Biography:
Born in Paris, 1883, he painted backdrops for Opera Covent Garden and the Comedie Francaise. At age 22, he went to Gaumont Studios where he was responsible for design sets, paint backings and special effects.
At 1912 he went to New York to work at “Eckair Film company”, Two years later he began his collaboration with Maurice Tourner working as art director for 31 of his films.
His career as art director was never an obstacle to his real vocation, painting. He liked painting the bakings and the glass shots for his movies, which drove him to accepted some matte paintings assignments for other movies.
At 1937, he abandoned his art director career favoring his painting jobs. He worked at MGM for years, painting bakings for movies like Marie Antoniette, The Wizard of Oz, An American in Paris or Singing in the rain.
Extract from the book “Architecture in the movies, Juan Antonio Ramirez”
Portrait of Ben Carré, photo by Mark Morris taken in 1972 as he looked out the window to his backyard in the house that he designed.
Filmography:
- Marie Antoinette (backing painting)
- Wizard of OZ (backing painting)
- Singing in the rain (backing painting)
- An American in Paris. (backing painting)
- when a man loves (1926) (matte painting)
- Dante´s Inferno (1935) (matte painting)
art director
Great Guy (1936)
Let’s Sing Again (1936) (as Ben Carre)
The Mine with the Iron Door (1936)
The Black Camel (1931)
The Woman from Hell (1929)
Old San Francisco (1927)
The Better ‘Ole (1926)
Don Juan (1926)
Mare Nostrum (1926) (uncredited)
Lights of Old Broadway (1925)
The Masked Bride (1925)
His Supreme Moment (1925)
A Thief in Paradise (1925)
In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1924)
Thy Name Is Woman (1924)
What Fools Men Are (1922)
Queen of the Moulin Rouge (1922)
Bob Hampton of Placer (1921)
Dinty (1920)
The Last of the Mohicans (1920)
Go and Get It (1920)
For the Soul of Rafael (1920)
The River’s End (1920)
Stronger Than Death (1920) (as Benjamin Carré)
Victory (1919) (uncredited)
The White Heather (1919)
Woman (1918)
Sporting Life (1918)
A Doll’s House (1918)
Rose of the World (1918)
Exile (1917)
Law of the Land (1917) (uncredited)
The Undying Flame (1917)
The Whip (1917)
The Velvet Paw (1916) (uncredited)
The Rail Rider (1916) (uncredited)
The Hand of Peril (1916)
Pawn of Fate (1916) (uncredited)
Trilby (1915)
Hearts in Exile (1915)
Production Designer:
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) (uncredited)
In Old Kentucky (1919)
The Blue Bird (1918)
Barbary Sheep (1917)
The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)
La vie de Bohème (1916)
Camille (1915/I)
A Night at the Opera (1935) (associate art director) (as Ben Carre)
River’s End (1930) (set designer) (uncredited)
The Iron Mask (1929) (artist)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) (consulting artist) (uncredited)
The Red Lily (1924) (scenic designer) (as Ben Carre)
The Wonderful Thing (1921) (set designer)
Set Decorator:
Hot for Paris (1929)
The Iron Mask (1929)
Soft Cushions (1927)
The Boob (1926) (settings) (as Ben Carre)