Syd Cain (1918-2011)
 
The JBIFC is sad to report the news that the production designer Syd Cain passed away on Monday 21st November, aged 93. The talented artist had a career that lasted nearly fifty years in the film industry, and he was closely associated with some of the most memorable gadgets and set designs on the James Bond films from early on in the series.

The JBIFC did a full interview with Syd which appeared in issue 22 of '007 Magazine' in 1990. This can be read in the members area at www.007.info/Members/SydCain.asp
 
Born in the small town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, in 1918, Syd Cain served in the forces in the Second World War and started his film career soon after at Denham Studios, working as a draughtsman on the movie 'The Inheritance' (1947). In 1954 he worked on 'Hell Below Zero', made by Warwick Films. The movie was co-produced by Albert R. Broccoli. Cain went on to serve 'Cubby' and Warwick Films again, this time as Assistant Art Director on the popular and now famous war movie 'The Cockleshell Heroes' (1955).
 
When Broccoli and Harry Saltzman made their first 007 adventure, 'Dr. No' (1962), with Sean Connery as James Bond, Cubby chose Cain as his Art Director for the innovative movie, and Cain worked alongside the Production Designer Ken Adam, helping to create the highly memorable sets and (at the time) a radical new approach to British filmmaking. Caine was then both Art and (uncredited) Production Designer on the second Bond movie 'From Russia, With Love' (1963), and designed what is probably one of the most iconic gadgets in the early 007 movies: the special black-leather attache case, equipped with an ArmaLite AR-7 folding sniper's rifle, 40 rounds of hidden ammunition, 50 gold sovereigns, a flat throwing knife, and a can of teargas disguised as talcum powder, which proved to be a tearful surprise for Donald 'Red' Grant (Robert Shaw). 
 
Cain was back as Production Designer for Peter Hunt's 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969), and played a major role in helping to design and create the unique Alpine setting for Blofeld's mountain-top research institute and laboratory. Cain next acted as Supervising Art Director for 'Live and Let Die' (1973), and designed the Buzz-saw wristwatch worn by Roger Moore's 007. He also renewed his association with Peter Hunt and Roger Moore by working on 'Shout At The Devil' (1976).
 
Syd's Bond association was revived again in the 1990s when he designed some storyboards for 'Goldeneye' (1995), and in his retirement he occupied his time illustrating children's books and other stories. He was also very generous with his time for Bond fans. In 2002 he published his autobiography, 'Not Forgetting James Bond: The Autobiography of James Bond Production Designer Syd Cain', a paperback version of which appeared in 2005. RIP, Syd.