Art Direction by Hal Pereira – 5 iconic Films

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A cinematic nighttime cityscape from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954), featuring meticulously designed apartment exteriors, fire escapes, and warm lighting, showcasing Hal Pereira’s masterful art direction.
This iconic set design from Rear Window (1954) exemplifies Hal Pereira’s artistic mastery in cinematic storytelling, blending architectural realism with atmospheric lighting to create unforgettable visual narratives.

Hal Pereira (1905-1983) was a notable art director for Hollywood films from the 1940s through the 1960s. Born in Chicago, Pereira started in theatre design in that same city before moving to Los Angeles and working for Paramount Studios as a unit art director.

In 1944 he was art designer for the great film noir Double Indemnity. By 1950, he was supervising art director for the studio, working on such films as the classic Western Shane and The Greatest Show on Earth, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. In 1955 Pereira won the Oscar for best art direction for a black and white film for The Rose Tattoo. Also, he was the art director on almost all of the important Alfred Hitchcock films of the 1950s.

Pereira also worked in television, most notably for one of the longest-running shows in the history of that medium, the Western Bonanza.
In 1968, Pereira left the entertainment industry to join the architectural firm of his brother William Pereira as a consultant on design.

Here is a sample of five epic movies where he was the Art Director.

1. Rear Window

2. Shane

3. The Rose Tattoo

4. Double Indemnity

5. The Greatest Show on Earth

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