Basil Wright
Encyclopedia
Basil Wright, was a documentary
filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher.
at the Empire Marketing Board
's film unit in 1930, shortly after he graduated from Cambridge University. Wright's 1934 film Song of Ceylon
is his most celebrated work. Shot on location in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
) the film was completed with the composer Walter Leigh
at the GPO Film Unit
in London. At the GPO, Wright acted as producer and wrote the script for Night Mail
(1936) for which he received a joint directorial credit with Harry Watt
. Wright had introduced his friend W. H. Auden
to the film unit and the poet’s verse was included in the film.
Wright left the GPO to form his own production company, The Realist Film Unit (RFU). There he directed Children at School with money from the Gas Industry and The Face of Scotland for The Films of Scotland Committee.
During World War II, Wright worked only as a producer, first at John Grierson
's Film Centre before joining The Crown Film Unit between 1945 and 1946 as producer-in-charge. Among the best known films he produced for Crown are Humphrey Jennings
' A Diary for Timothy
(1946) and A Defeated People
(1946). Returning to direction in the early 1950s, his films included Waters of Time (1951) made for the Festival of Britain
, World Without End (1953) directed with Paul Rotha
for UNESCO
and Greece: The Immortal Land (1958) in collaboration with his friend the artist Michael Ayrton
.
Writing throughout the 30s and 40s, Basil Wright had contributed to the theoretical development of documentary in the movement’s journals Cinema Quarterly, World Film News and Documentary Newsletter. He was the film critic for The Spectator
after Graham Greene
left. Wright was a regular contributor to the British Film Institute
’s Sight and Sound during the 1940s and '50s. He published a small book: The Uses of Film (1948) and his personal (extensive) history of cinema The Long View (1974). He taught at the University of Southern California
(1962 and 1968), The National Film and Television School
in London (1971-73) and Temple University
in Phipadelphia (1977-78). He was Governor of the British Film Institute
, a fellow of the British Film Academy
and President of the International Association of Documentary Filmmakers.
In his films Wright combined an ability to look closely and carefully at a subject with a poetic and often experimental approach to editing and sound. In Britain he is commemorated with a film prize awarded biennially by the Royal Anthropological Institute.
, Marion Grierson, Humphrey Jennings
and Paul Rotha
, were celebrated with a season of films between August and October 2007 at the British Film Institute
in London. Following this season, the BFI
released a four-disc DVD set Land of Promise, containing films from leading figures in the British Documentary Film movement. A further three volumes of GPO
films are available from the Bfi.
If you have institutional access to the British Film Institute's Screenonline or Inview Websites you can watch a number of Wright's other films online. Further links below.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher.
Biography
Basil Wright was the first recruit to join John GriersonJohn Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
at the Empire Marketing Board
Empire Marketing Board
The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 by the Colonial Secretary Leo Amery to promote inter-Empire trade and to persuade consumers to 'Buy Empire'...
's film unit in 1930, shortly after he graduated from Cambridge University. Wright's 1934 film Song of Ceylon
Song of Ceylon
The Song of Ceylon is a 1934 British documentary film directed by Basil Wright and produced by John Grierson for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board....
is his most celebrated work. Shot on location in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) the film was completed with the composer Walter Leigh
Walter Leigh
Walter Leigh was an English composer. Leigh is most famous for his Concertino for harpsichord and string orchestra, written in 1934. Other famous works include the overture Agincourt and The Frogs of Aristophanes for chorus and orchestra...
at the GPO Film Unit
GPO Film Unit
The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. The unit was established in 1933, taking on responsibilities of the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit...
in London. At the GPO, Wright acted as producer and wrote the script for Night Mail
Night Mail
Night Mail is a 1936 documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. A poem by English poet W. H. Auden was written for it, used in the closing few minutes, as was music by Benjamin Britten...
(1936) for which he received a joint directorial credit with Harry Watt
Harry Watt (director)
Harry Watt was a Scottish documentary and feature film director, who began his career working for John Grierson and Robert Flaherty. His 1959 film The Siege of Pinchgut was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival...
. Wright had introduced his friend W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
to the film unit and the poet’s verse was included in the film.
Wright left the GPO to form his own production company, The Realist Film Unit (RFU). There he directed Children at School with money from the Gas Industry and The Face of Scotland for The Films of Scotland Committee.
During World War II, Wright worked only as a producer, first at John Grierson
John Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
's Film Centre before joining The Crown Film Unit between 1945 and 1946 as producer-in-charge. Among the best known films he produced for Crown are Humphrey Jennings
Humphrey Jennings
Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...
' A Diary for Timothy
A Diary for Timothy
A Diary for Timothy is a British documentary film directed by Humphrey Jennings. It was produced by Basil Wright for the Crown Film Unit....
(1946) and A Defeated People
A Defeated People
A Defeated People is a 1946 British documentary short film made by the Crown Film Unit, directed by Humphrey Jennings and narrated by William Hartnell. The film depicts the shattered state of Germany, both physically and as a society, in the immediate aftermath of World War II...
(1946). Returning to direction in the early 1950s, his films included Waters of Time (1951) made for the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
, World Without End (1953) directed with Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha was a British documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. He was educated at Highgate School....
for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and Greece: The Immortal Land (1958) in collaboration with his friend the artist Michael Ayrton
Michael Ayrton
Michael Ayrton was an English artist and writer, known as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, and also as a critic, broadcaster and novelist...
.
Writing throughout the 30s and 40s, Basil Wright had contributed to the theoretical development of documentary in the movement’s journals Cinema Quarterly, World Film News and Documentary Newsletter. He was the film critic for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
after Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
left. Wright was a regular contributor to the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
’s Sight and Sound during the 1940s and '50s. He published a small book: The Uses of Film (1948) and his personal (extensive) history of cinema The Long View (1974). He taught at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(1962 and 1968), The National Film and Television School
National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School was established in 1971 and is based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and it is located close to Pinewood Studios.-History:...
in London (1971-73) and Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Phipadelphia (1977-78). He was Governor of the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
, a fellow of the British Film Academy
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
and President of the International Association of Documentary Filmmakers.
In his films Wright combined an ability to look closely and carefully at a subject with a poetic and often experimental approach to editing and sound. In Britain he is commemorated with a film prize awarded biennially by the Royal Anthropological Institute.
Centenary celebrations
In honor of Basil Wright's centenary year, his career, and the careers of his colleagues and fellow centenarians: Edgar AnsteyEdgar Anstey
Edgar Anstey OBE, , was a leading British documentary film-maker....
, Marion Grierson, Humphrey Jennings
Humphrey Jennings
Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...
and Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha was a British documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. He was educated at Highgate School....
, were celebrated with a season of films between August and October 2007 at the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
in London. Following this season, the BFI
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
released a four-disc DVD set Land of Promise, containing films from leading figures in the British Documentary Film movement. A further three volumes of GPO
GPO
-Organisations:*General Post Office **General Post Office UK*German Patent Office, *United States Government Printing Office, a federal government agency*Green Party of Ontario, a policial party in Ontario, Canada...
films are available from the Bfi.
Films by Basil Wright Online
You can watch Song of Ceylon on the Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire Website here: Entry for Basil Wright's Song of Ceylon.If you have institutional access to the British Film Institute's Screenonline or Inview Websites you can watch a number of Wright's other films online. Further links below.
Filmography as director
- Conquest (1930)
- The Country Comes To Town *Bfi's Screenonline links to the Film.
- O'er Hill and Dale *Bfi's Screenonline links to the Film.
- Liner Cruising South
- Cargo From Jamaica
- Windmill in Barbados
- Song of CeylonSong of CeylonThe Song of Ceylon is a 1934 British documentary film directed by Basil Wright and produced by John Grierson for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board....
(1934) * Available on the Bfi Addressing The Nation DVD Boxset *Or Watch Online at the Colonial Film Website - Children at School *Available on the BFI Land of Promise DVD Boxset
- The Face of Scotland (1938) *Available from Scottish Screen
- Bernard Miles on Gun Dogs
- Waters of Time (1951) * Available from Museum in Docklands, London
- World Without End (Co-directed with Paul Rotha).
- The Stained Glass at Fairford *Watch at the Arts Council Film Collection
- Greece: The Immortal Land (1959)
- Greek Sculpture: 3000 BC to 300 BC (1959)
- A Place For Gold"" (1960)
Filmography as producer
- The Fairy of the Phone (1936) (* Available on the Bfi We Live in Two Worlds DVD Boxset)
- Night MailNight MailNight Mail is a 1936 documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. A poem by English poet W. H. Auden was written for it, used in the closing few minutes, as was music by Benjamin Britten...
(1936) (* Available on DVD from the Bfi) - Rainbow DanceRainbow DanceRainbow Dance is a 1936 British animated film, created by New Zealand-born animation pioneer Len Lye. This is Lye's second film to be viewed to the public. It uses the Gasparcolor process.-Synopsis:...
(1936) - Men of Africa (1940)
- A Diary for TimothyA Diary for TimothyA Diary for Timothy is a British documentary film directed by Humphrey Jennings. It was produced by Basil Wright for the Crown Film Unit....
(1945) - A Defeated PeopleA Defeated PeopleA Defeated People is a 1946 British documentary short film made by the Crown Film Unit, directed by Humphrey Jennings and narrated by William Hartnell. The film depicts the shattered state of Germany, both physically and as a society, in the immediate aftermath of World War II...
(1946) - Children on Trial (1946)
External links
- BFI Screenonline entry
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry
- Royal Anthropological Institute entry
- Films from the Arts Council Film Collection
- Link to Scott Anthony's Night Mail book
See also
- W. H. AudenW. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
- Michael AyrtonMichael AyrtonMichael Ayrton was an English artist and writer, known as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, and also as a critic, broadcaster and novelist...
- Edgar AnsteyEdgar AnsteyEdgar Anstey OBE, , was a leading British documentary film-maker....
- Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
- Charles Burnett (director)Charles Burnett (director)Charles Burnett is an African-American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer...
- Alberto CavalcantiAlberto CavalcantiAlberto de Almeida Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born film director and producer.-Early life:Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a prominent mathematician. He was a precociously intelligent child, and by the age of 15 was studying law at university. Following an argument with a...
- John GriersonJohn GriersonJohn Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
- Robert Flaherty
- Humphrey JenningsHumphrey JenningsFrank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...
- Walter LeighWalter LeighWalter Leigh was an English composer. Leigh is most famous for his Concertino for harpsichord and string orchestra, written in 1934. Other famous works include the overture Agincourt and The Frogs of Aristophanes for chorus and orchestra...
- Muir MathiesonMuir MathiesonJames Muir Mathieson was a Scottish conductor and composer. Mathieson was almost always described as a "Musical Director" on a large number of British films.-Career:...
- Bernard MilesBernard MilesBernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre opened in the City of London since the 17th century....
- Paul RothaPaul RothaPaul Rotha was a British documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. He was educated at Highgate School....
- Harry WattHarry Watt (director)Harry Watt was a Scottish documentary and feature film director, who began his career working for John Grierson and Robert Flaherty. His 1959 film The Siege of Pinchgut was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival...