NAMED AFTER A CHELSEA STREET SIGN IN 1958. LED A REVOLUTION IN BRITISH CINEMA WOODFALL FILMS the original indie film house was hellbent on revolutionising the conservative and comfortable arts scene and establishing a brave new face for British Film.
As the 1950s closed and the new dawn of the 1960s broke, London’s heartbeat became the pulse of a global creative revolution. Three monumental filmmakers – Tony Richardson, Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson set the pace. At the forefront Richardson, John Osborne and producer Harry Saltzman’s prolific company Woodfall.
Its founders and collaborators including Albert Finney, Rita Tushingham and Richard Lester created one breakthrough commercial and critical success after another. The Woodfall Films legacy began with Look Back in Anger, but went on to produce some of the most well-regarded films of its time: Tom Jones, The Knack ...And How to Get It, A Taste of Honey, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Kes and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
2 “NO OTHER INDIVIDUAL INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION COMPANY COMES CLOSE TO BEING AT FOREFRONT OF THE NEW WAVE, THE TRANSITION FROM SWINGING LONDON AND BEYOND TO A NEW POLITICAL RADICALISM, WHILE ALSO EMBODYING THE IMPACT OF HOLLYWOOD FUNDING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANGLO-CONTINENTAL CO-PRODUCTION. THAT’S BEFORE ONE GETS TO THE ICONIC AND EPOCH MAKING TALENTS OF THE INDIVIDUALS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CAMERA.”
PROFESSOR DUNCAN PETRIE, DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE, FILM AND TELEVISION, UNIVERSITY OF YORK
3 AWARDS ACADEMY AWARDS 11 NOMINATIONS AWARDS Between 1959 and 1976, Woodfall Films 4 WINS was nominated by 19 awards panels for 126 awards, and won 58 of them. BAFTA AWARDS 49 NOMINATIONS 12 WINS
FESTIVAL DE CANNES 6 NOMINATIONS 4 WINS
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 14 NOMINATIONS 4 WINS
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW 10 NOMINATIONS 10 WINS
4 AWARDS AWARDS WON NOMINATIONS BAFTA Awards 12 49 Golden Globes 4 14 Academy Awards 4 11 National Board of Review 10 10 Mar del Plata Film Festival 7 7 Cannes Film Festival 4 6 Writer's Guild of Great Britain 5 5 Laurel Awards 1 4 New York Film Critics Circle Awards 3 4 Venice Film Festival 1 3 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists 3 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2 2 Directors Guild of America 1 2 San Sebastian International Film Festival 1 1 Mexican Cinema Journalists 1 1 American Cinema Editors 1 Berlin International Film Festival 1 Grand Prix de l'UCC 1 1 Grammy Awards 1 1 5 DIRECTORS & ACTORS Woodfall Films was made up of an influential group of directors, writers and actors. Together these individuals won many awards.
TONY RICHARDSON ALBERT FINNEY RITA TUSHINGHAM RICHARD LESTER JOHN OSBORNE DIRECTOR ACTOR ACTRESS DIRECTOR SCREENWRITER 15 NOMINATIONS 11 NOMINATIONS 7 NOMINATIONS 5 NOMINATIONS 3 NOMINATIONS 6 WINS 6 WINS 4 WINS 2 WINS 3 WINS
6 CAST & CREW CAST WINS NOMINATIONS CREW WINS NOMINATIONS Albert Finney 6 11 Tony Richardson 6 15 Richard Lester 2 5 Rita Tushingham 4 7 John Osborne 3 3 Laurence Olivier 1 4 Charles Wood 2 3 Hugh Griffith 4 David Watkin 3 Diane Cilento 2 John Addison 2 3 Karel Reisz 2 3 Edith Evans 2 Shelagh Delaney, Tony Richardson 2 2 Murray Melvin 1 2 Barry Hines, Ken Loach, Tony Garnett 1 2 Nicol Williamson 1 2 Desmond Davis 1 2 Richard Burton 2 Alan Sillitoe 1 2 Jocelyn Rickards 1 2 Tom Courtenay 2 2 John Osborne, Nigel Kneale 1 Ann-Margret 1 Tony Richardson, Gerry O'Hara 1 1 Colin Welland 1 1 Tom Courtenay 1 1 David Bradley 1 1 Kevin Brownlow 1 David Walker 1 Dora Bryan 1 1 Michael Annals, Patrick Wheatley 1 Rachel Roberts 1 1 Simon Kaye 1 Lynn Redgrave 1 Edward Marshall 1 Michael Crawford 1 Antony Gibbs 1 Ralph Brinton, Ted Marshall, Joan Greenwood 1 Jocelyn Herbert, Josie MacAvin 1 Trevor Howard 1 Ken Loach 1 Joan Plowright 1 Raoul Coutard 1 Nigel Kneale 1 Joyce Redman 1 7 AWARD WINNING MOVIES MOVIES WINS NOMINATIONS Tom Jones 20 39 The Knack… and How to Get It 6 15 A Taste of Honey 9 14 Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 8 11 Kes 5 9 The Charge of the Light Brigade 7 Girl with Green Eyes 2 6 The Entertainer 1 6 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner 4 5 Look Back in Anger 1 5 Mademoiselle 1 3 The Sailor from Gibraltar 2 Joseph Andrews 2 Inadmissible Evidence 1 Laughter in the Dark 1 1
8 TIMELINE
1959 1961 1965 1969 Woodfall Films A Taste of Honey is The Knack… and How to Kes gains international launches; released. Woodfall Films is Get It is released, and is acclaim. Among its 9 Look Back in Anger nominated for awards by celebrated in 6 countries; global nominations, wins 5 award seven panels, including This movie becomes BAFTA nominates Kes for nominations from their first Cannes another win at Cannes the United Nations award major awards panels nominations & wins in the US & UK 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969
1960 1963 1968 Saturday Night and Sunday Tom Jones is released, The Charge of the Light Morning is released, and becomes the Brigade keeps Woodfall followed by The Entertainer; highest regarded Films in the spotlight; These films win 9 out of 17 movie in the Woodfall They are rewarded with awards they are nominated Films collection, with 7 BAFTA nominations; for in the US, UK, Argentina 39 nominations and the most of any & the then Czechoslovakia. 20 wins. Woodfall Film.
9 “ TONY RICHARDSON'S 'KITCHEN SINK' FILMS WERE A REVELATION WHEN THEY FIRST APPEARED. THEY BROKE SO MANY BOUNDARIES IN CINEMA STORYTELLING. FOR ME THE MOST NOTABLE WAS IN THE ACTING. IF BRANDO BROUGHT FILM ACTING TO NEW EXPLOSIVE HEIGHTS, THEN FINNEY, COURTENAY ET AL TOOK THE BATON FROM HIM AND CREATED REAL LIVING, BREATHING ANGRY HEROES THAT AUDIENCES COULD ALMOST SMELL, THEY WERE SO PRESENT AND VITAL. REAL SOCIETY WAS ON THE SCREEN IN A REAL WAY, IN REAL STORIES AND TOLD WITH URGENCY. WE OWE A HUGE DEBT TO RICHARDSON. WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY HE HAS LEFT WITH THESE REMARKABLE FILMS THAT STILL HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE US AND SHOCK US.”
LIAM NEESON AWARDS MAP Woodfall Films has been recognized by awards panels world-wide.
10 1959 LOOK BACK IN ANGER 1960 THE ENTERTAINER SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING 1961 A TASTE OF HONEY 1962 THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER 1963 TOM JONES 1964 GIRL WITH GREEN EYES 1965 THE KNACK …AND HOW TO GET IT 1966 MADEMOISELLE 1967 RED AND BLUE (AKA RED, WHITE AND ZERO) RIDE OF THE VALKYRIE THE SAILOR FROM GIBRALTAR 1968 THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE 1969 KES HAMLET LAUGHTER IN THE DARK 1970 NED KELLY 1974 DEAD CERT 1976 JOSEPH ANDREWS 1984 THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE
11 CONTACT Woodfall Films Steven Hess steven@woodfallfilm.com facebook.com/woodfallfilms www.woodfallfilm.com