The Ideal Film Company (often known as Ideal Films or simply Ideal) was a British film

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

company that operated between 1911 and 1934. The company, based in

Soho, London Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, was started by the two Jewish brothers Harry Moses (1875-17 August 1951) and Simon (1877-26 June 1950) Rowson (born Rosenbaum). They were born in Manchester, where their father, an immigrant from

Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki i ...

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

, worked as a butcher.William D. Rubinstein: ''The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History'', Palgrave Macmillan 2011, page 831
Linked 2015-03-18 After having begun as a pure distribution company in 1911, Ideal also began producing films in 1916. In 1917, the company acquired the first of the Elstree Studios in

Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...

from the Neptune Film Company. During the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, the Ideal Film Company became one of the leading British production companies, benefiting from the post-

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

boom in films. However the company was badly hit by the

Slump of 1924 Slump may refer to: *Slump (economics), better known as a recession * Slump (food), a variety of cobbler *Slump (geology), a form of mass wasting event * "Slump" (song), by South Korean boy band Stray Kids *Slump (sports), a period in which a play ...

, and stopped its production, while the distribution arm continued. In 1927 the company was merged into the

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...

empire, where it continued to distribute under its own name until 1934. During its 23 years, the company distributed almost 400 films and produced more than 80. Most of the films produced by the company are now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

, but a number still survive. Perhaps the company's best known film is ''

The Life Story of David Lloyd George ''The Life Story of David Lloyd George'' (originally titled ''The Man Who Saved The Empire'')David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

, directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

. Simon Rowson went on to become an adviser to the government on British film, and was the first president of the British Kinematograph Society (1931-1938). His son,

Leslie Rowson Leslie Rowson (1903–1977) was a British cinematographer. Rowson collaborated on several films with the director Michael Powell. Selected filmography * '' The Crimson Circle'' (1929) * ''The Man They Couldn't Arrest'' (1931) * '' The Ghost Train ...

, became a renowned British cinematographer.

Selected list of films produced

* ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband i ...

'' (1916) * ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'' (1917) * '' Tom Jones'' (1917) * '' Red Pottage'' (1918) * ''

The Life Story of David Lloyd George ''The Life Story of David Lloyd George'' (originally titled ''The Man Who Saved The Empire'')Dombey and Son ''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...

'' (1919) * '' The Chinese Puzzle'' (1919) * ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' (1920) * ''

Lady Audley's Secret ''Lady Audley's Secret'' is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published in 1862. John Sutherland. "Lady Audley's Secret" in ''The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction'', 1989. It was Braddon's most successful and well-known novel. C ...

'' (1920) * ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moorland, moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their tur ...

'' (1920) * '' Ernest Maltravers'' (1920) * ''

A Woman of No Importance ''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...

'' (1921) * ''

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...

'' (1921) * ''

Bentley's Conscience ''Bentley's Conscience'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by Denison Clift and starring Robert Loraine, Betty Faire and Henry Victor. Cast * Robert Loraine - Clive Bentley * Betty Faire - Diane carson * Henry Victor - Fletcer * ...

'' (1922) * ''

A Master of Craft ''A Master of Craft'' is a 1922 British silent comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Fred Groves, Mercy Hatton and Judd Green. It was based on a 1900 novel by W. W. Jacobs. Cast * Fred Groves - Captain Flower * Mercy Hatton - ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Card ''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. Like much of Bennett's best work, it is ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1923) * ''

Hutch Stirs 'em Up ''Hutch Stirs 'em Up'' is a 1923 British silent comedy action film directed by Frank Hall Crane and starring Charles Hutchison, Joan Barry and Malcolm Tod. It was based on the novel '' The Hawk of Rede'' by Harry Harding. Cast * Charles Hutc ...

'' (1923) * ''

Hurricane Hutch in Many Adventures ''Hurricane Hutch in Many Adventures'' is a 1924 British silent comedy action film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring Charles Hutchison, Warwick Ward and Malcolm Tod. Cast * Charles Hutchison - Hurricane Hutch * Warwick Ward - Dick * M ...

'' (1924) * ''

Wedding Rehearsal ''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife. Plot "Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his ...

'' (1932)

References

Bibliography

* Gledhill, Christine. ''Reframing British Cinema 1918-1928: Between Restraint and Passion''. British Film Institute, 2003. * Low, Rachael. ''The History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

External links

* British film studios Film production companies of the United Kingdom Film distributors of the United Kingdom Mass media companies established in 1911 Mass media companies disestablished in 1934 1911 establishments in England 1934 establishments in England 1927 mergers and acquisitions {{UK-film-company-stub