The British Film Catalogue: Fiction Film, 1895–1994

The British Film Catalogue Volume 1 3rd edition Denis Gifford FICTION FILM, 1895-1994 The British Film Catalogue Volume 1 3rd edition Denis Gifford FICTION FILM, 1895-1994 First published 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS First edition 2001 Published 2017 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & francis Group, an informa business Copyright© Denis Gifford 1973, 1986, 2000 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library A Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Typeset by Tradespools Ltd, Frame, Somerset Cover designed by Sign ISBN 13: 978-1-57958-199-2 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-1-57958-171-8 (two volume set) FOR FITZ and Pandora Jane They would have loved each other. CONTENTS page Preface ix How to Use the Catalogue xi Abbreviations and Other Indicators xvii Bibliography xx Acknowledgements xxi Denis Gifford, 1927-2000 xxii The British Film Catalogue: Fiction Film, 1895-1994 1 Index 1023 PREFACE This is the first complete catalogue of every British film ii) After the first day of December, nineteen hundred produced for public entertainment since the invention of and twenty-eight, the studio scenes must have cinematography over one hundred years ago. The first edition been photographed in a studio in the British covered the years 1895-1970. This was updated for a second Empire; edition covering the years up to 1985, and now this third iii) The author of the scenario must be a British edition is further revised and updated to cover the years up to subject; the end of 1994, the first hundred years of cinema. Over one iv) Not less than seventy-five per cent of the salaries, thousand new entries are included - not just films from the wages and payments specifically paid for labour 1980s and 1990s; there are many dating from the years covered and services in the making of the film (exclusive of in the previous editions and catalogued here for the first time. payments in respect of copyright and of the salary This is a complete catalogue in that it attempts to include or payments to one foreign actor or actress or every traceable British entertainment film. British film producer, but inclusive of payments to the author producers, unlike their American counterparts, have never of the scenario) has been paid to British subjects or been required to register their films for purposes of copyright, persons domiciled in the British Empire . and so no national British register exists to compare with that held and published in book form by the Library of Congress Furthermore, subsection 5 stated that in Washington, DC. However, between the introduction of For the purposes of this section: the Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 (the ‘Quota Act’) and The expression ‘British Company’ means a company that of the Films Act 1985, British companies were required constituted under the laws of any part of the British to register title and footage information with the Board of Empire, the majority of the directors of which are Trade (BOT; later the Department of Trade and Industry - British subjects. DTI, then the Department of Trade - DOT, and now once more the DTI). Every film so registered is included in this While useful as a basic yardstick, this definition has to be book, but the inclusion of British films produced before the both narrowed and broadened for this book. The Board of 1927 Act cannot be guaranteed. To supplement the official Trade classified as ‘British’ the native product of Australia, information, much more has been unearthed through Canada, India, New Zealand, and the West Indies. No such exhaustive study of trade papers, fan magazines, and production has been included in this catalogue. It does try to company catalogues preserved in the archives of the British include, however, all films, even those which received a BOT Film Institute and the British Library. In addition, as many ‘Foreign’ registration, known to have been made in the British pioneers of the British film industry as possible - producers, Isles, including those films that either were identified by the directors, writers, photographers, or actors - have been author during his research or are indicated in the National personally interviewed. Film Archive Catalogue, Fart III as having been made in The introduction of the quota system on 1 April 1928 was Ireland. The BOT classified as ‘Foreign’ a number of British- an attempt to halt the domination of British cinema screens made films, such as Herbert Wilcox’s Madame Pompadour, by American films and prevent the accompanying decline of and films such as these are included. the domestic film industry. The Act required that distributors More genuinely ‘foreign’ films included in this catalogue were to offer a specified quota of British films each year to are those produced by British companies in co-operative exhibitors, who, in turn, were required every year to show a arrangements with studios in France, Germany, Holland, set number of British films. The quotas were set to rise Italy, and even Hollywood. During the early sound period, gradually with the intention being that by the end of the Act’s two or more versions of the same film might be made with ten-year duration 20 per cent of the films shown in British English and foreign casts, sometimes in a British studio, cinemas would be of British origin. Although this target sometimes abroad. Where the latter situation pertains, the film quota was easily achieved by distributors and exhibitors, the has been included despite a BOT ‘Foreign’ registration, with a British film industry was criticised for producing too many note in parentheses as to the place of production. Films low-budget, mediocre films made simply to fulfil quota produced in the British Isles by American companies on regulations. Further legislation was introduced in 1938 in an location, ranging from early visits by Kalem and Edison to effort to remedy this so-called ‘quota quickie’ problem by such apparently native American productions as The Dirty allowing British films with more expensive production costs Dozen, are also included, as are films made in the USA by to be counted as double, even treble, for quota requirements. British companies. Co-productions have become more fre The term ‘British film’ was first defined by the 1927 Act, quent and these are included, even where the dominant Part IV, section 27, subsection 3, as follows: partner, such as Canada, has been the location for the production. For the purposes of this Act a film shall be deemed to be a In the years between the publication of the first and second British film if, but not unless, it complies with all the editions of this catalogue (1973 and 1986), the definition of following requirements: what exactly constitutes a British film became still more i) It must have been made by a person who was at blurred. Even the Board of Trade, which regularly compiled the time the film was made a British subject, or by and published its weekly list of ‘Films Registered Under the two or more persons each of whom was a British [Quota] Act’, found it difficult to allocate ‘BR’ (British) and subject, or by a British Company; ‘F’ (Foreign) registration numbers. Frequently in this period ix Preface they mixed their BRs with their Fs and were forced to publish This volume also excludes films of fact: newsreels; corrections - usually Fs to BRs - a week or so later. And if the documentaries; and films of pure actuality, advertisement, official government department was unable to see its way education, information, propaganda, and travel. These types through the mysteries of British film production, what of film are now listed in the companion to this book, The chance, then, has your diligent but undoctored researcher? British Film Catalogue, Volume 2: Non-Fiction Film, 1888- To make matters worse, the new Films Act 1985, coming into 1994, also published by Fitzroy Dearborn. Animated films force from midnight, 25 May 1985, removed the quota made for the cinema can be found in my British Animated system and with it the requirement to register films. Thus, Films, 1895-1985, published only in the United States by since 3 May 1985, when the film Parker was registered, there McFarland (1987). has been no official government record of British film It is usual for a catalogue of films to be arranged in production. alphabetical order. This is ideal for the enquirer who knows This is a catalogue of British films produced for public the title of the film, but almost 15,000 titles are dealt with entertainment; in other words, it includes films completed but here (not even including individual episode titles within not necessarily exhibited. Some of the films made in the silent series or serials) and many could be known only to a period were never shown to the paying public, either because centenarian expert. Rather than let these many rediscoveries of the arrival of sound or because they were just inferior. return to alphabetical oblivion, it was decided that a Some of the films produced in recent years were still awaiting chronological listing in order of exhibition would enable release at the time this catalogue was compiled, others never both casual enquirer and expert to survey the history of the reached the cinema but eventually attained a showing on British film industry in a way not possible with the standard television; all these films have been included.

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