Timbuctoo (film)
Encyclopedia
Timbuctoo is a 1933
British comedy film, co-directed by Walter Summers
and Arthur B. Woods
for British International Pictures, and starring Henry Kendall
and Margot Grahame
. Although BIP had a reputation for churning out films quickly and cheaply, in this case they allocated enough of a budget to finance location filming in Africa.
The film's slight storyline concerns a man (Kendall) who has a violent quarrel with his family over his fiancée (Grahame). Feeling totally upset, he wants to get away from all the conflict and decides to travel overland to Timbuktu
with its legendary reputation as one of the most remote and mysterious places in the world. As soon as his fiancée learns of his departure, she vows to do the same thing and challenges herself to arrive in Timbuktu before him. Much of the film is essentially taken up with travelogue sequences of African natives and habitats.
Timbuctoo does not appear ever to have been shown on television in the UK, nor has it been made available commercially; however, unlike many quota quickie productions of the 1930s, the film has survived and is available to view by appointment at any of the Mediatheques run by the British Film Institute
. Although the film is billed as a comedy, it contains a sequence of a hippopotamus being hunted and killed which some modern viewers have found extremely unpleasant and distressing.
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
British comedy film, co-directed by Walter Summers
Walter Summers
Walter Summers was a British film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in Barnstaple to a family of actors, British motion picture director Walter Summers began his career in the family trade; his first contact with filmmaking was as an assistant to American director George Loane Tucker, who...
and Arthur B. Woods
Arthur B. Woods
Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods was an English film director with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime thrillers. His most acclaimed film is 1938's They Drive by Night...
for British International Pictures, and starring Henry Kendall
Henry Kendall (actor)
Henry Kendall, born in London on 28 May 1897 was an English stage and film actor, theatre director and an immaculately stylish revue artiste. He died on 9 June 1962.- Early life :...
and Margot Grahame
Margot Grahame
Margot Grahame was an English actress most noted for starring in The Informer and The Crimson Pirate. She started acting in 1930 and made her last screen appearance in 1958.-Movie actress:...
. Although BIP had a reputation for churning out films quickly and cheaply, in this case they allocated enough of a budget to finance location filming in Africa.
The film's slight storyline concerns a man (Kendall) who has a violent quarrel with his family over his fiancée (Grahame). Feeling totally upset, he wants to get away from all the conflict and decides to travel overland to Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
with its legendary reputation as one of the most remote and mysterious places in the world. As soon as his fiancée learns of his departure, she vows to do the same thing and challenges herself to arrive in Timbuktu before him. Much of the film is essentially taken up with travelogue sequences of African natives and habitats.
Timbuctoo does not appear ever to have been shown on television in the UK, nor has it been made available commercially; however, unlike many quota quickie productions of the 1930s, the film has survived and is available to view by appointment at any of the Mediatheques run by 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...
. Although the film is billed as a comedy, it contains a sequence of a hippopotamus being hunted and killed which some modern viewers have found extremely unpleasant and distressing.
Cast
- Henry KendallHenry Kendall (actor)Henry Kendall, born in London on 28 May 1897 was an English stage and film actor, theatre director and an immaculately stylish revue artiste. He died on 9 June 1962.- Early life :...
as Benedict - Margot GrahameMargot GrahameMargot Grahame was an English actress most noted for starring in The Informer and The Crimson Pirate. She started acting in 1930 and made her last screen appearance in 1958.-Movie actress:...
as Elizabeth - Emily FitzroyEmily FitzroyEmily Fitzroy was a British film actress who eventually became an American citizen. She made her film debut in 1915 and retired in 1944, with exactly 100 films to her resume...
as Aunt Augusta - Hubert HarbenHubert HarbenHubert Harben was a British film actor. He was married to the actress Mary Jerrold and father of celebrity chef Philip Harben.-Selected filmography:* Every Mother's Son * Tell England * Fires of Fate...
as Uncle George - Jean CadellJean CadellJean Cadell was a Scottish character actress.Born in Edinburgh, she performed in the cinema and on the stage. One of her best known cinema roles was in the Ealing Studios comedy Whisky Galore! . She once performed opposite W.C. Fields in Hollywood, cast as Mrs...
as Wilhelmina - Victor StanleyVictor Stanley-Selected filmography:* The World, the Flesh, the Devil * Three Men in a Boat * The Umbrella * The Medicine Man * The Iron Stair * The Ghost Camera * Timbuctoo...
as Henry - Una O'Connor as Myrtle
- Edward Cooper as Steven
External links
- Timbuctoo at BFI Film & TV Database