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The Old Curiosity Shop (1934 Film)
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is a 1934 British drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Elaine Benson, Ben Webster and Hay Petrie. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop''. Production The film was produced by British International Pictures, one of the two most prominent British film studios of the time, at its base at Elstree Studios. Bentley was a well-established director who worked on several of the company's presigous historical films during the decade. He had previously directed a number of Dickens adaptations during the silent era, but this was his only Dickens talkie. The film sought to achieve a " painterly" effect in its interpretation of the original work. The recreation of the grotesque elements of Dickens' novel has led to it being described as an "expressionist nightmare".Harper, p.41 Cast * Elaine Benson as Nell * Ben Webster as The Grandfather * Hay Petrie as Quilp * Beatrix Thomson as Quilp's Wife * Gibb McLaughl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Bentley
Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, ''The Man in the Street'' (1926), ''The Antidote'' (1927), and ''Acci-Dental Treatment'' (1928). Bentley was born in St George Hanover Square, London and originally trained as an engineer but went on to become a vaudeville performer well known for impersonating the characters from the novels of Charles Dickens on stage, touring Britain and Australia.McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 66-67; His directing career in silent films began in 1910 after he was signed by Cecil Hepworth to write and direct five adaptations of Dickens' novels. He would go on to helm more Charles Dickens adaptations throughout his career. After his retirement from directing in 1941 he became technical advisor to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nell Trent
Nell Trent, also referred to as Little Nell, is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. The novel's main character, she is portrayed as infallibly good and virginal. An orphan, she leads her grandfather on their journey to save them from misery but gradually becomes weaker throughout the journey, and although she finds a home with the help of a schoolmaster, she sickens and dies before her friends in London find her. Her death has been described as "the apotheosis of Victorian sentimentality."Little Nell: fictional character '''' online Character [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1930s English-language Films
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 '' Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * January 1 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Roman Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will, to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor. Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which were wrecked under Commodus, to reestablish discipline in the Roman army, and to suspend the food programs established by Trajan, provoking the ire of the Praetorian Guard. * March 28 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Shot At British International Pictures Studios
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1934 Drama Films
Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people. * January 26 – A 10-year German–Polish declaration of non-aggression is signed by Nazi Germany and the Second Polish Republic. * January 30 ** In Nazi Germany, the political power of federal states such as Prussia is substantially abolished, by the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" (''Gesetz über den Neuaufbau des Reiches''). ** Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, signs the Gold Reserve Act: all gold held in the Federal Reserve is to be surrendered to the United States Department of the Treasury; immediately following, the President raises the statutory gold price from US$20.67 per ounce to $35. * February 6 – French ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1934 Films
The following is an overview of 1934 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1934 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 26 – Samuel Goldwyn (formerly of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) purchases the film rights to ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000. *February 19 – Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade. *April 19 – Fox Studios releases ''Stand Up and Cheer!'', with five-year-old Shirley Temple in a relatively minor role. Shirley steals the film and Fox, which had been near bankruptcy, finds itself owning a goldmine. *May 18 – Paramount releases '' Little Miss Marker'', with Shirley Temple, on loan from Fox, in the title role. *June 13 – An amendment to the Production Code establishes the Production Code Administration, and requires all films to obtain a certificate of approval before being released. *July 28 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amy Veness
Amy Veness (26 February 1876 – 22 September 1960) was an English film actress. She played the role of Grandma Huggett in ''The Huggetts Trilogy'' and was sometimes credited as Amy Van Ness. Veness was born Amy Clarice Beart in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. She was married to Basil Springett. On 22 September 1960 she died in Saltdean, Sussex, England at age 84. Selected filmography * '' Please Help Emily'' (1917) - Mrs. Lethbridge * ''My Wife'' (1918) - Mrs. Hammond * ''The Brat'' (1919) - Mrs. Forrester * ''The Wife's Family'' (1931) - Arabella Nagg * '' Hobson's Choice'' (1931) - Mrs. Hepworth * '' Tonight's the Night'' (1932) - Emily Smithers * ''Murder on the Second Floor'' (1932) - (uncredited) * '' Money for Nothing'' (1932) - Emma Bolt * '' Self Made Lady'' (1932) - Old Sookey * '' The Marriage Bond'' (1932) - Mrs. Crust * ''Pyjamas Preferred'' (1932) - Mme. Gautier * ''Let Me Explain, Dear'' (1932) - Aunt Fanny * '' Red Wagon'' (1933) - Petal Schultze * '' The Love Nest'' (1933 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roddy Hughes
Rhodri Henry Hughes (19 June 1891 – 22 February 1970) was a Welsh theatre, film and television actor, who appeared in over 80 films between 1932 and 1961. Selected filmography * ''Mr. Bill the Conqueror'' (1932) * ''Reunion'' (1932) * '' Say It with Flowers'' (1934) - Sam - Newspaper Seller (uncredited) * ''How's Chances?'' (1934) - (uncredited) * '' Music Hall'' (1934) * '' A Glimpse of Paradise'' (1934) - Walter Fielding * ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1934) - Short * '' Lest We Forget'' (1934) - Taffy * '' Kentucky Minstrels'' (1934) - Town Clerk * ''Breakers Ahead'' (1935) - Will * ''A Real Bloke'' (1935) - Taffy * ''The Small Man'' (1935) - David * ''Cock o' the North'' (1935) - Taffy * '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1935) - Toomes * ''The River House Mystery'' (1935) - Higgins * '' Cheer Up'' (1936) - Dick Dirk * '' Twelve Good Men'' (1936) * '' Men of Yesterday'' (1936) * '' Make-Up'' (1937) - Mr. Greenswarter * ''Captain's Orders'' (1937) - Cookie * ''Little Miss Somebody'' (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Harcourt
James Harcourt (20 April 187318 February 1951) was an English character actor. Harcourt was born in Headingley, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. He started work as a cabinet maker, and drifted into amateur dramatics. He appeared as a stage actor first in 1903 and worked with the Liverpool Repertory Company from 1919 to 1931, and was with the Old Vic in the mid 1940s. In 1947, Harcourt appeared in the original West End production of the popular musical '' Bless the Bride'', directed by Wendy Toye. He was married to the actress Isadora Keith, and was the father of camera operator and cinematographer David Harcourt. He died in Eton, Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ... on 18 February 1951 aged 77. Filmography References * "Halliwell's Who's Who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Swiveller
Richard 'Dick' Swiveller is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. Initially a comical accessory to the antagonists in the novel, he undergoes a transformation, becoming a key helpmate bridging the depiction of the main characters that are either mostly villainous or goodly in nature. Character Initially, Swiveller is the easily manipulated friend of Frederick Trent, the wastrel older brother of Nell Trent; the clerk of Sampson Brass until he is dismissed, and the guardian and eventual husband of the Marchioness. He delights in quoting and adapting literature to describe his experiences. Laid back in character. he seems to have few worries despite owing money to just about everybody. Fred Trent wants Swiveller to marry Fred's sister Nell, so he'll have the supposed fortune of their grandfather. They have to wait, since Nell is too young to marry. When the destitute Nell and her grandfather leave London Swiveller is befriended by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reginald Purdell
Reginald Purdell (4 November 1896 – 22 April 1953) was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951. During the same period he also contributed to the screenplays of 15 feature films, such as '' The Dark Tower'', and had a brief foray into directing with two films in 1937. Early life Purdell was born in Clapham, London, the son of Charles William Grasdorff by his marriage to Mary Ann Piddill. At the 1881 census a few weeks after the marriage the couple was living in Monmouthshire and his father stated his name as Carl H. W. Grasdorff, giving his place of birth as Germany, about 1844, while his mother gave hers as Cardiff, about 1857. Grasdorff was naturalized as a British subject under the name of Carl Hermann Wilhelm Grasdorff. Mary Ann Grasdorff's maiden name of Piddill, suitably improved, later provided their son's stage name. In 1892, Grasdorff was listed as "Grasdorff, Carl H. W., Newport, Monmouthshire, and Bute Docks, Card ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sampson Brass
Sampson Brass is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. He is a corrupt attorney who affects feeling for his clients, whom he then cheats. Among his clients is the villainous Daniel Quilp, the novel's antagonist. From Bevis Marks in the city of London, he assists Quilp in fraudulently gaining possession of Nell's grandfather's house, plots against Kit Nubbles, and hires and then dismisses Dick Swiveller. In the novel Dickens describes him: He had a cringing manner, but a very harsh voice; and his blandest smiles were so extremely forbidding, that to have had his company under the least repulsive circumstances, one would have wished him to be out of temper that he might only scowl. In Chapter 12 Dickens writes that Brass was “the ugliest piece of goods in all the stock”, implying that he is an item for sale, like any other at The Old Curiosity Shop. He is assisted in his scheming by his sister Sally Brass, who also acts as he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
