Angus MacPhail
Encyclopedia
Angus MacPhail was an English
screenwriter
, active from the late 1920s, who is best remembered for his work with Alfred Hitchcock
.
He was born in London
and educated at Westminster School
and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
where he studied English and edited Granta
. He first worked in the film business in 1926 writing subtitles for silent films. He then began writing his own scenarios for Gaumont British
Studios and later Ealing Studios
under Sir Michael Balcon
. During World War II
he made films for the Ministry of Information
.
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite devices for driving the plots of his stories and creating suspense was what he called the 'MacGuffin
'. Donald Spoto
, the writer on Hitchcock, attributes the coining of the term to MacPhail.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, active from the late 1920s, who is best remembered for his work with Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
.
He was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
where he studied English and edited Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
. He first worked in the film business in 1926 writing subtitles for silent films. He then began writing his own scenarios for Gaumont British
Gaumont British
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was the British arm of the French film company Gaumont. The company became independent of its French parent in 1922, when Isidore Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British....
Studios and later Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
under Sir Michael Balcon
Michael Balcon
Sir Michael Elias Balcon was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios.-Background:...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he made films for the Ministry of Information
Ministry of Information
The term Ministry of Information may refer to the following:* Ministry of Information , part of the Cabinet of Egypt* Ministry of Information , part of the Cabinet of Equatorial Guinea...
.
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite devices for driving the plots of his stories and creating suspense was what he called the 'MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
'. Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto is an American celebrity biographer, Catholic theologian, and former monk. He is best known for his best-selling biographies of film and theatre celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly,...
, the writer on Hitchcock, attributes the coining of the term to MacPhail.
Filmography
- BalaclavaBalaclava (film)Balaclava is a 1928 British war film directed by Maurice Elvey and Milton Rosmer and starring Cyril McLaglen, Benita Hume, Alf Goddard, Harold Huth and Wally Patch. A British army officer is cashiered, and re-enlists as Private to take part in the Crimean War and succeeds in capturing a top Russian...
(1928) - A Light WomanA Light Woman (1928 film)A Light Woman is a 1928 British silence romance film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Benita Hume, C.M. Hallard and Gerald Ames. It is also known by the alternative title Dolores. A flighty young woman learns the error of her ways through a series of love affairs. It was based on a story by...
(1928) - The Return of the RatThe Return of the RatThe Return of the Rat is a 1929 British silent film drama, directed by Graham Cutts for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Ivor Novello, Isabel Jeans and Mabel Poulton.-Background:...
(1929) - The Crooked BilletThe Crooked BilletThe Crooked Billet is a 1929 British drama film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Madeleine Carroll, Carlyle Blackwell and Miles Mander.-Cast:* Carlyle Blackwell - Dietrich Hebburn* Madeleine Carroll - Joan Easton* Miles Mander - Guy Morrow...
(1929) - The WreckerThe Wrecker (1928 film)The Wrecker is a 74 minute silent film made in 1928 . The film was based on the play of the same title by Arnold Ridley. It was produced by Michael Balcon for Gainsborough Pictures, directed by Hungarian Géza von Bolváry and starred Carlyle Blackwell, Joseph Striker and Benita Hume. A...
(1929) - Taxi for TwoTaxi for TwoTaxi for Two is a 1929 British romantic comedy film drama, directed by Denison Clift for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Mabel Poulton and John Stuart. It was the first full sound film made by Gainsborough, and also marked Poulton's first speaking role...
(1929) - City of PlayCity of PlayCity of Play is a 1929 British drama film directed by Denison Clift and starring Chili Bouchier, Patrick Aherne and Lawson Butt. It was made by Gainsborough Pictures and produced by Michael Balcon. It was made partly in sound.-Cast:...
(1929) - Their Son (1929)
- Symphony in Two FlatsSymphony in Two FlatsSymphony in Two Flats is a 1930 British drama film directed by Gareth Gundrey and starring Ivor Novello, Benita Hume, Jacqueline Logan and Cyril Ritchard. It was an adaptation of a play written by Novello...
(1930) - A Warm CornerA Warm CornerA Warm Corner is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Heather Thatcher and Austin Melford. It was based on a successful play by Franz Arnold...
(1930) - The Sport of KingsThe Sport of Kings (film)The Sport of Kings is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Hugh Wakefield and Gordon Harker. A stern Justice of the Peace takes over a firm of bookmakers...
(1931) - Third Time Lucky (1931)
- The RingerThe Ringer (1931 film)The Ringer is a 1931 British crime film directed by Walter Forde and starring Patrick Curwen, Esmond Knight, John Longden and Carol Goodner....
(1931) - Night in MontmartreNight in MontmartreNight in Montmartre is a British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Horace Hodges, Franklin Dyall, Hugh Williams, Reginald Purdell and Austin Trevor. It was based on play by Miles Malleson.-External links:*...
(1931) - The Man They Couldn't ArrestThe Man They Couldn't ArrestThe Man They Couldn't Arrest is a 1931 British drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Hugh Wakefield, Gordon Harker, Garry Marsh and Dennis Wyndham...
(1931) - Hindle WakesHindle Wakes (1931 film)Hindle Wakes is a 1931 British film drama, directed by Victor Saville for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Belle Chrystall and John Stuart. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's controversial 1912 stage play of the same name, which had previously been filmed twice as a silent in 1918 and...
(1931) - The Ghost TrainThe Ghost Train (1931 film)The Ghost Train is a 1931 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge and Ann Todd. It is based on the play The Ghost Train by Arnold Ridley.-Cast:* Jack Hulbert - Teddy Deakin...
(1931) - The CalendarThe Calendar (1931 film)The Calendar is a 1931 British drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Herbert Marshall, Edna Best and Anne Grey. Racehorse owner Anson is swindled by a woman named Wenda and goes up in front of the Jockey Club where he is disqualified on race fixing allegations. He decides to get his...
(1931) - Michael and Mary (1931)
- Sunshine SusieSunshine SusieSunshine Susie is a 1931 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Renate Müller, Jack Hulbert and Owen Nares. It was based on a novel by István Szomaházy. An alternate German-language version Die Privatsekretärin was made, also starring Renate Müller.It is also known under the...
(1931) - Marry Me (1932)
- Lord BabsLord BabsLord Babs is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Bobby Howes, Jean Colin and Pat Paterson. It was based on a play by Keble Howard...
(1932) - The Frightened Lady (1932)
- White FaceWhite FaceWhite Face is a 1932 British crime film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Hugh Williams, Gordon Harker and Renee Gadd. A Doctor becomes a blackmailer and a jewel thief in order to raise funds for a hospital in East London but is uncovered by an ambitious reporter. It was based on a play by...
(1932) - The Faithful HeartThe Faithful Heart (1932 film)The Faithful Heart is a 1932 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Herbert Marshall, Edna Best and Mignon O'Doherty. It was based on the 1921 play The Faithful Heart by Monckton Hoffe.-Cast:* Herbert Marshall - Waverly Ango...
(1932) - Love on WheelsLove on WheelsLove on Wheels is a 1932 British musical comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jack Hulbert, Leonora Corbett, Gordon Harker and Edmund Gwenn.-Cast:* Jack Hulbert - Fred Hopkins* Leonora Corbett - Jane Russell* Gordon Harker - Briggs...
(1932) - The Good CompanionsThe Good Companions (1933 film)The Good Companions is a 1933 comedy film directed by Victor Saville starring Jessie Matthews and John Gielgud. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Jessie Matthews - Susie Dean* Edmund Gwenn - Jess Oakroyd* John Gielgud - Inigo Jollifant...
(1933) - A Yank at OxfordA Yank at OxfordA Yank at Oxford is a 1938 British film, directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios...
(1938) - Kicking the Moon AroundKicking the Moon AroundKicking the Moon Around is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Bert Ambrose, Evelyn Dall and Harry Richman. In an effort to discover whether his fiancee is a golddigger a millionaire's son pretends to have lost all his money...
(1938) - Trouble Brewing (1939)
- The Four Just MenThe Four Just Men (film)The Four Just Men is a 1939 British thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Hugh Sinclair, Griffith Jones, Edward Chapman and Garry Marsh. It is based on the novel The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace.-Cast:...
(1939) - Return to YesterdayReturn to YesterdayReturn to Yesterday is a 1940 British drama film directed by Robert Stevenson. It stars Clive Brook and Anna Lee. It was based on the play Goodness How Sad! by Robert Morley.-Cast:* Clive Brook as Robert Maine* Anna Lee as Carol Sands...
(1940) - Busman's HoneymoonBusman's Honeymoon (film)Busman's Honeymoon is a 1940 British detective film directed by Arthur B. Woods. An adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey story Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers, it starred Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Leslie Banks, Seymour Hicks, Robert Newton and Googie Withers....
(1940) - Let George Do It! (1940)
- Saloon BarSaloon Bar- Plot summary :An amateur detective tries to clear an innocent man of a crime before the date of his execution.- Cast :*Gordon Harker as Joe Harris*Elizabeth Allan as Queenie*Mervyn Johns as Wickers*Joyce Barbour as Sally*Anna Konstam as Ivy...
(1940) - Sailors ThreeSailors ThreeSailors Three is a 1940 British war comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Tommy Trinder, Claude Hulbert and Carla Lehmann. Thre British sailors accidentally find themselves aboard a German ship during the Second World War....
(1940) - The Ghost of St. Michael'sThe Ghost of St. Michael'sThe Ghost of St. Michael’s is a 1941 British comedy-thriller film, produced by Ealing Studios.-Plot:An ineffectual science teacher William Lamb is hired by a school recently transferred because of World War II to the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland...
(1941) - The Big BlockadeThe Big BlockadeThe Big Blockade is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama, propaganda film, war film, directed by Charles Frend and starring Will Hay, Ronald Shiner as the Shipping Clerk and John Mills. It was produced by Ealing Studios...
(1942) - The Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of Whitehall is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy, war film, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, and; starring Will Hay as Professor Will Davis, John Mills and Basil Sydney...
(1942) - The Next of KinThe Next of KinThe Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 World War II propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios.The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government propaganda message that "Careless talk costs lives"...
(1942) - The Foreman Went to FranceThe Foreman Went to FranceThe Foreman Went to France, also known as Somewhere in France, is a 1942 British World War II war film starring Clifford Evans, Tommy Trinder, Constance Cummings and Gordon Jackson...
(1942) - The Goose Steps OutThe Goose Steps OutThe Goose Steps Out is a British comedy film released in 1942. This film starred, and was co-directed by, the British comedian Will Hay.The film's title refers to the Nazis' vigorous ceremonial marching, called "goose-stepping".-Plot summary:...
(1942) - Went the Day Well?Went the Day Well?"Went the Day Well?" is a British war film produced by Ealing Studios in 1942 as unofficial propaganda. It tells of how an English village is taken over by German paratroopers . Made during the war, it reflects the greatest potential nightmares of many Britons of the time, although the threat of...
(1942) - Go to Blazes (1942, short)
- My Learned FriendMy Learned FriendMy Learned Friend is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, farce, directed by Basil Dearden, co-directed with regular collaborator Will Hay and starring Ronald Shiner as the Man in Wilson's café, Will Hay as William Fitch and Charles Victor as "Safety" Wilson. It was produced by Michael Balcon,...
(1943) - Bon VoyageBon Voyage (1944 film)Bon Voyage is a short French language propaganda film made by Alfred Hitchcock for the British Ministry of Information.-Plot:The film depicts the escape of a downed Royal Air Force pilot through German-occupied territory...
(1944, short) - Aventure MalgacheAventure MalgacheAventure malgache is a short British propaganda film in French directed by Alfred Hitchcock for the British Ministry of Information. The title means Malagasy Adventure in English....
(1944, short) - The Halfway HouseThe Halfway HouseThe Halfway House is a 1944 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Tom Walls, Mervyn Johns and Glynis Johns. It also features the French actress Françoise Rosay...
(1944) - Fiddlers ThreeFiddlers Three (1944 film)Fiddlers Three is a 1944 British black-and-white comedy with music. The film was produced by Michael Balcon and directed by Harry Watt. The cast included Tommy Trinder, Sonnie Hale, Frances Day, Francis L. Sullivan, Diana Decker, Elisabeth Welch and James Robertson Justice...
(1944) - Champagne CharlieChampagne Charlie (film)Champagne Charlie is a 1944 British musical film made by Ealing Studios. It is based on an 1860s play that depicted the real life rivalry between George Leybourne, who first performed the song of that name, and Alfred Vance....
(1944) - Dead of NightDead of NightDead of Night is a British portmanteau horror film made by Ealing Studios, its various episodes directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Michael Redgrave...
(1945) - SpellboundSpellbound (1945 film)Spellbound is a psychological mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945. It tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll. It is an adaptation by Angus...
(1945) - The Captive HeartThe Captive HeartThe Captive Heart is a 1946 British war drama, directed by Basil Dearden for Ealing Studios. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1946) - The Loves of Joanna GoddenThe Loves of Joanna GoddenThe Loves of Joanna Godden is a 1947 British historical drama film directed by Charles Frend and produced by Michael Balcon. The screenplay was written by H E Bates and Angus McPhail from the novel by Sheila Kaye-Smith. It stars Googie Withers, Jean Kent, John McCallum, Derek Bond, Chips Rafferty...
(1947) - FriedaFrieda (film)Frieda is a 1947 British film, directed by Basil Dearden, screenplay by Angus MacPhail and Ronald Millar and was produced by Michael Balcon. Frieda is a German woman who helps an English airman, Robert , to escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp in April 1945...
(1947) - It Always Rains on SundayIt Always Rains on SundayIt Always Rains on Sunday is a film adaptation of the novel by Arthur La Bern, adapted and directed by Robert Hamer. In its gritty, unsentimental depiction of everyday life in post-war Britain, and in its exploration of the tedium, frustration and desperation wrought by grinding poverty, the film...
(1947) - Whisky Galore!Whisky Galore! (film)Whisky Galore! was a 1949 Ealing comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Compton MacKenzie. Both the movie and the novel are based on the real-life 1941 shipwreck of the S.S. Politician near the island of Eriskay and the unauthorized taking of its cargo of whisky...
(1949) - Train of EventsTrain of EventsTrain of Events is a 1949 British film made by Ealing Studios directed by Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden.A portmanteau work, it tells the various stories of the passengers who are on a train which crashes into a stalled petrol tanker at a level crossing.-Plot:The film opens with a...
(1949) - The Wrong ManThe Wrong ManThe Wrong Man is a 1956 film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film is based on a true story of an innocent man charged for a crime he did not commit...
(1956)