British National Films Company
Encyclopedia
In 1934 the British National Films Company was formed in England
by J. Arthur Rank
, Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket Wood
and producer John Corefield.
teacher and he discovered that if he screened religious films instead of lecturing his class, he got a positive response.
His idea spread to other classes held by other churches and in 1933, this motivated J. Arthur Rank to form a Religious Film Society to distribute the films that he wanted to show to other Sunday Schools.
Following distribution, J. Arthur Rank then decided to go into the business of producing religious films. Mastership was his first religious film production. It was a twenty minutes film made at Merton Park Studios at a cost of £2,700. Mastership was never shown commercially, because it was merely intended as a form of evangelism and shown within other churches. Rank was pleased with the results and other films went into production in Elstree
at the better equipped Rock Studios, which were later renamed British National.
in England began attacking the low moral standards exhibited by British films and by American films shown in Britain
. In response, the London
Evening News answered the Methodist Times by suggesting that if the Methodist Church was so concerned about the effect that the film industry
was having upon family life in Britain, that it should start producting its own family-friendly films. It was this exchange that motivated J. Arthur Rank to expand his movie interests into the commercial market.
, who was both extremely wealthy and extremely bored with life. In order to fill her life with activity she engaged in big game hunting
and breeding Arabian horse
s with a degree of success and lasting fame. Upon meeting J. Arthur Rank she decided to add the making of films to her list. However, when it came to the business side of film production, Lady Yule did not share the same ideas as J. Arthur Rank with regards to the making and distributing films to improve society, because she did not believe in giving discounts to religiously motivated film productions. She thought that films were an interesting hobby and similar to her financial interests in Arabian horse
reeding.
In 1935, British Nationa' commenced production of their first feature film called Turn of the Tide. The script was based upon a 1932 novel by Leo Walmsley
called Three Fevers. The setting, which Rank knew from childhood, was Robin Hood
's Bay on the north coast of Yorkshire
, England
. Having read the book, Rank decided that it would mamake an excellent family-friendly British
film in answer to the Hollywood-style movies that Alexander Korda
was making at the Denham Film Studios
.
Although Turn of the Tide was well made and featured a good cast, British National could not get wide distribution for the film and when he did, it was as the second half of a double feature. The company struggled to recoup its costs and Rank knew that for British National to make a profit, he had to create a commercial version of his Religious Film Society in order to control distribution and exhibition.
had undertaken to construct a new film studio in the village of Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire
. His location was set among the Pine trees on the estate grounds of a mansion called Heatherden Hall that Charles Boot had recently bought at auction. The complex was named Pinewood Film Studios and it was completed within a year. By 1935 Charles Boot had approached British National about taking over ownership and management of the new studios and a contract was entered into. John Corfield eventually resigned from the board of Pinewood Film Studios and Lady Yule sold her shares to J. Arthur Rank.
and that episode belongs to his life story.
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...
by J. Arthur Rank
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
, Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately 4½ miles from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a London Midland service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.Close to the village stands...
and producer John Corefield.
Origin of the company
Joseph Arthur Rank was a devout member of the Methodist Church and the son of a millionaire flour miller. On the first day of the week he was a Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher and he discovered that if he screened religious films instead of lecturing his class, he got a positive response.
His idea spread to other classes held by other churches and in 1933, this motivated J. Arthur Rank to form a Religious Film Society to distribute the films that he wanted to show to other Sunday Schools.
Following distribution, J. Arthur Rank then decided to go into the business of producing religious films. Mastership was his first religious film production. It was a twenty minutes film made at Merton Park Studios at a cost of £2,700. Mastership was never shown commercially, because it was merely intended as a form of evangelism and shown within other churches. Rank was pleased with the results and other films went into production in Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
at the better equipped Rock Studios, which were later renamed British National.
Press challenge
In the 1930s the Methodist Times newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in England began attacking the low moral standards exhibited by British films and by American films shown in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In response, the 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...
Evening News answered the Methodist Times by suggesting that if the Methodist Church was so concerned about the effect that the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
was having upon family life in Britain, that it should start producting its own family-friendly films. It was this exchange that motivated J. Arthur Rank to expand his movie interests into the commercial market.
Lady Yule
A young producer named John Corefield introduced J. Arthur Rank to Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket WoodBricket Wood
Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately 4½ miles from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a London Midland service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.Close to the village stands...
, who was both extremely wealthy and extremely bored with life. In order to fill her life with activity she engaged in big game hunting
Big game hunting
Big game hunting is the hunting of large game. The term is historically associated with the hunting of Africa's Big Five game , and with tigers and rhinos on the Indian subcontinent. In North America, animals such as bears and bison were hunted...
and breeding Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s with a degree of success and lasting fame. Upon meeting J. Arthur Rank she decided to add the making of films to her list. However, when it came to the business side of film production, Lady Yule did not share the same ideas as J. Arthur Rank with regards to the making and distributing films to improve society, because she did not believe in giving discounts to religiously motivated film productions. She thought that films were an interesting hobby and similar to her financial interests in Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
reeding.
Formation of the company
In 1934 J. Arthur Rank, Lady Yule and John Corefield formed the British National Films Company and went into production in answer to the challenge by the Evening News to the Methodist Times.In 1935, British Nationa' commenced production of their first feature film called Turn of the Tide. The script was based upon a 1932 novel by Leo Walmsley
Leo Walmsley
Leo Walmsley was an English writer.He was born at 7 Clifton Place, Shipley in the county of West Yorkshire in 1892, and two years later his family moved to Robin Hood's Bay on the coast of present-day North Yorkshire, where he was schooled at the old Wesleyan chapel...
called Three Fevers. The setting, which Rank knew from childhood, was Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
's Bay on the north coast of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
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...
. Having read the book, Rank decided that it would mamake an excellent family-friendly British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film in answer to the Hollywood-style movies that Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
was making at the Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios were a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952.The studios were founded by Alexander Korda, on a 165 acre site near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK, but it was merged with Rank's Pinewood...
.
Although Turn of the Tide was well made and featured a good cast, British National could not get wide distribution for the film and when he did, it was as the second half of a double feature. The company struggled to recoup its costs and Rank knew that for British National to make a profit, he had to create a commercial version of his Religious Film Society in order to control distribution and exhibition.
Pinewood Film Studios
In 1934 Charles BootCharles Boot
Charles Boot of Sheffield, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver in Buckinghamshire, England.- Basic biography :...
had undertaken to construct a new film studio in the village of Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. His location was set among the Pine trees on the estate grounds of a mansion called Heatherden Hall that Charles Boot had recently bought at auction. The complex was named Pinewood Film Studios and it was completed within a year. By 1935 Charles Boot had approached British National about taking over ownership and management of the new studios and a contract was entered into. John Corfield eventually resigned from the board of Pinewood Film Studios and Lady Yule sold her shares to J. Arthur Rank.
Film Distribution
The problems that British National experienced in distributing Turn of the Tide, were eventually solved by J. Arthur RankJ. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
and that episode belongs to his life story.