George Perry Presents Forever Ealing: A Celebration of the Great British Film Studio

by George C. Perry, Peter Ustinov (Foreword)

The British film industry now seems little more than an out-station of Hollywood, with the stages of Pinewood, Elstree and Shepperton playing host to multi-million-dollar spectaculars made with American money. This was not always the case. Although crisis is a semi-permanent condition of British film-making, there was one studio which, over a period of twenty-five years, succeeded in evolving a distinctive, consistent and original style in films whose reputation is still valid today, after a quarter of a century or more.

The quality of the product of Ealing Studios was largely determined by Sir Michael Balcon, who exerted his powerful personality on the character of the place, creating 'The Studio with the Team Spirit' and fostering the inventive talents of a disparate group of film-makers. The results were extraordinary; not only the great comedies most associated with the Ealing name - 'Passport to Pimlico', 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', 'Whisky Galore', 'The Lavender Hill Mob' - but also serious films such as 'San Demetrio London', 'Dead of Night', 'It always Rains on Sunday', 'Scott of the Antartic' and 'The Cruel Sea', which remain some of the best of their kind ever made in Britain.

This book is the first comprehensive, fully-illustrated history of the studio. Every film made during the Balcon era is described and assessed, as are stars such as Will Hay, Stanley Holloway, Alec Guinness, Googie Withers, Alastair Sim, Jack Hawkins and Gordon Jackson, and the directors, writers and editors. The financial and business structure of Ealing Studios is fully and clearly outlined, and evocations of the social and political mood of the day help to put the films in context. Thanks to television, many of them can still be seen today. This book is an invaluable account and reference work for anyone who wants to know the Ealing story.

Genres: Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than 60 films were made at Ealing between 1930 and 1938 prior to the Ealing Studios putting their own trademark on their products. Basil Dean was then the main man and stars such as Gracie Fields, Stanley Holloway, Ivor Novello and George Formby had starred in some of the films.

Michael Blacon then took over and nearly 100 films were made under the Ealing Studios banner between 1938 and 1959. George Formby and Stanley Holloway were joined in the stable by Tommy Trinder, Will Hay, Clive Brook, Mervyn Johns, Jack Warner, John Mills and many more. In addition there were a host of young and up and coming directors who were all given their chance with Basil Dearden being probably the biggest star of them all.

But it was Alec Guinness who gave the studios some of their biggest successes with films such as Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit while Holloway starred in other money-makers such as Passport to Pimlico and The Titfield Thunderbolt.

While the studios were known for their comedy films, and this included such classics as Whisky Galore! as well as the Guinness and Holloway offerings, they also made serious films and The Cruel Sea, The Blue Lamp and Dunkirk were three such films. They also had an Australian arm to their business and Chips Rafferty starred in a number of such films.

It is worth noting that Audrey Hepburn made her first screen appearance in a bit-part in The Lavender Hill Mob and then had her first substantial role in the 1952 film Secret People while Maggie Smith made her film debut in Ealing's penultimate film, the 1958 Nowhere to Go.

Ealing Studios was seemingly a happy place with a repertory company atmosphere where directors, producers, cameramen, actors and actresses were all friends having a good time. It was a sad day when the company sold out to the BBC but by then cinema audiences had shrunk from an all-time high in the early 1950s, distribution networks had been reduced, making it more difficult to circulate the films, and television was rearing its head.

The book is a fascinating read, well illustrated with stills from many of the films and a complete filmography to finish with.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written and informative history of the films of the Ealing studio which is generously illustrated with stills from the films described. It has a useful and comprehensive list of all Ealing films at the end with full cast and crew credits. The content tends more towards a chronological listing of the films with a small amount of information about the success or otherwise of the film with a rather subjective assessment of some films which the author felt were not "worthy" releases in the Ealing canon. So you don't get a detailed description of plots nor much in the way of interesting facts about the production but to be fair that would have required a much longer volume. You do however get an authorative history of the studios and its key personnel. It is obvious from opening the book anywhere that if you are a lover of Ealing films this is an essential record to have.