''Prelude to Fame'' is a 1950 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

set in Italy, directed by

Fergus McDonell Fergus McDonell (6 October 1910, Ticehurst, Sussex – 3 January 1984, Norwich, Norfolk) was an English film editor and director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for ''Odd Man Out'' (1947). Critical assessments Disc ...

and starring

Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British actor. Career Rolfe was born in Kilburn, London. Before turning to acting at the age of 24 he was a professional boxer and racing driver, making his stage ...

Kathleen Byron Kathleen Elizabeth Fell (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was an English actress. Early life Byron was born in Manor Park (then part of Essex) to what she described as "staunch working-class social ...

and

Kathleen Ryan Kathleen Ryan (8 September 1922 – 11 December 1985) was an Irish actress. She was born in Dublin, Ireland of Tipperary parentage and appeared in British and Hollywood films between 1947 and 1957. In 2020, she was listed as number 40 on ''Th ...

. It is based on the 1924 story "Young Archimides" by

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

, about a mathematical prodigy who is also gifted in music.

Plot

While vacationing in Italy, Nick Morell, son of John Morell, a famous English philosopher and amateur musician and his wife Catherine, becomes friendly with young Guido. Morell discovers the boy has an extraordinary instinct for orchestration and a phenomenal music memory. A neighboring couple, Signor and Signora Boudini become aware of the boy's talents, and the Signora appeals to Guido's parents to let her educate him musically. Torn by their love for their son and the duty they feel to let the world hear his talent, they consent. Guido is tutored by Dr. Lorenzo. Signora Bondini denies the boy all contact with his parents and everyone else except her. She also has neither sent his letters to his family, nor let him see the ones they've sent to him. He becomes phenomenally successful and makes the grand tour of Europe, while Signora Bondini is enraptured by the acclaim given her through her "discovery" of the boy. She prepares to take him to America and also prepares adoption papers.

Cast

as John Morell *

as Signora Anne Bondini *

as Catherine Morell *

Jeremy Spenser Jeremy Spenser (born Jeremy John Dornhurst de Saram 16 July 1937) is a British actor who made his screen debut aged 11 in ''Anna Karenina'' (1948). The following year he played in the black comedy ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' as the young Loui ...

as Guido Ferugia *

Henry Oscar Henry Wale (14 July 1891 – 28 December 1969), known professionally as Henry Oscar, was an English stage and film actor. He changed his name and began acting in 1911, having studied under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Dram ...

as Signor Mario Bondini *

Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Crutchley was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, ...

as Carlotta Ferugia * John Slater as Dr. Lorenzo *

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Grego ...

as Sir Arthur Harold *

Ferdy Mayne Ferdy Mayne (or Ferdie Mayne) (born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel; 11 March 1916 – 30 January 1998) was a German-British stage and screen actor. Born in Mainz, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1930s to escape the Nazi regi ...

as Carlo Ferugia *

Robert Rietty Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Rietti; 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015), was an actor, and Oscar-nominated director of Anglo-Italian descent. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in the American, British and Ita ...

as Giuseppe * Robin Dowell as Nick Morell *

Hugo Schuster Hugo Schuster (22 November 1886 – 10 July 1976) was a German-British actor. Biography Born in Aachen, Germany, Schuster began his career acting at Otto Brahm's Berlin Lessing Theater. In the 1920s, he acted in the leading German theatr ...

as Dr. Freihaus * Michael Balfour as Lucio *

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...

as Newsman * David McCallum Sr. as Leader of orchestra, Royal Albert Hall * Dora Hyde as Leader of orchestra, Naples * Michael Croudson as Nick's Friend * Don Liddel as Benjamino * Ben Williams as Car Driver * Alex Fields as Doorkeeper * Penny Dane as Maid * Leonard Trolley as Waiter

Production

It was made at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Frederick Pusey. This was the last film produced in the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

's "Independent Frame" production system, an attempt to innovate filmmaking.IMDB entry
/ref> When 12 years old Jeremy Spenser was given the part, he spent many weeks before filming began being taught how to conduct an orchestra by Marcus Dods, who was, at that time, assistant to film composer / conductor Muir Mathieson, with the result that Jeremy's conducting scenes looked convincing.

References

External links

* 1950 films Films based on works by Aldous Huxley Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films based on short fiction Films set in London Films set in Italy Films set in Naples 1950s musical drama films British musical drama films 1950 drama films British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{musical-drama-film-stub