Roy William Neill
Encyclopedia
Roy William Neill was a film director best known today for directing several of the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone
and Nigel Bruce
, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios
.
With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland
. His birth name was Roland de Gostrie. Neill began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were for the most part low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir
in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel
(1946), is considered a film noir.
He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black
hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes
. However, due to delays in production, Black hired Alfred Hitchcock
to direct instead.
Neill died in London, England from a heart attack
.
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
and Nigel Bruce
Nigel Bruce
William Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. His birth name was Roland de Gostrie. Neill began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were for the most part low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel
Black Angel
Black Angel is a 1946 film noir, based on the novel The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich. The film was director Roy William Neill's last film.-Plot:...
(1946), is considered a film noir.
He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black
Edward Black (producer)
Edward Black was an English film producer.-Partial filmography:* Oh, Mr Porter! * Good Morning, Boys * Doctor Syn * Convict 99 * The Lady Vanishes...
hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes
The Lady Vanishes (1938 film)
The Lady Vanishes is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder from the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White...
. However, due to delays in production, Black hired 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...
to direct instead.
Neill died in London, England from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Selected films
- Something Different (1920)
- The Conquest of CanaanThe Conquest of CanaanThe Conquest of Canaan is a silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It starred Thomas Meighan and Doris Kenyon and was directed by Roy William Neill...
(1921) - What's Wrong with the Women?What's Wrong with the Women?What's Wrong with the Women? is a silent film Jazz Age drama, directed by Roy William Neill, produced by Daniel Carson Goodman, and starring Barbara Castleton and Constance Bennett....
(1922) - The City (1926)
- The VikingThe Viking (1928 film)The Viking was the first feature-length Technicolor film that featured a soundtrack, and the first film made in Technicolor's Process 3.-Production background:...
(1928) - Wall StreetWall Street (1929 film)Wall Street was a drama film released on December 1, 1929 and was produced by Harry Cohn, directed by Roy William Neill, and starred Ralph Ince, Aileen Pringle, Sam De Grasse, Philip Strange, and Freddie Burke Frederick.synopsis...
(1929) - That's My BoyThat's My Boy (1932 film)That's My Boy is a 1932 film that stars Richard Cromwell and Dorothy Jordan. It features John Wayne in an uncredited role as a football player.-Cast:* Richard Cromwell - Tommy Jefferson Scott* Dorothy Jordan - Dorothy Whitney* Mae Marsh - Mom Scott...
(1932) - The MenaceThe Menace (film)The Menace is a 1932 American drama film directed by Roy William Neill. The screenplay by Roy Chanslor, Dorothy Howell, and Charles Logue is based on the 1927 novel The Feathered Serpent by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
(1932) - The Black RoomThe Black Room (1935 film)The Black Room is a 1935 mystery-horror film, directed by Roy William Neill. The movie stars Boris Karloff in a dual role as twin brothers. The film also starred Marian Marsh and Robert Allen...
(1935) - Doctor SynDoctor Syn (film)Doctor Syn is a 1937 British, black-and-white, adventure, drama historical film , directed by Roy William Neill for Gainsborough Pictures and starring George Arliss , Margaret Lockwood, Graham Moffatt and Ronald Shiner. It was produced by Gainsborough Pictures. The film is based on the Doctor Syn...
(1937) - Thank EvansThank EvansThank Evans is a 1938 British comedy film, directed by Roy William Neill and starring Max Miller. The film is sequel to Educated Evans , with Miller, Hal Walters and Albert Whelan all returning to reprise their roles as the hapless horse racing tipster Evans, his pal Nobby and the bungling...
(1938) - The ViperThe Viper (film)The Viper is a 1938 British slapstick comedy film, directed by Roy William Neill and starring Claude Hulbert and Hal Walters. The film was a sequel to the previous year's very successful The Vulture, with Hulbert and Walters reprising their roles as hapless private detective Cedric Gull and his...
(1938) - Everything Happens to MeEverything Happens to Me (1938 film)Everything Happens to Me is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Max Miller, Chili Bouchier and H.F. Maltby....
(1938) - Murder Will Out (1939)
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf ManFrankenstein Meets the Wolf ManFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of "ensemble" monster films combining characters from several film...
(1943) - Sherlock Holmes in WashingtonSherlock Holmes in WashingtonSherlock Holmes in Washington is the fifth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes movies.- Plot :A British agent carrying a vital document is murdered on his way to deliver it in the USA...
(1943) - Sherlock Holmes Faces DeathSherlock Holmes Faces DeathSherlock Holmes Faces Death is the sixth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films. Made in 1943, it incorporates elements of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story, "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual".-Plot:Dr...
(1943) - The Spider Woman (1944)
- The Scarlet ClawThe Scarlet ClawThe Scarlet Claw is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes movie directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. It is the eighth film of the Rathbone/Bruce series. The device of a killer using a supernatural entity to cover up his crimes is borrowed from The Hound of the Baskervilles,...
(1944) - The Pearl of DeathThe Pearl of DeathThe Pearl of Death is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. The story is loosely based on Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" but features some additions, such as Evelyn Ankers as an accomplice of the villain, played...
(1944) - Sherlock Holmes and the House of FearSherlock Holmes and the House of FearSherlock Holmes and the House of Fear is a 1945 crime film directed by Roy William Neill. It is loosely based on The Five Orange Pips by Arthur Conan Doyle, and features the characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It is the 10th film of the Rathbone-Bruce series.-Plot:Holmes is visited by Mr...
(1945) - The Woman in GreenThe Woman in GreenThe Woman in Green is a 1945 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, with Hillary Brooke as the woman of the title and Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty. It is mostly an original story, but scenes from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Final Problem and The...
(1945) (Trivia: based in part on The Final Problem and The Adventure of the Empty HouseThe Adventure of the Empty House"The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Public pressure forced Conan Doyle to bring the sleuth back to life, and explain his...
) - Terror by NightTerror by NightTerror by Night is a 1946 Sherlock Holmes mystery film inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, loosely based on The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax and The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. It was directed by Roy William Neill, and stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson...
(1946) - Dressed to KillDressed to Kill (1946 film)Dressed to Kill , is the last of fourteen films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson....
(1946) - Black Angel (1946)