer to teach a ...

'' (1951) * ''

The People Against O'Hara ''The People Against O'Hara'' is a 1951 American crime film noir directed by John Sturges and based on Eleazar Lipsky's novel. The film features Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, John Hodiak, and James Arness. Plot James Curtayne ( Tracy) was once a ...

'' (1951) * '' Across the Wide Missouri'' (1951) * ''

My Man and I ''My Man and I'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by William Wellman, about an ambitious Mexican immigrant farm laborer ( Ricardo Montalban), who falls in love with an alcoholic waitress (Shelley Winters) despite being pursued by the beautif ...

'' (1952) * '' Just This Once'' (1952) * '' Island in the Sky'' (1952) * '' Battle Circus'' (1953) * '' East of Eden'' (1954) * ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...

'' (1956)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Basevi, James 20th Century Studios people British art directors Best Art Direction Academy Award winners 1890 births 1962 deaths Special effects people Artists' Rifles soldiers British emigrants to the United States