DOCSLIB.ORG

Download (2631Kb)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Download (2631Kb) University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/58603 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. A Special Relationship: The British Empire in British and American Cinema, 1930-1960 Sara Rose Johnstone For Doctorate of Philosophy in Film and Television Studies University of Warwick Film and Television Studies April 2013 ii Contents List of figures iii Acknowledgments iv Declaration v Thesis Abstract vi Introduction: Imperial Film Scholarship: A Critical Review 1 1. The Jewel in the Crown in Cinema of the 1930s 34 2. The Dark Continent: The Screen Representation of Colonial Africa in the 1930s 65 3. Wartime Imperialism, Reinventing the Empire 107 4. Post-Colonial India in the New World Order 151 5. Modern Africa according to Hollywood and British Filmmakers 185 6. Hollywood, Britain and the IRA 218 Conclusion 255 Filmography 261 Bibliography 265 iii Figures 2.1 Wee Willie Winkie and Susannah of the Mounties Press Book Adverts 52 3.1 Argentinian poster, American poster, Hungarian poster and British poster for Sanders of the River 86 3.2 Paul Robeson and Elizabeth Welch arriving in Africa in Song of Freedom 92 3.3 Cedric Hardwicke and un-credited actor in Stanley and Livingstone 102 4.1 Madeleine Carroll and Paulette Goddard in North West Mounted Police 134 5.1 Herbert Lom as Van Layden waiting for Prince to Kishan and Eduardo Ciannelli as the Kali cult leader 156 5.2 Lauren Bacall with baby India in North West Frontier 163 5.3 Waiting in Darkness: Peter Illing in Bhowani Junction 180 6.1 Orlando Martins dancing in West of Zanzibar 200 6.2 A contrast between meetings in Simba 207 7.1 Harper’s Magazine illustration of Irish Iberian, Anglo-Teutonic, and Negro 220 7.2 King Solomon’s Mines Press Book Advert 227 iv Acknowledgements I must first thank my professor, Dr. Jon Burrows for his guidance during this project. Without his patience and direction, I could not have hoped to pursue this project. I have learned much in the three years under his supervision and am in debt for all that I will take away from these years. I would also thank Dr. John Hill for his aid in securing important materials for this project as well as Dr. Beth Wightman and Dr. James C. Robertson for helping me answer vital questions I had for this project. Also, to the staff of the British Film Institute, the National Archives, the British Library, the Margaret Herrick Library, and to the University of Warwick Library I extend my sincerest thanks. I want to also thank my family for their untiring support of my goals. To my father, mother, and sister, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you Brenda, Buddy, Chad, and little Leah. To my partner’s family who have shown enthusiastic support of my project, thank you David, Elizabeth, Catherine, Stuart, wee David and wee Lauren. And since no goal is attained without the moral support of friends, I need to thank, Fiona Cox, Sharyn Chen, Cris Barrington, Kimberley Walter, Natasha Caplan, David Gudgeon, Amanda Daniel-Ennis, Zoe Clay, Demelza Moreau, James Lyon, Justin Carr, Stephanie Owens Carr, and though he is no longer with this world, Mark Ratliff. Thank you all for your unwavering support. Finally, to my partner, husband, and the love of my life, Sandy Johnstone: thank you for all your encouragement every step of the way. Thank you for helping me realise all of my dreams and being with me to see them come true. v Declaration by Candidate I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it has not been submitted anywhere for any award. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged. Sara Johnstone April 2013 vi Thesis Abstract This project sets out to scrutinize three decades of feature length fiction films about the British Empire produced by American and British filmmakers beginning in the 1930s through to the end of the 1950s. It compares British and American film in these three decades because such a comparative study has yet to be done and situating such a study within the changing historical contexts is important to chart shifting patterns in filmmaking in these two cultures. Focusing on film narratives that favour sites of modern colonial conflict as setting, namely India, the African colonies and Ireland, the project will chart how American and British filmmakers started from significantly different positions regarding the British imperial project but came to share increasing homogeneity of approach during and after the Second World War. This thesis shows that the relationship of American and British filmmakers to the British Empire changed dramatically after the Second World War and followed political developments. The new special relationship which grew strong after the war had far reaching consequences to the colonial and former colonial nations: the way in which American and British filmmakers portrayed this transition has important implications within film history. 1 Introduction Imperial Film Scholarship: A Critical Review In a scene from the 1935 Hollywood film The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, set on the Northwest Frontier of British India, a group of officers discuss their Colonel’s refusal to make an exception to regimental orders, even though his strict obedience will likely result in the death of his own son (captured by a group of rebel natives). One of them, a Scottish-Canadian Lieutenant, is critical of his English superior’s stance – ‘Why can’t he be a little less of a soldier and more of a man? Why can’t he forget his blasted duty for once’ - but another staunchly defends him with more powerful rhetoric: Man, you are blind! Have you never thought how, for generation after generation here, a handful of men have ordered the lives of 300 million people? It’s because he’s here, and a few more like him! Men of his breed have made British India. Men who put their jobs above everything. He wouldn’t let death move him from it. But he won’t let love move him from it. When his breed of man dies out – that’s the end. And it’s a better breed of man than any of us will ever make. Good night, gentlemen. There are numerous other Hollywood films made in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s which feature similarly stirring speeches presenting an eloquent defence of British imperialism and the values and sacrifices of the men (and, very occasionally, women) who helped to found or protect the British Empire. As the review of scholarly literature in this introduction will show, such manifestations of apparently vicarious pro-Empire patriotism on the part of American filmmakers have led many scholars investigating the representation of the British Empire in the cinema to make little distinction between Hollywood productions and relevant films made by the British film industry. There is an assumption that the ideological contours are practically identical. 2 The main premise of this thesis is that there is a pressing need to carefully distinguish, compare and contrast the representations of the history of British imperialism which appear in British and American feature-length fiction films. Hollywood productions did not by any means constitute a natural and obvious source of pro-imperial propaganda. The first piece of government legislation introduced to stimulate and protect the British film industry from foreign competition, the 1927 Cinematograph Act, was born of discussions which actually identified Hollywood as a major threat to Britain’s political authority over its colonies and dominions. As Margaret Dickinson and Sarah Street have shown, various branches of British government and industry saw Hollywood’s almost monopolistic stranglehold on the international film trade as an all-too-likely means by which American values and products would ultimately completely displace British ideals and exports in the colonies. The 1926 Imperial Conference debated this issue at length and reported that ‘It is a matter of most serious concern that the films shown in the various parts of the Empire should be to such an overwhelming extent the product of foreign countries’.1 In the same year the Federation of British Industries passed a resolution declaring that they viewed with great alarm the practical monopoly which has been obtained by foreign film production concerns of the kinema programmes of the British Empire. They consider that this must have a most detrimental effect on British prestige and must be seriously prejudicial to the best interests of the Empire, especially in those parts of the overseas Dominions which contain large coloured populations.2 1 Imperial Economic Conference, General Economic Sub-Committee, 18 November 1926, National Archives, CAB 32/59. 2 Kinematograph Weekly, 22 April 1926, 42; quoted in Margaret Dickinson and Sarah Street, Cinema and State: The Film Industry and the British Government 1927-84 (London: BFI, 1985), 27. 3 Indeed, it is common in this period to find Hollywood characterised as a rival imperial force, threatening to colonise the hearts and minds of British subjects throughout the colonies. The research conducted for this thesis has not identified any kind of ‘smoking gun’ document which can tell us if the Hollywood production cycle of tales of the British Empire like The Lives of Bengal Lancer, which started to proliferate from the mid-1930s onwards, were intended in part to assuage British fears about the negative impact of American films on the task of colonial governance, and thus to maintain cordial Anglo-American film industry trade relations – the latter being a key priority for Hollywood studios, given the commercial importance of overseas English- speaking territories in generating profits.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Missions and Film Jamie S
    Missions and Film Jamie S. Scott e are all familiar with the phenomenon of the “Jesus” city children like the film’s abused New York newsboy, Little Wfilm, but various kinds of movies—some adapted from Joe. In Susan Rocks the Boat (1916; dir. Paul Powell) a society girl literature or life, some original in conception—have portrayed a discovers meaning in life after founding the Joan of Arc Mission, variety of Christian missions and missionaries. If “Jesus” films while a disgraced seminarian finds redemption serving in an give us different readings of the kerygmatic paradox of divine urban mission in The Waifs (1916; dir. Scott Sidney). New York’s incarnation, pictures about missions and missionaries explore the East Side mission anchors tales of betrayal and fidelity inTo Him entirely human question: Who is or is not the model Christian? That Hath (1918; dir. Oscar Apfel), and bankrolling a mission Silent movies featured various forms of evangelism, usually rekindles a wealthy couple’s weary marriage in Playthings of Pas- Protestant. The trope of evangelism continued in big-screen and sion (1919; dir. Wallace Worsley). Luckless lovers from different later made-for-television “talkies,” social strata find a fresh start together including musicals. Biographical at the End of the Trail mission in pictures and documentaries have Virtuous Sinners (1919; dir. Emmett depicted evangelists in feature films J. Flynn), and a Salvation Army mis- and television productions, and sion worker in New York’s Bowery recent years have seen the burgeon- district reconciles with the son of the ing of Christian cinema as a distinct wealthy businessman who stole her genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Leituras Freudianas E Lacanianas Do Espaço Simbólico Hitchcock's Films O
    Universidade de Aveiro Departamento de Línguas e Culturas Ano 2017 Mark William Poole Os Filmes de Hitchcock no Sofá: Leituras Freudianas e Lacanianas do Espaço Simbólico Hitchcock’s Films on the Couch: Freudian and Lacanian Readings of Symbolic Space Universidade de Aveiro Departamento de Línguas e Culturas Ano 2017 Mark William Poole Os Filmes de Hitchcock no Sofá: Leituras Freudianas e Lacanianas do Espaço Simbólico Hitchcock’s Films on the Couch: Freudian and Lacanian Readings of Symbolic Space Tese apresentada à Universidade de Aveiro para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Estudos Culturais, realizada sob a orientação científica do Doutor Anthony David Barker, Professor Associado do Departamento de Línguas e Culturas da Universidade de Aveiro o júri Doutor Carlos Manuel da Rocha Borges de Azevedo, Professor Catedrático, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade do Porto. Doutor Mário Carlos Fernandes Avelar, Professor Catedrático, Universidade Aberta, Lisboa. Doutor Anthony David Barker, Professor Associado, Universidade de Aveiro (orientador). Doutor Kenneth David Callahan, Professor Associado, Universidade de Aveiro. Doutor Nelson Troca Zagalo, Professor Auxiliar, Universidade do Minho. presidente Doutor Nuno Miguel Gonçalves Borges de Carvalho, Reitor da Universidade de Aveiro. agradecimentos Primarily, I would like to thank Isabel Pereira, without whose generosity this entire process would not have been possible. She believes in supporting all types of education and I cannot express my gratitude enough. I express equal gratitude to Marta Correia, who has been the Alma Reville of this thesis. She has had the patience to listen to my ideas and offer her invaluable insights, while proofreading and criticising the chapters as this thesis evolved.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tragedy of 3D Cinema
    Film History, Volume 16, pp. 208–215, 2004. Copyright © John Libbey Publishing ISSN: 0892-2160. Printed in United States of America The tragedy of 3-D cinema The tragedy of 3-D cinema Rick Mitchell lmost overlooked in the bicoastal celebrations The reason most commonly given was that of the 50th anniversary of the introduction of audiences hated to wear the glasses, a necessity for ACinemaScope and the West Coast revivals of 3-D viewing by most large groups. A little research Cinerama was the third technological up- reveals that this was not totally true. According to heaval that occurred fifty years ago, the first serious articles that appeared in exhibitor magazines in attempt to add real depth to the pallet of narrative 1953, most of the objections to the glasses stemmed techniques available to filmmakers. from the initial use of cheap cardboard ones that Such attempts go back to 1915. Most used the were hard to keep on and hurt the bridge of the nose. anaglyph system, in which one eye view was dyed or Audiences were more receptive to plastic rim projected through red or orange filters and the other glasses that were like traditional eyeglasses. (The through green or blue, with the results viewed cardboard glasses are still used for anaglyph pres- through glasses with corresponding colour filters. entations.) The views were not totally discrete but depending on Another problem cited at the time and usually the quality of the filters and the original photography, blamed on the glasses was actually poor projection. this system could be quite effective.
    [Show full text]
  • Communications Under the Seas: the Evolving Cable Network and Its
    Communications under the Seas The Evolving Cable Network and Its Implications edited by Bernard Finn and Daqing Yang The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. For information about special quantity discounts, please email special_sales@mitpress .mit.edu This book was set in Bembo by The MIT Press. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Communications under the seas : the evolving cable network and its implications / edited by Bernard Finn and Daqing Yang. p. cm. — (Dibner Institute studies in the history of science and technology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-01286-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Cables, Submarine—History. 2. Telecommunication—Social aspects—History. 3. Communication, International. I. Finn, Bernard S., 1932– II. Yang, Daqing, 1964– TK5103.15.C66 2009 621.387’8409162—dc22 2008042011 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Index Admiralty (U.K.), 187 for voice communications, 37–38, 46, “Memorandum on the Protection of 51 British Submarine Cables,” 194 vacuum tube amplifiers, 30, 37, 46, 247 Ahvenainen, Jorma, 119 Anglo-American Telegraph Company, 29t, Alcatel, 175, 280 66, 71, 82–83, 162–163, 166 Alexander, grand duke of Russia, 124, 126 anti-trust legislation, 199 Algeria, 185 Associated Press, 169, 266 All America Cables, 33, 35, 84, 280 Atlantic Telegraph Company, 18, 66, 167 All-American Telegraph Companies, 89 AT&T.
    [Show full text]
  • Information to Users
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Mi 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “A SACRED TRUST OF CIVILIZATION:” THE B MANDATES UNDER BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS PERMANENT MANDATES COMMISSION, 1919-1939 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School, The Ohio State University By Paul J. Hibbeln, B.A, M A The Ohio State University 2002 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Carole Fink, Advisor Professor John Rothney C c u o a lg .
    [Show full text]
  • A Cape of Asia: Essays on European History
    A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 1 a cape of asia A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 2 A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 3 A Cape of Asia essays on european history Henk Wesseling leiden university press A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 4 Cover design and lay-out: Sander Pinkse Boekproductie, Amsterdam isbn 978 90 8728 128 1 e-isbn 978 94 0060 0461 nur 680 / 686 © H. Wesseling / Leiden University Press, 2011 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 5 Europe is a small cape of Asia paul valéry A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 6 For Arnold Burgen A Cape of Asia.indd | Sander Pinkse Boekproductie | 10-10-11 / 11:44 | Pag. 7 Contents Preface and Introduction 9 europe and the wider world Globalization: A Historical Perspective 17 Rich and Poor: Early and Later 23 The Expansion of Europe and the Development of Science and Technology 28 Imperialism 35 Changing Views on Empire and Imperialism 46 Some Reflections on the History of the Partition
    [Show full text]
  • University of Huddersfield Repository
    University of Huddersfield Repository Billam, Alistair It Always Rains on Sunday: Early Social Realism in Post-War British Cinema Original Citation Billam, Alistair (2018) It Always Rains on Sunday: Early Social Realism in Post-War British Cinema. Masters thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34583/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ Submission in fulfilment of Masters by Research University of Huddersfield 2016 It Always Rains on Sunday: Early Social Realism in Post-War British Cinema Alistair Billam Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1: Ealing and post-war British cinema. ................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: The community and social realism in It Always Rains on Sunday ...................................... 25 Chapter 3: Robert Hamer and It Always Rains on Sunday – the wider context.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Movie Construction & Production
    SUNY Geneseo KnightScholar Milne Open Textbooks Open Educational Resources 2017 Exploring Movie Construction & Production: What’s So Exciting about Movies? John Reich SUNY Genesee Community College Follow this and additional works at: https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/oer-ost Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Reich, John, "Exploring Movie Construction & Production: What’s So Exciting about Movies?" (2017). Milne Open Textbooks. 2. https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/oer-ost/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Educational Resources at KnightScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Milne Open Textbooks by an authorized administrator of KnightScholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Exploring Movie Construction and Production Exploring Movie Construction and Production What's so exciting about movies? John Reich Open SUNY Textbooks © 2017 John Reich ISBN: 978-1-942341-46-8 ebook This publication was made possible by a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG). IITG is a competitive grants program open to SUNY faculty and support staff across all disciplines. IITG encourages development of innovations that meet the Power of SUNY’s transformative vision. Published by Open SUNY Textbooks Milne Library State University of New York at Geneseo Geneseo, NY 14454 This book was produced using Pressbooks.com, and PDF rendering was done by PrinceXML. Exploring Movie Construction and Production by John Reich is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Dedication For my wife, Suzie, for a lifetime of beautiful memories, each one a movie in itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Trustees' Annual Report
    BFF TRUSTEE REPORT 2014_trustees report 24/02/2015 08:49 Page 1 TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT THE BORN FREE FOUNDATION LIMITED TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT & AUDITED GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2014 The Born Free Foundation is a Charity Number 1070906 Company Number 3603432 Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee BFF TRUSTEE REPORT 2014_trustees report 24/02/2015 08:49 Page 2 CONTENTS Reference and administrative details 1 Chair’s introduction 2 Structure governance & management 3 Objectives & activities 4-5 Strategic report Achievements & performance 6-11 Financial review 12-13 Plans for the future 12 Risk management 13 Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities 13 Independent auditor’s report 14 Financial statements Group statement of financial activities 15-16 Group balance sheet 17 Company balance sheet 18 Group cash flow statement 19 Notes to the financial statements 20-30 Cover Photo garyrobertsphotograpy.com BFF TRUSTEE REPORT 2014_trustees report 24/02/2015 08:49 Page 3 REFERENCE & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Name The Born Free Foundation Limited Status Born Free is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Its governing document is a Memorandum and Articles of Association Charity Registration Number 1070906 Company Registration Number 3603432 Principal Office and Registered Address Broadlands Business Campus, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham RH12 4QP Website www.bornfree.org.uk Trustees Michael Reyner (Chair) Adam Batty Rosamund Kidman Cox Michael Drake Peter Ellis Virginia McKenna OBE Andrew Newton (retired 18 March 2014)
    [Show full text]
  • Set in Scotland a Film Fan's Odyssey
    Set in Scotland A Film Fan’s Odyssey visitscotland.com Cover Image: Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, filmed in Glen Coe. Picture: United Archives/TopFoto This page: Eilean Donan Castle Contents 01 * >> Foreword 02-03 A Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire 04-07 B Argyll & The Isles 08-11 C Ayrshire & Arran 12-15 D Dumfries & Galloway 16-19 E Dundee & Angus 20-23 F Edinburgh & The Lothians 24-27 G Glasgow & The Clyde Valley 28-31 H The Highlands & Skye 32-35 I The Kingdom of Fife 36-39 J Orkney 40-43 K The Outer Hebrides 44-47 L Perthshire 48-51 M Scottish Borders 52-55 N Shetland 56-59 O Stirling, Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Forth Valley 60-63 Hooray for Bollywood 64-65 Licensed to Thrill 66-67 Locations Guide 68-69 Set in Scotland Christopher Lambert in Highlander. Picture: Studiocanal 03 Foreword 03 >> In a 2015 online poll by USA Today, Scotland was voted the world’s Best Cinematic Destination. And it’s easy to see why. Films from all around the world have been shot in Scotland. Its rich array of film locations include ancient mountain ranges, mysterious stone circles, lush green glens, deep lochs, castles, stately homes, and vibrant cities complete with festivals, bustling streets and colourful night life. Little wonder the country has attracted filmmakers and cinemagoers since the movies began. This guide provides an introduction to just some of the many Scottish locations seen on the silver screen. The Inaccessible Pinnacle. Numerous Holy Grail to Stardust, The Dark Knight Scottish stars have twinkled in Hollywood’s Rises, Prometheus, Cloud Atlas, World firmament, from Sean Connery to War Z and Brave, various hidden gems Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor.
    [Show full text]
  • Boxoffice Barometer (March 6, 1961)
    MARCH 6, 1961 IN TWO SECTIONS SECTION TWO Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents William Wyler’s production of “BEN-HUR” starring CHARLTON HESTON • JACK HAWKINS • Haya Harareet • Stephen Boyd • Hugh Griffith • Martha Scott • with Cathy O’Donnell • Sam Jaffe • Screen Play by Karl Tunberg • Music by Miklos Rozsa • Produced by Sam Zimbalist. M-G-M . EVEN GREATER IN Continuing its success story with current and coming attractions like these! ...and this is only the beginning! "GO NAKED IN THE WORLD” c ( 'KSX'i "THE Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA • ANTHONY FRANCIOSA • ERNEST BORGNINE in An Areola Production “GO SPINSTER” • • — Metrocolor) NAKED IN THE WORLD” with Luana Patten Will Kuluva Philip Ober ( CinemaScope John Kellogg • Nancy R. Pollock • Tracey Roberts • Screen Play by Ranald Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pre- MacDougall • Based on the Book by Tom T. Chamales • Directed by sents SHIRLEY MacLAINE Ranald MacDougall • Produced by Aaron Rosenberg. LAURENCE HARVEY JACK HAWKINS in A Julian Blaustein Production “SPINSTER" with Nobu McCarthy • Screen Play by Ben Maddow • Based on the Novel by Sylvia Ashton- Warner • Directed by Charles Walters. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents David O. Selznick's Production of Margaret Mitchell’s Story of the Old South "GONE WITH THE WIND” starring CLARK GABLE • VIVIEN LEIGH • LESLIE HOWARD • OLIVIA deHAVILLAND • A Selznick International Picture • Screen Play by Sidney Howard • Music by Max Steiner Directed by Victor Fleming Technicolor ’) "GORGO ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents “GORGO” star- ring Bill Travers • William Sylvester • Vincent "THE SECRET PARTNER” Winter • Bruce Seton • Joseph O'Conor • Martin Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents STEWART GRANGER Benson • Barry Keegan • Dervis Ward • Christopher HAYA HARAREET in “THE SECRET PARTNER” with Rhodes • Screen Play by John Loring and Daniel Bernard Lee • Screen Play by David Pursall and Jack Seddon Hyatt • Directed by Eugene Lourie • Executive Directed by Basil Dearden • Produced by Michael Relph.
    [Show full text]
  • British Cinema of the 1950S: a Celebration
    A Tale of Two Cities and the Cold War robert giddings There was probably never a book by a great humorist, and an artist so prolific in the conception of character, with so little humour and so few rememberable figures. Its merits lie elsewhere. (John Forster, The Life of Charles Dickens (1872)) R T’ A Tale of Two Cities of 1958 occupies a secure if modest place among that bunch of 1950s British releases based on novels by Dickens, including Brian Desmond Hurst’s Scrooge (1951) and Noel Langley’s The Pickwick Papers (1952).1 When all the arguments about successfully filming Dickens are considered it must be conceded that his fiction offers significant qualities that appeal to film-makers: strong and contrasting characters, fascinating plots and frequent confrontations and collisions of personality. In unsuspected ways, Ralph Thomas’s film is indeed one of the best film versions of a Dickens novel and part of this rests upon the fact that, as Dickens’s novels go, A Tale of Two Cities is unusual. Dickens elaborately works up material in this novel which must have been marinating in his imagination. Two themes stand out: the dual personality, the doppelgänger or alter ego; and mob behaviour when public order collapses. Several strands come together. Dickens had voluminously researched the Gordon Riots which were, up to then, the worst public riots in British history. Charles Mackay’s Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1845) I am Professor Emeritus in the School of Media Arts, Bournemouth Univer- sity. My schooling was interrupted by polio, but I was very well educated by wireless, cinema and second-hand books.
    [Show full text]