The Times (18/May/1927) - The Film World
(c) The Times (18/May/1927)
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Clifford Heatherley, Downhill (1927), Easy Virtue (1928), Graham Cutts, John Buchan, Maurice Elvey
THE FILM WORLD.
"CORONEL" AND "CONQUEST."
It is announced that when British Instructional Films, Limited, have ended work on the film now being made of the two battles of Coronel, described at length in The Times last Tuesday, a start will at once be made on another British production, entitled Conquest. This will be a historical drama, the story of which has been specially written for the cinematograph by Mr. John Buchan, and its theme will be the British idea of "service," summarized in the motto of the Prince of Wales, "Ich Dien." In broad outline, Conquest will trace the history of two families through nearly 900 years of history. There will be six episodes, and these will be concerned with the Conquest, the wars of the time of the Black Prince, the colonization efforts of the time of Sir Walter Raleigh, the Civil War, the war in Canada, and the Great War. Neither the producer nor members of the company have yet been chosen.
It is expected that the film dealing with the battles of Coronel will be finished in July, and will be shown generally to the public, after a preliminary season at the New Gallery Cinema, in the autumn. Conquest will be started either in July or early in August. The film will be made concurrently with the picture dealing with the Gallipoli campaign, which will be made by the same firm. The War Office and the Admiralty are both giving assistance in the making of the latter picture, which will be of a similar type to the productions, Zeebrugge, Ypres, and Mons made by the same firm. Mr. A. E. Bundy is financing the making of Conquest as he did that of the film dealing with Coronel, and a share of any profits is to be handed over to the Federation of British Industries for the encouragement of British film production.
SIR A. COBHAM'S FILM.
Mr. John Buchan's book "Huntingtower" is soon to be made into a film with Sir Harry Lauder in the leading part. Mr. George Pearson will be the producer, and Miss Vera Veronina will also be in the company. Mr. Maurice Elvey, the producer of Roses of Picardy and The Flag Lieutenant, both of which were recently seen in Central London, will soon start work on a new British film, dealing with: the air, written by Sir Alan Cobham. Mr. Sinclair Hill is to make for the firm of Stoll Guns of Loos, a production dealing with the scarcity of shells in 1915, in which Mr. Matheson Lang will take the leading part. He will also soon start work at the Stoll Studios at Cricklewood on The King's Highway, in which will appear Mr. Lang, Miss Joan Lockton, Mr. James Carew, Mr. Jerrold Bobertshaw, Mr. Clifford Heatherley, and Mr. Mark Lupino. For the W. and F. Film Service Mr. Graham Cutts has finished The Queen was in the Parlour, which will be privately exhibited on Friday, and will soon make The Rolling Road and Chance and the Idol; Mr. Alfred Hitchcock is at work on Downhill, and will next make the film, Easy Virtue; Mr. Adrian Brunel is to make The Vortex, and Mr. Herbert Wilcox Mumsee, with Miss Pauline Frederick. The same company is now also making The Ghost Train, with Mr. Guy Newall in the leading part. Mr. M. A, Wetherell's Robinson Crusoe is now finished, and will soon be seen in London. Several other British productions are also now being planned.
