From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the later company of Alexander Korda, see
London Films
.
The
London Film Company
was a British
film production
company active during the
silent era
. Founded in 1913, the company emerged as one of the dominant forces in production during the
First World War
. With strong financial backing the company constructed the
Twickenham Studios
, then the largest in Britain, and began production of
features
, which were then displacing
short films
as the dominant form.
Two of the company's key early directors were Americans:
Harold Shaw
and
George Loane Tucker
.
[1]
Later, British director
Maurice Elvey
made a number of films for the studio.
[2]
By 1915, a number of ambitious productions such as
The Prisoner of Zenda
and its sequel
Rupert of Hentzau
were attempted. However, that same year the studio had 130 employees whose wage bill was estimated to be £750 a week and it suffered heavy financial losses.
[3]
The following year was more promising, with the release of
The Manxman
enjoying success in Britain and America. Tucker and Shaw both departed to work in other countries and production ground to a halt. For the remainder of the war, the Twickenham Studios were rented out for other companies to shoot there.
[4]
The company briefly revived after end of the war, and in 1920 it released nine films. This was the final year of operation before London Film withdrew from production completely and Twickenham was sold off.
Filmography
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Low p.75
- ^
Low p.77
- ^
Low p.76
- ^
Low p.78
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Low, Rachael.
The History of the British Film: 1906-1914
. Allen & Unwin, 1973.