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Clouds Over Europe
''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friendship and were in the process of staging a theatrical version of ''Othello'', with Richardson in the title role and Olivier as Iago, when this film was made. ''Q Planes'' was produced by Irving Asher, an American, with British film impresario Alexander Korda as executive producer. The film was directed by an American, Tim Whelan ('' Sidewalks of London'', and later in 1940, co-director of '' The Thief of Bagdad''), who had lived in Britain since 1932, working for Korda at Denham Studios. Plot In September 1938, advanced British aircraft prototypes carrying experimental and secret equipment are vanishing with their crews on test flights. No one can fathom why, not even spymaster Major Hammond (Ralph Richardson) or his sister Kay ( Valerie Hobson) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Film Poster
A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today's posters often feature printed likenesses of the main actors. Prior to the 1980s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on film posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tagline, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, and other pertinent details to inform prospective viewers about the film. Film posters are often displayed inside and on the outside of movie theaters, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor's pressbook and may also be used on websites, DVD (and historically VHS) packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spy Film
The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films). Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, le Carré, Ian Fleming (Bond) and Len Deighton. It is a significant aspect of British cinema, with leading British directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed making notable contributions and many films set in the British Secret Service. Spy films show the espionage activities of government agents and their risk of being discovered by their enemies. From the Nazi espionage thrillers of the 1940s to the James Bond films of the 1960s and to the high-tech blockbusters of today, the spy film has always been popular with audiences worldwide. Offering a combination of exciting escapism, technological thrills, and exotic locales, many spy film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Tree
David Tree (born Ian David Parsons; 15 July 1915 – 4 November 2009) was an English stage and screen actor from a distinguished theatrical family whose career in the 1930s included roles in numerous stage presentations as well as in thirteen films produced between 1937 and 1941, among which were 1939's ''Goodbye Mr. Chips'' and two of producer Gabriel Pascal's adaptations of Shaw classics, 1938's ''Pygmalion'', in which he portrayed Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and 1941's ''Major Barbara'', in which he was Charles Lomax. Early stage experience Tree was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, the son of theatre critic Alan Parsons and actress Viola Tree, the daughter of renowned Victorian actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. The young performer's first exposure to the stage came at the age of six, when he played a bear in his mother's 1921 revival of '' The Tempest'' at the Aldwych Theatre in London and continued through his childhood years, as exemplified by his portrayal, at el ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gus McNaughton
Gus McNaughton (29 July 1881 – 18 November 1969), also known as Augustus Le Clerq and Augustus Howard, was an English film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1930 and 1947. He was born in London and died in Castor, Cambridgeshire. He is sometimes credited as Gus MacNaughton. He appeared on stage from 1899, as a juvenile comedian with the Fred Karno company, the influential British music hall troupe. In films, McNaughton was often cast as the "fast-talking sidekick", and he appeared in several popular George Formby comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. He also appeared twice for director Alfred Hitchcock in both ''Murder!'' (1930) and '' The 39 Steps'' (1935). Filmography * ''Comets'' (1930) - Himself * ''Murder!'' (1930) - Tom Trewitt (uncredited) * '' Children of Chance'' (1930) - H.K. Zinkwell * '' Lucky Girl'' (1932) - Hudson E. Greener * ''The Last Coupon'' (1932) - Lord Bedlington * ''The Maid of the Mountains'' (1932) - General Malona * '' His Wife's Mother'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, distribution, and education. It is sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and partially funded under the British Film Institute Act 1949. Purpose It was established in 1933 to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom. BFI activities Archive The BFI maint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BFI Film & TV Database
The BFI Film & TV Database (ftvdb) is an online database created by the British Film Institute containing information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media, from the UK. It was previously featured on a BFI website under this name, but on 26 June 2014, every page was changed to redirect to listings on the BFI's main site. See also * Allmovie * Allmusic – a similar database, but for music * Animator.ru - article about the Russian website * Films considered the greatest ever This is a list of films considered the best in national and international surveys of critics and the public. Some surveys focus on all films, while others focus on a particular genre or country. Voting systems differ, and some surveys suffer ... References External links * Film archives in the United Kingdom British film websites Online film databases Film and TV Database {{film- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the middle decades of the 17th century, and through the 18th century, the Royal Navy vied with the Dutch Navy and later with the French Navy for maritime supremacy. From the mid 18th century, it was the world's most powerful navy until the Second World War. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing and defending the British Empire, and four Imperial fortress colonies and a string of imperial bases and coaling stations secured the Royal Navy's ability to assert naval superiority globally. Owing to this historical prominence, it is common, even among non-Britons, to ref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Variety (magazine)
''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry. ''Variety.com'' features entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and features, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905. History Foundation ''Variety'' has been published since December 16, 1905, when it was launched by Sime Silverman as a weekly periodical covering theater and vaudeville with its headquarters in New York City. Silverman had been fired by ''The Morning Telegraph'' in 1905 for panning an act which had taken out an advert for $50. As a result, he decided to start his own publication "that ouldnot be influenced by advertising." With a loan of $1,500 from his father- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mole (espionage)
In espionage jargon, a mole (also called a "penetration agent", "deep cover agent", or "sleeper agent") is a long-term spy (espionage agent) who is recruited before having access to secret intelligence, subsequently managing to get into the target organization. However, it is popularly used to mean any long-term clandestine spy or informant within an organization (government or private). In police work, a mole is an undercover law-enforcement agent who joins an organization in order to collect incriminating evidence about its operations and to eventually charge its members. The term was introduced to the public by British spy novelist John le Carré in his 1974 novel ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' and has since entered general usage, but its origin is unclear, as well as to what extent it was used by intelligence services before it became popularized. Le Carré, a former British intelligence officer, has said that the term mole was actually used by the Soviet intelligence agency, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Curzon (actor)
: ''For the British statesman, see George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.'' Commander Chambré George William Penn Curzon (18 October 1898 – 7 May 1976), known as George Curzon, was a Royal Navy commander, actor, and father of the present Earl Howe. Curzon, born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, was the only son of diplomat The Hon. Frederick Curzon-Howe (a son of The 3rd Earl Howe) and his wife, the actress Ellis Jeffreys. Curzon trained for the Navy at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, on the Isle of Wight, and first saw action in the First World War. He retired from the Navy as a lieutenant-commander, then served as a King's Messenger before turning to the West End stage in 1930. Curzon then went to America and appeared on the New York stage in the play '' Parnell'' before entering films. He was given a minor role as a police constable in Basil Dean's '' Escape'' (1930). His first major role came in 1935 when he appeared as the title role in '' Sexton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Merritt (actor)
Frederick George Merritt (10 December 1890 – 27 September 1977) was an English theatre, film and television actor, often in authoritarian roles. He studied German theatre in Magdeburg, Germany, and taught at the Berlitz School at the outbreak of the First World War, when he was held as a British Civil Prisoner of War, and interned at Ruhleben, 1914–1918. He was involved in over 50 plays at Ruhleben. He lived for many years in Lissenden Gardens, Parliament Hill, north west London. Selected filmography * ''The W Plan'' (1930) – Ulrich Muller * ''Bracelets'' (1931) – Director * '' Dreyfus'' (1931) – Émile Zola * '' A Gentleman of Paris'' (1931) – M. Duval * ''White Face'' (1932) – (uncredited) * '' The Lodger'' (1932) – Commissioner * '' Blind Spot'' (1932) – Inspector Cadbury * ''Money for Speed'' (1933) * ''Going Straight'' (1933) * ''F.P.1'' (1933) – Lubin * ''I Was a Spy'' (1933) – Captain Reichman * ''Crime on the Hill'' (1933) – Police Inspector Wol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denham Studios
Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's '' Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s the studio became best known for recording film music, including the scores for Alfred Hitchcock's ''Vertigo'', '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', and '' Star Wars''. The studio buildings were demolished in 1981 and the site re-landscaped as a business park; as of 2017 it has been turned over to residential use. History The studios were founded by Alexander Korda in 1935, on a 165-acre (668,000 m2) site known as 'The Fisheries' near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire, and designed by architects Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK. In 1937, Queen Mary visited the studios while '' The Drum'' was being filmed. In 1946, 'Stage One Music Theatre' opened. Designed by sound recordist a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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