Thorold Dickinson
Encyclopedia
Thorold Barron Dickinson (16 November 1903, Bristol
, England
– 14 April 1984, Oxford
, England) was a British
film director
, screenwriter
, producer
, and Britains's first university Professor of Film.
and Keble College, Oxford
where he read theology, history and French. He was sent down from Oxford in his last year because his interest in theatre and film caused him to neglect his studies; he was inspired by lectures given by Edward Gordon Craig
. During his time at Oxford he interrupted his studies to observe the film industry in France where he worked with George Pearson, the father of an Oxford friend. For Pearson he wrote the scenario of The Little People (1926). Following this he observed the American industry's transition to sound in New York in 1929. In the 1920s and 1930s he was active in the London Film Society, being responsible for the technical presentation of films. At the LFS, he helped introduce the work of the Soviet directors Sergei Eisenstein
and Dziga Vertov
to British audiences.
Dickinson worked as a film editor on such features as Love's Option (1928), Auld Lang Syne (1929), Loyalties (1933) and Sing As We Go! (1934). His first directorial experience was on Java Head (1934), when he took over after J. Walter Ruben
became ill and was unable to continue. He became Vice-President of the Association of Cine-Technicians in 1936, observing the Soviet film industry for the craft union the following year, remaining in the post until 1953.
Dickinson's first feature film, starring Lionel Atwill
and Lucie Mannheim
, was The High Command
(1937), for which he formed the short-lived Fanfare Pictures with Gordon Wellesley
. He visited Spain during the Civil War
and made two documentary shorts, one of which Spanish ABC (1938) "is a sober advocacy of the educational policy of Republican Spain". At short notice Dickinson took over direction of Gaslight
(1940). Based on the Patrick Hamilton
play, it was later suppressed for some years when MGM bought the rights for its own version
, but led to a invitation to work in Hollywood from David O. Selznick
which was rejected by Dickinson.
A film biography of Disraeli The Prime Minister
(1941), starring John Gielgud
, was disowned by its director, but The Next of Kin
(1942), expanded from what was originally intended as a training film is described by Philip Horne as "one of the most interesting, and thrillingly ruthless, propaganda films of the War". Men of Two Worlds
(1946), from a script by novelist Joyce Cary
starring Robert Adams
, attempted to "tell an African story from the point of view of an African". It was though a difficult production; the crew lost equipment and film stock.
(1949) Dickinson assumed responsibility at five days notice after he was recommended by actor Anton Walbrook
, the star of Gaslight, when the production was close to collapse. Following an aborted attempt to adapt Thomas Hardy
's The Mayor of Casterbridge] in time for the Festival of Britain
he returned to The Secret People
(1952), a long cherished project which Ealing Studios
took up, but this was unsuccessful at the box-office and became Dickinson's last British-made feature film.
In Israel
, Dickinson directed a short film for the Israeli Army, The Red Ground (1953), and an English-language feature, Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955), for which he reworked the screenplay in collaboration with his wife Joanna. Dickinson's other work outside the UK included a tenure with the United Nations
Department of Public Information as Chief of Film Services from 1956 to 1960.
After his work with the United Nations
, Dickinson devoted the final part of his life to teaching about film. In 1960 he established the film studies department at the Slade School of Fine Art
, University College London
, where one of his first students was Raymond Durgnat
, the prominent film critic. In 1967 he was head of the jury at the 17th Berlin International Film Festival
. In the same year, he was named a professor in the department, becoming the first professor of film studies in the UK. He served in the post until 1971.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– 14 April 1984, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film director
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:...
, 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:...
, 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 Britains's first university Professor of Film.
Early life and career
Of Norwegian descent, his father was the Archdeacon of Bristol, Dickinson was educated at Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
where he read theology, history and French. He was sent down from Oxford in his last year because his interest in theatre and film caused him to neglect his studies; he was inspired by lectures given by Edward Gordon Craig
Edward Gordon Craig
Edward Henry Gordon Craig , sometimes known as Gordon Craig, was an English modernist theatre practitioner; he worked as an actor, director and scenic designer, as well as developing an influential body of theoretical writings...
. During his time at Oxford he interrupted his studies to observe the film industry in France where he worked with George Pearson, the father of an Oxford friend. For Pearson he wrote the scenario of The Little People (1926). Following this he observed the American industry's transition to sound in New York in 1929. In the 1920s and 1930s he was active in the London Film Society, being responsible for the technical presentation of films. At the LFS, he helped introduce the work of the Soviet directors Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
and Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov
David Abelevich Kaufman , better known by his pseudonym Dziga Vertov , was a Soviet pioneer documentary film, newsreel director and cinema theorist...
to British audiences.
Dickinson worked as a film editor on such features as Love's Option (1928), Auld Lang Syne (1929), Loyalties (1933) and Sing As We Go! (1934). His first directorial experience was on Java Head (1934), when he took over after J. Walter Ruben
J. Walter Ruben
Jacob Walter Ruben was an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He wrote for 35 films between 1926 and 1942...
became ill and was unable to continue. He became Vice-President of the Association of Cine-Technicians in 1936, observing the Soviet film industry for the craft union the following year, remaining in the post until 1953.
Dickinson's first feature film, starring Lionel Atwill
Lionel Atwill
Lionel Atwill was an English stage and film actor born in Croydon, London, England.He studied architecture before his stage debut at the Garrick Theatre, London in 1904. He become a star in Broadway theatre by 1918, and made his screen debut in 1919. He acted on the stage in Australia but was most...
and Lucie Mannheim
Lucie Mannheim
Lucie Mannheim was a German singer and actress.Mannheim was born in Berlin–Köpenick where she studied drama and quickly became a popular figure appearing on stage in plays and musicals. Among other roles, she played Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House, Marie in Büchner's Woyzeck, and Juliet in...
, was The High Command
The High Command
The High Command is a 1938 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Lionel Atwill, Lucie Mannheim and James Mason. It was based on a novel by Lewis Robinson.- Plot summary :...
(1937), for which he formed the short-lived Fanfare Pictures with Gordon Wellesley
Gordon Wellesley
Gordon Wellesley was an Australian-born screenwriter and writer. Born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1894 he wrote over thirty screenplays and television scripts in Britain often collaborating with the director Carol Reed. He was married to the scriptwriter Katherine Strueby...
. He visited Spain during the Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and made two documentary shorts, one of which Spanish ABC (1938) "is a sober advocacy of the educational policy of Republican Spain". At short notice Dickinson took over direction of Gaslight
Gaslight (1940 film)
Gaslight is a 1940 film directed by Thorold Dickinson, based on Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light which stars Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, and Frank Pettingell...
(1940). Based on the Patrick Hamilton
Patrick Hamilton
Patrick Hamilton is the name of:*Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil , Scottish nobleman*Patrick Hamilton , Scottish Protestant reformer and son of the above*Patrick Hamilton , Church of Scotland minister and poet...
play, it was later suppressed for some years when MGM bought the rights for its own version
Gaslight (1944 film)
Gaslight is a 1944 mystery-thriller film adapted from Patrick Hamilton's play, Gas Light, performed as Angel Street on Broadway in 1941. It was the second version to be filmed; the first, released in the United Kingdom, had been made a mere four years earlier...
, but led to a invitation to work in Hollywood from David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
which was rejected by Dickinson.
A film biography of Disraeli The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister (film)
The Prime Minister is a British film from 1941 directed by Thorold Dickinson. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and stars John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray.-Plot:...
(1941), starring John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
, was disowned by its director, but The Next of Kin
The Next of Kin
The Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 World War II propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios.The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government propaganda message that "Careless talk costs lives"...
(1942), expanded from what was originally intended as a training film is described by Philip Horne as "one of the most interesting, and thrillingly ruthless, propaganda films of the War". Men of Two Worlds
Men of Two Worlds
Men of Two Worlds is a 1946 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Robert Adams, Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert. An African music student returns home to battle a witch doctor for control over his tribe.-Cast:...
(1946), from a script by novelist Joyce Cary
Joyce Cary
Joyce Cary was an Anglo-Irish novelist and artist.-Youth and education:...
starring Robert Adams
Robert Adams (actor)
Robert Adams was a British actor of stage and screen. He was the founder and director of the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre, one of the first professional black theatre companies in Britain.-Early years:...
, attempted to "tell an African story from the point of view of an African". It was though a difficult production; the crew lost equipment and film stock.
Later career
For The Queen of SpadesThe Queen of Spades (1949 film)
The Queen of Spades is a fantasy-horror film based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. It stars Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans and Yvonne Mitchell. A poor Russian officer tries to learn the secret of an aged countess's success at the card table.Despite a limited budget, it was...
(1949) Dickinson assumed responsibility at five days notice after he was recommended by actor Anton Walbrook
Anton Walbrook
Anton Walbrook, born was an Austrian actor who settled in the United Kingdom.- Life :...
, the star of Gaslight, when the production was close to collapse. Following an aborted attempt to adapt Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's The Mayor of Casterbridge] in time 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...
he returned to The Secret People
The Secret People (film)
The Secret People is a 1952 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Valentina Cortese, Audrey Hepburn and Serge Reggiani. Hepburn's appearance was her first major starring role in a film . In this suspenseful film, Hepburn plays a ballerina, making use of her extensive training...
(1952), a long cherished project which Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
took up, but this was unsuccessful at the box-office and became Dickinson's last British-made feature film.
In Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Dickinson directed a short film for the Israeli Army, The Red Ground (1953), and an English-language feature, Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955), for which he reworked the screenplay in collaboration with his wife Joanna. Dickinson's other work outside the UK included a tenure with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Department of Public Information as Chief of Film Services from 1956 to 1960.
After his work with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Dickinson devoted the final part of his life to teaching about film. In 1960 he established the film studies department at the Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, where one of his first students was Raymond Durgnat
Raymond Durgnat
Raymond Durgnat was a distinctive and highly influential British film critic, who was born in London of Swiss parents...
, the prominent film critic. In 1967 he was head of the jury at the 17th Berlin International Film Festival
17th Berlin International Film Festival
The 17th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 23 to July 4, 1967.-Jury:* Thorold Dickinson * Rüdiger von Hirschberg* Knud Leif Thomsen* Michel Aubriant* Sashadhar Mukerjee* Aleksandar Petrović* Willard Van Dyke...
. In the same year, he was named a professor in the department, becoming the first professor of film studies in the UK. He served in the post until 1971.
Filmography
- School for ScandalSchool for Scandal (film)School for Scandal is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Thorold Dickinson and Maurice Elvey and starring Basil Gill, Madeleine Carroll and Ian Fleming. It is based on the play School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.-Cast:...
(1930) - Shikari (1932)
- The First Mrs. Fraser (1932)
- LoyaltiesLoyalties (1933 film)Loyalties is a 1933 British drama film directed by Basil Dean and starring Basil Rathbone, Heather Thatcher and Miles Mander. It is based on the John Galsworthy play Loyalties.The film addresses the theme of anti-Semitism...
(1933) - Java HeadJava Head (1934 film)Java Head is a 1934 British historical drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and J. Walter Ruben. It starred Anna May Wong, Elizabeth Allan, Ralph Richardson, Herbert Lomas and George Curzon...
(1934) - Calling the Tune (1936)
- The High CommandThe High CommandThe High Command is a 1938 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Lionel Atwill, Lucie Mannheim and James Mason. It was based on a novel by Lewis Robinson.- Plot summary :...
(1937) - The Arsenal Stadium MysteryThe Arsenal Stadium MysteryThe Arsenal Stadium Mystery is a 1939 British mystery film, and is one of the first feature films where football is a central element in the plot....
(1939) - GaslightGaslight (1940 film)Gaslight is a 1940 film directed by Thorold Dickinson, based on Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light which stars Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, and Frank Pettingell...
(1940) - The Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister (film)The Prime Minister is a British film from 1941 directed by Thorold Dickinson. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and stars John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray.-Plot:...
(1941) - The Next of KinThe Next of KinThe Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 World War II propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios.The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government propaganda message that "Careless talk costs lives"...
(1942) - Men of Two WorldsMen of Two WorldsMen of Two Worlds is a 1946 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Robert Adams, Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert. An African music student returns home to battle a witch doctor for control over his tribe.-Cast:...
(1946) - The Queen of SpadesThe Queen of Spades (1949 film)The Queen of Spades is a fantasy-horror film based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. It stars Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans and Yvonne Mitchell. A poor Russian officer tries to learn the secret of an aged countess's success at the card table.Despite a limited budget, it was...
(1949) - The Secret PeopleThe Secret People (film)The Secret People is a 1952 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Valentina Cortese, Audrey Hepburn and Serge Reggiani. Hepburn's appearance was her first major starring role in a film . In this suspenseful film, Hepburn plays a ballerina, making use of her extensive training...
(1952) - Hill 24 Doesn't AnswerHill 24 Doesn't AnswerHill 24 Doesn't Answer , the first feature film produced in Israel, is a 1955 Israeli war film directed by Thorold Dickinson. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Edward Mulhare - James Finnegan* Michael Wager - Allan Goodman...
(1955) - OvertureOverture (1958 film)Overture is a 1958 Canadian short documentary film directed by Gian Luigi Polidoro. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(producer, 1958)
Further reading
- Philip Horne and Peter Swaab (ed.) Thorold Dickinson: A World of Film, Manchester University Press, 2008
- Jeffrey Richards Thorold Dickinson and the British Cinema, Scarecrow Press, 1997