Victor Saville
Encyclopedia
Victor Saville was an English film director
, producer
and screenwriter
. He directed 39 films between 1927
and 1954
. He also produced 36 films between 1923
and 1962
.
, with Michael Balcon
in 1923, and on the back of its success produced pictures for the veteran director Maurice Elvey
, including the classic British silent Hindle Wakes
(1927). His first picture as director was The Arcadians in 1927. In 1929 he and Michael Balcon worked together again on a talkie remake of Woman to Woman for Balcon's company, Gainsborough Pictures
, this time directed by Saville himself.
From 1931, as Gainsborough Pictures and the Gaumont British
Picture Corporation joined forces, Victor Saville produced a string of comedies, musicals and dramas for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, including the popular Jessie Matthews
pictures. In 1937 he left to set up his own production company, Victor Saville Productions, and made three pictures for Alexander Korda
's London Films
at Denham studios.
As an independent producer he had purchased the film rights to A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel
, and was persuaded to sell them to MGM in return for the chance to produce the film and another big-budget adaptation, Goodbye Mr Chips (1939). Both films starred Robert Donat
and were a great success in the USA as well as in Britain, providing Saville with a passport to Hollywood.
When the war broke out he was in America and was advised to remain there, producing pictures in support of the war effort such as The Mortal Storm and Forever and a Day (in which he worked for the last time with his former star Jessie Matthews), and in 1945 Tonight and Every Night, based on the Windmill Theatre
in London.
After the war he continued directing films for MGM but eventually returned to Britain. Saville acquired production rights for Mickey Spillane
's Mike Hammer
and produced a few features, though Spillane thought he only was interested in doing so to acquire the money to produce The Silver Chalice
. He produced two final films in the 1960s, The Greengage Summer
(1961) and Mix Me a Person
(1962).
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He directed 39 films between 1927
1927 in film
-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
and 1954
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
. He also produced 36 films between 1923
1923 in film
-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
and 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
.
Biography
He produced his first film, Woman to WomanWoman to Woman (1923 film)
Woman to Woman is a 1923 British silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts, with Alfred Hitchcock as the assistant director. The film was adapted from the play Woman to Woman by Michael Morton.-Preservation status:...
, with Michael Balcon
Michael Balcon
Sir Michael Elias Balcon was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios.-Background:...
in 1923, and on the back of its success produced pictures for the veteran director Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year....
, including the classic British silent Hindle Wakes
Hindle Wakes (1927 film)
Hindle Wakes is a 1927 British silent film drama, directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Estelle Brody and John Stuart. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's 1912 stage play of the same name, and reunites Brody and Stuart following their hugely popular pairing in the previous year's...
(1927). His first picture as director was The Arcadians in 1927. In 1929 he and Michael Balcon worked together again on a talkie remake of Woman to Woman for Balcon's company, Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London. Gainsborough Studios were active between 1924 and 1951. Built as a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway it...
, this time directed by Saville himself.
From 1931, as Gainsborough Pictures and the Gaumont British
Gaumont British
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was the British arm of the French film company Gaumont. The company became independent of its French parent in 1922, when Isidore Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British....
Picture Corporation joined forces, Victor Saville produced a string of comedies, musicals and dramas for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, including the popular Jessie Matthews
Jessie Matthews
Jessie Matthews, OBE was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period.-Early life:...
pictures. In 1937 he left to set up his own production company, Victor Saville Productions, and made three pictures for Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
's London Films
London Films
London Films is a British film production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda originally based at London Film Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. The company's productions included The Private Life of Henry VIII , Things to Come , Rembrandt , The Four Feathers , The Thief of Bagdad ...
at Denham studios.
As an independent producer he had purchased the film rights to A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel
The Citadel (novel)
The Citadel is a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937, which was groundbreaking with its treatment of the contentious theme of medical ethics. It is credited with laying the foundation in Great Britain for the introduction of the NHS a decade later...
, and was persuaded to sell them to MGM in return for the chance to produce the film and another big-budget adaptation, Goodbye Mr Chips (1939). Both films starred Robert Donat
Robert Donat
Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr...
and were a great success in the USA as well as in Britain, providing Saville with a passport to Hollywood.
When the war broke out he was in America and was advised to remain there, producing pictures in support of the war effort such as The Mortal Storm and Forever and a Day (in which he worked for the last time with his former star Jessie Matthews), and in 1945 Tonight and Every Night, based on the Windmill Theatre
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
in London.
After the war he continued directing films for MGM but eventually returned to Britain. Saville acquired production rights for Mickey Spillane
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
's Mike Hammer
Mike Hammer
Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury .-Description:...
and produced a few features, though Spillane thought he only was interested in doing so to acquire the money to produce The Silver Chalice
The Silver Chalice (film)
The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and...
. He produced two final films in the 1960s, The Greengage Summer
The Greengage Summer
The Greengage Summer is a 1961 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Kenneth More and Susannah York . It was based on the novel, Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden...
(1961) and Mix Me a Person
Mix Me a Person
Mix Me a Person is a 1962 British crime drama film directed by Leslie Norman and starring Anne Baxter, Donald Sinden, Adam Faith, Walter Brown and Carole Ann Ford. A young London criminal is faced with a hanging for murdering a policeman...
(1962).
Selected filmography
- The ArcadiansThe Arcadians (film)The Arcadians is a 1927 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Ben Blue, Jeanne De Casalis and Vesta Sylva. It is an adaptation of the musical The Arcadians. It is considered a lost film and is on the BFI 75 Most Wanted list of missing films.-Cast:* Ben Blue - Simplicitas...
(1927) - Tesha (1928)
- KittyKitty (1929 film)Kitty is a 1929 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Estelle Brody and John Stuart. The film was adapted from the 1927 novel of the same name by Warwick Deeping and marked the third co-star billing of Brody and Stuart, who had previously proved a very popular screen pairing...
(1929) - Woman to WomanWoman to Woman (1929 film)Woman to Woman is a 1929 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Betty Compson, George Barraud and Juliette Compton. It was an adaptation of the play Woman to Woman by Michael Morton which had previously previously been made into a film in 1923...
(1929) - The W PlanThe W PlanThe W Plan is a British spy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Brian Aherne, Madeleine Carroll, Austin Trevor, George Merritt, and Milton Rosmer. -External links:**...
(1930) - A Warm CornerA Warm CornerA Warm Corner is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Heather Thatcher and Austin Melford. It was based on a successful play by Franz Arnold...
(1930) - The Sport of KingsThe Sport of Kings (film)The Sport of Kings is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Hugh Wakefield and Gordon Harker. A stern Justice of the Peace takes over a firm of bookmakers...
(1931) - Sunshine SusieSunshine SusieSunshine Susie is a 1931 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Renate Müller, Jack Hulbert and Owen Nares. It was based on a novel by István Szomaházy. An alternate German-language version Die Privatsekretärin was made, also starring Renate Müller.It is also known under the...
(1931) - Michael and MaryMichael and Mary (film)Michael and Mary was a 1931 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Elizabeth Allan, Edna Best, Frank Lawton, and Michael and Mary was a [[1931 in film|1931]] [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|British]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Victor Saville]] and starring [[Elizabeth Allan]],...
(1931 - directed) - Hindle WakesHindle Wakes (1931 film)Hindle Wakes is a 1931 British film drama, directed by Victor Saville for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Belle Chrystall and John Stuart. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's controversial 1912 stage play of the same name, which had previously been filmed twice as a silent in 1918 and...
(1931 - directed) - Love on WheelsLove on WheelsLove on Wheels is a 1932 British musical comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jack Hulbert, Leonora Corbett, Gordon Harker and Edmund Gwenn.-Cast:* Jack Hulbert - Fred Hopkins* Leonora Corbett - Jane Russell* Gordon Harker - Briggs...
(1932) - The Faithful HeartThe Faithful Heart (1932 film)The Faithful Heart is a 1932 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Herbert Marshall, Edna Best and Mignon O'Doherty. It was based on the 1921 play The Faithful Heart by Monckton Hoffe.-Cast:* Herbert Marshall - Waverly Ango...
(1932) - The Good CompanionsThe Good Companions (1933 film)The Good Companions is a 1933 comedy film directed by Victor Saville starring Jessie Matthews and John Gielgud. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Jessie Matthews - Susie Dean* Edmund Gwenn - Jess Oakroyd* John Gielgud - Inigo Jollifant...
(1933 - directed) - I Was a SpyI Was a SpyI Was a Spy is a 1933 British thriller film directed by Victor Saville and starring Madeleine Carroll, Herbert Marshall and Conrad Veidt. A Belgian woman who nurses injured German soldiers during World War I passes intelligence to the British....
(1933) - directed - Friday the ThirteenthFriday the Thirteenth (1933 film)Friday the Thirteenth is a 1933 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale and Muriel Aked. The film depicts the lives of several passengers in the hours before they are involved in a bus crash.-Cast:...
(1933) - directed - EvergreenEvergreen (film)Evergreen is a 1934 Gaumont British musical film, starring Jessie Matthews as a music hall singer, based on the 1930 musical Ever Green, also starring Matthews. Matthews had a dual role as both mother and daughter....
(1934 - directed) - EvensongEvensong (film)Evensong is a 1934 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Evelyn Laye, Fritz Kortner and Emlyn Williams. It is loosely based on the story of the singer Nellie Melba. It was also the first film of Alec Guinness.-Cast:...
(1934) - The Iron DukeThe Iron Duke (film)The Iron Duke is a 1934 British historical film directed by Victor Saville and starring George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss, Gladys Cooper and Peter Gawthorne...
(1934) - First a GirlFirst a GirlFirst a Girl is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews. First a Girl was adapted from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria written and directed by Reinhold Schünzel...
(19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
- directed) - The DictatorThe Dictator (film)The Dictator is a 1935 British historical drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Clive Brook, Madeleine Carroll, Emlyn Williams and Helen Haye...
(1935) - Dark JourneyDark Journey (film)Dark Journey is a 1937 British spy film directed by Victor Saville set in the First World War. Its plot concerns two secret agents on opposite sides, played by Conrad Veidt and Vivien Leigh, who fall in love.-Cast:* Conrad Veidt as Baron Karl von Marwitz...
(1937 - directed) - Storm in a TeacupStorm in a Teacup (film)Storm in a Teacup is a 1937 British romantic comedy film starring Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison, Cecil Parker, and Sara Allgood. It is based on the German play Sturm im Wasserglas by Bruno Frank. A reporter writes an article that embarrasses a politician...
(1937 - directed) - The CitadelThe Citadel (film)The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:...
(1938 - produced) - South RidingSouth Riding (film)South Riding is a 1938 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and produced by Alexander Korda, starring Edna Best, Ralph Richardson, Edmund Gwenn and Ann Todd. A squire becomes involved in local politics. It is based on the novel South Riding by Winifred Holtby...
(1938) - directed - Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1939 British film based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton. It was directed by Sam Wood, and starred Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn, John Mills, and Paul Henreid. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West and Eric...
(1939 - produced) - Bitter SweetBitter Sweet (1940 film)Bitter Sweet is a 1940 Technicolor American musical film directed by W. S. Van Dyke, based on the operetta by Noel Coward and previously filmed in 1933; see Bitter Sweet . It was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Cinematography and the other for Best Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons and...
(1940 - produced) - A Woman's FaceA Woman's FaceA Woman's Face is a 1941 drama film directed by George Cukor, starring Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas and Conrad Veidt. It tells the story of Anna Holm, a facially disfigured blackmailer, who because of her appearance despises everyone she encounters...
(1941 - produced) - Above SuspicionAbove Suspicion (1943 film)Above Suspicion is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer spy drama film starring Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray as newlyweds who spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon, along with Basil Rathbone as a Nazi who pursues them. The screenplay by Keith Winter, Melville Baker, and...
(1943 - produced) - Forever and a Day (1943 - directed)
- Tonight and Every NightTonight and Every NightTonight and Every Night is a 1945 musical film starring Rita Hayworth and Lee Bowman, about wartime romance and tragedy in a London music hall that was determined not to miss a single performance during the Blitz...
(1945 - directed) - The Green YearsThe Green Years (film)The Green Years is a 1946 American comedy-drama film featuring Charles Coburn, Tom Drake, Hume Cronyn, Gladys Cooper, Dean Stockwell, and Jessica Tandy, based on A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title...
(1946 - directed) - Green Dolphin StreetGreen Dolphin StreetGreen Dolphin Street is a 1947 historic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Plot summary:In the 1840s, two sisters fall in love with the same man...
(1947 - directed) - ConspiratorConspirator (1949 film)Conspirator is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Victor Saville and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor and Robert Flemyng. A British guards officer who is a spy for the Soviet Union is ordered by his KGB handlers to murder his young American wife when she discovers his true...
(1949 - directed) - KimKim (film)Kim is a 1950 adventure film made in Technicolor by MGM. It was directed by Victor Saville and produced by Leon Gordon from a screenplay by Helen Deutsch, Leon Gordon and Richard Schayer, based on the classic novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling....
(1950 - directed) - I, the JuryI, the Jury (1953 film)I, the Jury is a mystery-thriller film from 1953, based on the novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists....
(1953 - produced) - The Long WaitThe Long Wait-Plot:Johnny McBride is badly hurt while hitch hiking and loses his memory when the car he is riding in crashes. Two years later, a clue leads him to his old home town, where he finds he is a murder suspect. Johnny tries to clear his name of the presumed murder charges...
(1954 - directed) - The Silver ChaliceThe Silver Chalice (film)The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and...
(1954 - directed)