How Kitchener Was Betrayed
Encyclopedia
How Kitchener Was Betrayed is a 1921 British
war film
directed by Percy Nash
and starring Fred Paul
, Winifred Evans
and Bertram Burleigh
. It was a fictional portrayal of the events leading up to the death of Herbert Kitchener on HMS Hampshire
during the First World War in which the German secret service receive warning of the General's activities through a German agent Elbie Böcker. The film was intended to cash in on the controversy raised by the publication of a biography of Kitchener in 1920 challenging the Admiralty
's official conclusion that the ship was sunk by a mine. Only one of its six reel
s survives.
authorities, effectively barring its distribution throughout Britain. Pressure was also successfully exerted on William Hays
of the Motion Picture Association of America
to ban the film in the United States
and the French authorities also refused to screen it. The film's delayed premiere
took place at Leicester Square
in November 1922, and the LCC immediately took legal action against the cinema owner who conceded the case. No further attempts were made to release the film. This put in place an effective ban on controversial contempary history films until the release of Herbert Wilcox
's Dawn in 1928.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by Percy Nash
Percy Nash
-Selected filmography:* Enoch Arden * Disraeli * Darby and Joan * The Flag Lieutenant * Hobson's Choice * Won by a Head * How Kitchener Was Betrayed * The Croxley Master...
and starring Fred Paul
Fred Paul
Fred Paul was a Swiss-born British actor and film director. Paul was born in Lausanne in 1880 but moved to Britain at a young age. He was a prolific actor and directors in the 1910s and 1920s, but his career dramatically declined with the arrival of sound films.-Selected filmography:Director* The...
, Winifred Evans
Winifred Evans
Winifred Evans was a British actress. In 1921 she appeared as a Germany spy in the controversial film How Kitchener Was Betrayed which was ultimately banned.-Selected filmography:* The Happy Warrior * The Lady Clare...
and Bertram Burleigh
Bertram Burleigh
-Selected filmography:* Mrs. Thompson * Garryowen * How Kitchener Was Betrayed * Open Country * Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep * Becket...
. It was a fictional portrayal of the events leading up to the death of Herbert Kitchener on HMS Hampshire
HMS Hampshire (1903)
HMS Hampshire was a Devonshire-class armoured cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, Tyne and Wear and commissioned in 1905 at a cost of £833,817....
during the First World War in which the German secret service receive warning of the General's activities through a German agent Elbie Böcker. The film was intended to cash in on the controversy raised by the publication of a biography of Kitchener in 1920 challenging the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
's official conclusion that the ship was sunk by a mine. Only one of its six reel
Reel
A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core...
s survives.
Controversy
The film's plot raised objections from a number of figures on the grounds of historical inaccuracy and it was refused a licence by the LCCLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
authorities, effectively barring its distribution throughout Britain. Pressure was also successfully exerted on William Hays
Will H. Hays
William Harrison Hays, Sr. , was the namesake of the Hays Code for censorship of American films, chairman of the Republican National Committee and U.S. Postmaster General from 1921 to 1922....
of the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
to ban the film in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the French authorities also refused to screen it. The film's delayed premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
took place at Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
in November 1922, and the LCC immediately took legal action against the cinema owner who conceded the case. No further attempts were made to release the film. This put in place an effective ban on controversial contempary history films until the release of Herbert Wilcox
Herbert Wilcox
Herbert Sydney Wilcox was a British film producer and director.-Early life:Wilcox's mother was from County Cork, Ireland, but he was born in Norwood and attended school in Brighton...
's Dawn in 1928.
Cast
- Fred PaulFred PaulFred Paul was a Swiss-born British actor and film director. Paul was born in Lausanne in 1880 but moved to Britain at a young age. He was a prolific actor and directors in the 1910s and 1920s, but his career dramatically declined with the arrival of sound films.-Selected filmography:Director* The...
- Field Marshal Kitchener - Winifred EvansWinifred EvansWinifred Evans was a British actress. In 1921 she appeared as a Germany spy in the controversial film How Kitchener Was Betrayed which was ultimately banned.-Selected filmography:* The Happy Warrior * The Lady Clare...
- Elbie Böcker - Bertram BurleighBertram Burleigh-Selected filmography:* Mrs. Thompson * Garryowen * How Kitchener Was Betrayed * Open Country * Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep * Becket...
- Lieutenant Mack - Peggy Hathaway - Mrs. Mack
- Ian Swinley - The Spy
- Wallace BoscoWallace Bosco-Selected filmography:* Won by a Head * The School for Scandal * The Kensington Mystery * Old Bill Through the Ages * Quinneys * Balaclava * The Man Who Changed His Name...
- Frank GoldsmithFrank GoldsmithFrancis Benedict Hyam Goldsmith was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1918...