The Collection

The Prodigal Pagan idol

Damascus temple interior with pagan ido

'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
'Pagan idol' backdrop from The Prodigal, detail shot
Director
Richard Thorpe
Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Art Direction
Randall Duell, Cedric Gibbons
Scenic Art Supervisor
George Gibson
Scenic Artist
John Harold Coakley
Description
Damascus temple interior with pagan idol
Place
Damascus, 70 BC
Date
1955
Dimensions
22’-2” x 16’-0”
Medium
Dry color and gelatin binder on cotton muslin
Style
Interior Architecture
Credit
Gift of J.C. Backings Corporation
Photo Credit
ADG Archives, Melinda Sue Gordon

Unique for their high chromatic saturation, these backdrops shaped MGM’s settings for the biblical parable of the Prodigal’s Son reimagined as a large-scale cinematic spectacle. Painted to be filmed in Technicolor, these backdrops demonstrate the rich, intense capacity of using dry color pigments. Eventually, scenic paint formulations would change to acrylic-based paints, reducing the scenic artist’s range of darkness and color intensity.

The Prodigal (1955), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer