Jill Craigie
Encyclopedia
Jill Craigie was an English
documentary film
director
, screenwriter
and feminist
. She was the wife of the Labour Party
politician Michael Foot
(1913–2010), whom she met during the making of her film The Way We Live.
mother and a Scottish
father in Fulham
, London
, Jill Craigie started her career in film as an actress, but the events of the 1930s politicised her and she turned to filmmaking. Her films depicted her socialist
leanings and dealt with left-wing topics such as child refugees, working conditions for miners, and gender equality. After directing five films and writing two others, Craigie retired from the film business for almost forty years, returning to make a single film for BBC
television.
Craigie was one of the scriptwriters of Trouble in Store
, Norman Wisdom
's film debut, which screened in December 1953. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. After writing the first draft of the script, but reportedly asked that her name be removed from the credits after learning of Wisdom's participation.
In latter years Craigie became an authority on the suffragette
movement, holding a large collection of feminist literature in Britain, with pamphlets dating back to John Stuart Mill
.
Craigie had a daughter, Julie, from her first marriage. She and Foot had no children together, but enjoyed family life with Julie and, later, her four children. They lived in a flat in Hampstead
, north London, and in a cottage in Ebbw Vale, South Wales
.
In 1998, a biography of the late Hungarian-born writer Arthur Koestler
by David Cesarani
alleged Koestler had been a serial rapist and that Craigie had been one of his victims in 1951. Craigie confirmed the allegations.
Craigie died in 1999 of heart failure at the Royal Free Hospital
in Hampstead, London.
, ref 7JCC
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, 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:...
and feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. She was the wife of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
(1913–2010), whom she met during the making of her film The Way We Live.
Biography
Born Noreen Jean Craigie to a RussianRussians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
mother and a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
father in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, 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...
, Jill Craigie started her career in film as an actress, but the events of the 1930s politicised her and she turned to filmmaking. Her films depicted her socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
leanings and dealt with left-wing topics such as child refugees, working conditions for miners, and gender equality. After directing five films and writing two others, Craigie retired from the film business for almost forty years, returning to make a single film for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television.
Craigie was one of the scriptwriters of Trouble in Store
Trouble in Store
Trouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his screen debut. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played...
, Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
's film debut, which screened in December 1953. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. After writing the first draft of the script, but reportedly asked that her name be removed from the credits after learning of Wisdom's participation.
In latter years Craigie became an authority on the suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
movement, holding a large collection of feminist literature in Britain, with pamphlets dating back to John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
.
Craigie had a daughter, Julie, from her first marriage. She and Foot had no children together, but enjoyed family life with Julie and, later, her four children. They lived in a flat in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, north London, and in a cottage in Ebbw Vale, South Wales
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
.
In 1998, a biography of the late Hungarian-born writer Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
by David Cesarani
David Cesarani
David Cesarani OBE is an English historian who specialises in Jewish history, especially the Holocaust. He has also written several biographies, notably Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind.-Early life:...
alleged Koestler had been a serial rapist and that Craigie had been one of his victims in 1951. Craigie confirmed the allegations.
Craigie died in 1999 of heart failure at the Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
in Hampstead, London.
Filmography
- The Flemish Farm (1943), screenwriter (credited as "Jill Dell")
- Out of Chaos (1944)
- The Way We Live (1946)
- Children of the Ruins (1948)
- Blue Scar (1949)
- To Be a Woman (1951)
- The Million Pound NoteThe Million Pound NoteThe Million Pound Note is a 1954 British comedy, directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck...
(1953), screenwriter - Trouble in StoreTrouble in StoreTrouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his screen debut. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played...
(1953), uncredited screenwriter - Windom's WayWindom's WayWindom's Way is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame. It was nominated for four British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards in 1958.-Cast:* Peter Finch as Alec Windom* Mary Ure as Lee Windom* Natasha Parry as Anna Vidal...
(1957), screenwriter - Two Hours from London (1995)
Archives
The archives of Jill Craigie are held at The Women's Library at London Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
, ref 7JCC