2014 (Production)

2014-11-05 (Production)

English (Original)

Interviewee: Albert Brenner
Interviewer: Sienna McLean LoGreco

Professional production

Production designer and art director Albert Brenner is interviewed by Sienna McLean-LoGreco at the Linwood Dunn Theater in 2014. This is a co-production with the Art Directors Guild and the Academy Oral History Projects. He recalls his upbringing in Brooklyn, NY, his early art direction for theater and television, and films he worked on from THE HUSTLER (1961) to BACKDRAFT (1991).

Production designer and art director Albert Brenner is interviewed by Sienna McLean-LoGreco at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood on November 5, 2014. Brenner shares stories about growing up in Brooklyn, NY, where he began his career designing window displays for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. He recalls being introduced to the scenic arts while enrolled in the Yale School of Drama under the tutelage of designer Donald Oenslager. After describing a brief stint teaching scenic and costume design at the University of Missouri, Brenner reminisces about his return to theater and working with Samuel Leve who helped him find work on television programs THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (1955) and CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? (1961). He recalls his segue into film, first as an assistant to two-time Oscar winner Richard Sylbert then moving to Los Angeles to work with Harry Horner on THE HUSTLER (1961). Brenner notes the differences in doing art direction for film versus his experiences in television and theater. He recounts the first collaboration with Sidney Lumet on THE PAWNBROKER (1964) which led to his first feature art director credit for FAIL-SAFE (1964). Brenner describes his aesthetic approach on the films POINT BLANK (1967), BULLITT (1968), and MONTE WALSH (1970), observing each director’s involvement with the design process. He details his work as art director on several Herbert Ross projects, THE SUNSHINE BOYS (1975), THE TURNING POINT (1977), and CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978), all earning Academy Award nominations. He discusses projects from 2010 (1984) to PRETTY WOMAN (1990) and BACKDRAFT (1991), describing the technical challenges inherent to each film. Brenner reflects on receiving the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and his deep commitment to the Guild’s mission statement. He shares his thoughts on the role of CGI in the production design and art direction process, remarking on the pros and cons of digital tools. In closing, Brenner states that all his jobs—from department store window designer to production designer in film—were equally important steps in his career path.

Albert Brenner (1926-2022) was a production designer and art director, known for his integration of scenic design with complex camera choreography. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Brenner graduated from the Yale School of Drama and began designing for classic television programs THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (1955) and CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? (1961). He transitioned to film as an associate art director on Robert Rossen’s THE HUSTLER (1961) and Sidney Lumet’s THE PAWNBROKER (1964). He worked again with Lumet on FAIL-SAFE (1964), his first feature credit as an art director, and earned his first production design credit on Robert McCarty’s LIGHT FANTASTIC (1964). Over the next two decades Brenner received five Academy Award nominations, which included collaborations with Herbert Ross (THE SUNSHINE BOYS, 1975; THE TURNING POINT, 1977; CALIFORNIA SUITE, 1978) and Peter Hyams (2010, 1984). Following his 1990-1993 tenure on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors (Art Directors Branch), Brenner served as production designer for Ron Howard’s BACKDRAFT (1991), Garry Marshall’s THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (2004) and GEORGIA RULE (2007). He received the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

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