Ealing comedies
The Ealing comedies is an informal name for a series of comedy films produced by the London-based Ealing Studios during a ten-year period from 1947 to 1957. Often considered to reflect Britain's post-war spirit,[1][2] the most celebrated films in the sequence include Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Whisky Galore! (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955). Hue and Cry (1947) is generally considered to be the earliest of the cycle, and Barnacle Bill (1957) the last,[3] although some sources list Davy (1958) as the final Ealing comedy.[4] Many of the Ealing comedies are ranked among the greatest British films, and they also received international acclaim.[5][6][7][8]
History
In the immediate post-war years there was as yet no mood of cynicism: the bloodless revolution of 1945 had taken place, but I think our first desire was to get rid of as many wartime restrictions as possible and get going. The country was tired of regulations and regimentation, and there was a mild anarchy in the air. In a sense our comedies were a reflection of this mood, a safety valve for our more anti-social impulses.
Ealing Studios head Michael Balcon, 1969[9]
Relatively few comedy films were made at Ealing Studios until several years after World War II.
Comedies
T. E. B. Clarke wrote the screenplay for Hue and Cry (1947), about a group of schoolboys who confront a criminal gang, which proved to be a critical and commercial success.[12] It was followed by three films with Celtic themes: Another Shore (1948), about the fantasies of a bored Dublin customs official, A Run for Your Money (1949), depicting the adventures of two inexperienced Welshmen in London for an important rugby international, and Whisky Galore!, (1949) about Scottish islanders during the Second World War who discover that a freighter with a large cargo of whisky has run aground.
Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953) follows a television set as it is passed on from one owner to another, causing dissatisfaction wherever it goes. The film serves as a warning about the effects of rapidly expanding television use.
Later comedies
Two final comedies were released under the Ealing banner, but made at
Personnel
Many of the films were built around a
Legacy
Though Ealing Studios has come to be remembered for its comedies, they were only a tenth of its productions.[16] Conversely, Gainsborough Pictures is associated with the Gainsborough melodramas though it also produced many comedies.
Many of the Ealing comedies are ranked among the greatest British films, with
The Ealing Comedies, a documentary examining the films and featuring interviews with many key players, was screened as part of BBC1's Tuesday Documentary strand in April 1971.[18]
Ealing comedies were adapted for radio and broadcast over BBC Radio 4, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in 1990 starring Robert Powell and Timothy Bateson and in 2007 starring Michael Kitchen and Harry Enfield.
List of Ealing comedy films
- Hue and Cry (1947)
- Another Shore (1948)
- Passport to Pimlico (1949)
- Whisky Galore! (1949)
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
- A Run for Your Money (1949)
- The Magnet(1950)
- The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
- The Man in the White Suit (1951)
- His Excellency (1952)
- The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)
- Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953)
- The Love Lottery (1954)
- The Maggie (1954)
- Touch and Go (1955)
- The Ladykillers (1955)
- Who Done It? (1956)
- Barnacle Bill (1957)
- Davy (1958)
References
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (29 March 2020). "Ealing comedies remind us that life is many shades of grey". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ French, Philip (9 August 2014). "The Ealing Studios Collection Vol 1 review – Philip French on three immaculately restored Ealing classics". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-9555886-2-4
- ^ http://www.britmovie.co.uk/studios/Ealing-Studios Archived 30 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine Ealing Studios Filmography
- ^ "Ealing Comedy". BFI. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
Even more than half a century after the curtains closed on the classic production outfit, Ealing comedy is one of British cinema's most powerful brands
- ^ a b British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films (1999). Retrieved 19 April 2023
- ^ a b "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". Oscar Legacy. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ a b "The 25th Academy Awards (1953) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Balcon, Michael (8 March 1969). "Presenting Michael Balcon". Birmingham Daily Post. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Murphy p.209
- ^ Murphy p.209-210
- ^ a b Murphy p.211
- ^ Burton & O'Sullivan p.21-22
- ^ "On the set of classic Ealing comedy The Ladykillers - in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Roger (1995). The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. Random House. p. 368.
- ^ Sweet p.157
- ^ "Kim Jong-il: The cinephile despot". BBC News. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "The Ealing Comedies". BBC. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
Bibliography
- Burton, Alan & O'Sullivan, Tim. The Cinema of Basil Dearden and Michael Relph. Edinburgh University Press, 2009.
- Murphy, Robert. Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge, 1992.
- Sweet, Matthew. Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema. Faber and Faber, 2005.