John Taylor (documentary filmmaker)
Encyclopedia
John Elston Taylor was a British documentary film
maker.
Born in Kentish Town
, London, on 5 October 1914, John Taylor had originally set his sights on a career in carpentry, however shortly after finishing school he was offered a job by his sister's husband, documentary filmmaker John Grierson
.
Taylor started work as a film assistant at the Empire Marketing Board and in the years that followed Taylor tried his hand at such jobs as camera operator, assistant director and production assistant. Along with working on Grierson's works, Taylor also had the fortune of working alongside some of his colleagues, such as Basil Wright
(Song of Ceylon
, 1934), Robert Flaherty (Man of Aran
, 1934) and Alberto Cavalcanti
on several of his travel documentaries, such as Men of the Alps (1937). By the end of the 1930s, Taylor was directing films himself, including Smoke Menace (1937) and Londoners (1939).
In the 1940s, Taylor began producing films which helped to expose and improve social issues; Margaret Thomson's Clean Milk (1943) helped improve the Scottish dairy industry; Alex Strasser's Your Children's Eyes (1945) showed how a child's squint could easily be corrected with a minor operation; Daybreak in Udi
(d. Terry Bishop, 1949) followed the construction of a maternity hospital in a village in Eastern Nigeria.
In 1952, Taylor and Leon Clore set up Countryman Films, a company which made natural history documentaries. Their greatest achievement was probably The Conquest of Everest
(d. Thomas Stobbart, 1953), a record of the successful British Everest expedition of 1953 accomplished by John Hunt
, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
.
Taylor was involved in a vast number of documentary films that became classics of the genre. He continued working up to the 1980s, producing quality documentaries on themes of social welfare and conservation.
Taylor died on 15 September 1992, in London, England.
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...
maker.
Born in Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, London, on 5 October 1914, John Taylor had originally set his sights on a career in carpentry, however shortly after finishing school he was offered a job by his sister's husband, documentary filmmaker John Grierson
John Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
.
Taylor started work as a film assistant at the Empire Marketing Board and in the years that followed Taylor tried his hand at such jobs as camera operator, assistant director and production assistant. Along with working on Grierson's works, Taylor also had the fortune of working alongside some of his colleagues, such as Basil Wright
Basil Wright
Basil Wright, , was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher.-Biography:...
(Song of Ceylon
Song of Ceylon
The Song of Ceylon is a 1934 British documentary film directed by Basil Wright and produced by John Grierson for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board....
, 1934), Robert Flaherty (Man of Aran
Man of Aran
Man of Aran is a fictional documentary by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern conditions, documenting their daily routines such as fishing off high cliffs, farming potatoes where there is little soil, and...
, 1934) and Alberto Cavalcanti
Alberto Cavalcanti
Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born film director and producer.-Early life:Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a prominent mathematician. He was a precociously intelligent child, and by the age of 15 was studying law at university. Following an argument with a...
on several of his travel documentaries, such as Men of the Alps (1937). By the end of the 1930s, Taylor was directing films himself, including Smoke Menace (1937) and Londoners (1939).
In the 1940s, Taylor began producing films which helped to expose and improve social issues; Margaret Thomson's Clean Milk (1943) helped improve the Scottish dairy industry; Alex Strasser's Your Children's Eyes (1945) showed how a child's squint could easily be corrected with a minor operation; Daybreak in Udi
Daybreak in Udi
Daybreak in Udi is a 1949 documentary film directed by Terry Bishop. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Plot:It is 1949, and colonial Nigeria is undergoing an identity crisis. There is a clash between the progressive, educated elements of society - those who desire...
(d. Terry Bishop, 1949) followed the construction of a maternity hospital in a village in Eastern Nigeria.
In 1952, Taylor and Leon Clore set up Countryman Films, a company which made natural history documentaries. Their greatest achievement was probably The Conquest of Everest
The Conquest of Everest
The Conquest of Everest is a 1953 British documentary film directed by George Lowe about various expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(d. Thomas Stobbart, 1953), a record of the successful British Everest expedition of 1953 accomplished by John Hunt
John Hunt, Baron Hunt
Brigadier Henry Cecil John Hunt, Baron Hunt KG, PC, CBE, DSO, was a British army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British Expedition to Mount Everest.-Early life and career:...
, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay
Padma Bhushan, Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara Tenzing Norgay, GM born Namgyal Wangdi and often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer...
.
Taylor was involved in a vast number of documentary films that became classics of the genre. He continued working up to the 1980s, producing quality documentaries on themes of social welfare and conservation.
Taylor died on 15 September 1992, in London, England.
Selected filmography
- Island People (1940) (Producer)