The Pleasure Garden (film)
Encyclopedia
The Pleasure Garden is a 1925 British silent film
, and the debut feature of Alfred Hitchcock
.
allowed Hitchcock to direct
the film when Graham Cutts
, a jealous executive at Gainsborough Pictures
, would not allow him to work on The Rat. The story concerns two chorus girl
s at The Pleasure Garden Theatre, in London
, Patsy Brand and Jill Cheyne. It was shot in Italy
and Germany
. It was based on a novel
by Oliver Sandys.
Many misfortunes befell the cast and crew. This included a serious depletion of their budget when Gaetano Ventimiglia, the film's cinematographer
, tried to hide the film from Italian customs officials. The trick failed, and they had to pay fines, and buy new film.
Although the film was shot in 1925, and was shown to the British press in March 1926, the film was not officially released in the UK until after The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
became a massive hit, in 1927.
Cast
Crew
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, and the debut feature of 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...
.
Production
Michael BalconMichael Balcon
Sir Michael Elias Balcon was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios.-Background:...
allowed Hitchcock to direct
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:...
the film when Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts was a British film director who was one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built on the back of his work. His daughter was actress Patricia Cutts...
, a jealous executive at Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London. Gainsborough Studios were active between 1924 and 1951. Built as a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway it...
, would not allow him to work on The Rat. The story concerns two chorus girl
Chorus Girl
A chorus girl is a female performer in a chorus or chorus line.It may also refer to:*Chorus Girl , a compilation from Atomic Records*Chorus Girls , a 1981 musical*"The Chorus Girl", a story by Anton Chekhov...
s at The Pleasure Garden Theatre, in 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...
, Patsy Brand and Jill Cheyne. It was shot in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was based on a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Oliver Sandys.
Many misfortunes befell the cast and crew. This included a serious depletion of their budget when Gaetano Ventimiglia, the film's cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, tried to hide the film from Italian customs officials. The trick failed, and they had to pay fines, and buy new film.
Although the film was shot in 1925, and was shown to the British press in March 1926, the film was not officially released in the UK until after The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog is a silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1926 and released on 14 February 1927 in London and on 10 June 1928 in New York City. The film, based on a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes and a play Who Is He? co-written by Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a...
became a massive hit, in 1927.
Cast and crew
Hitchcock described the casting process thus:Michael Balcon, who had conceived the idea of "importing" American stars long before anybody else, had engaged Virginia Valli for the leading role. She was at the height of her career then - glamorous, famous, and very popular. That she was coming to Europe to make a picture at all was something of an event.
Cast
- Virginia ValliVirginia ValliVirginia Valli was an American stage and film actress whose motion picture career started in the silent film era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film era of the 1930s....
as Patsy Brand - Carmelita GeraghtyCarmelita GeraghtyCarmelita Geraghty was an American silent-film actress.-Early life:Her father was screenwriter Tom Geraghty. She was the sister of writers Maurice Geraghty and Gerard Geraghty....
as Jill Cheyne - Miles ManderMiles ManderMiles Mander , born Lionel Henry Mander , was a well-known and versatile English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist.-Early life:Miles Mander was the second son of Theodore Mander, builder of Wightwick Manor, of the prominent...
as Levet - John StuartJohn Stuart (actor)John Stuart, born John Alfred Louden Croall , was a Scottish actor, and a very popular leading man in British silent films in the 1920s. He appeared in two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock....
as Hugh Fielding - Ferdinand MartiniFerdinand MartiniFerdinand Martini was a German film actor. He appeared in 38 films between 1920 and 1931.He was born in Munich and died in Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Pleasure Garden...
as Mr. Sidey - Florence Helminger as Mrs. Sidey
- Georg H. SchnellGeorg H. SchnellGeorg H. Schnell was a German actor best known for his role as Harding in Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens . Georg appeared in over one hundred films.He was born in Yantai, China. He died in Berlin, Germany....
as Oscar Hamilton - Karl Falkenberg as Prince Ivan
- Lewis Brody
Crew
- ProducerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
s: Erich PommerErich PommerErich Pommer was a German-born film producer and executive. He was involved in the German Expressionist film movement during the silent era as the head of production at Decla, Decla-Bioscop and from 1924 to 1926 at Ufa responsible for many of the best known movies of the Weimar Republic such as...
and Michael BalconMichael BalconSir Michael Elias Balcon was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios.-Background:... - DirectorFilm directorA 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:...
: Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir 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... - ScreenplayScreenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
: Eliot StannardEliot StannardEliot Stannard , was an English screenwriter. He wrote for 147 films between 1914 and 1933, including eight films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Selected filmography:* Hindle Wakes * Build Thy House... - Assistant directorAssistant directorThe role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
: Alma RevilleAlma RevilleAlma Reville, Lady Hitchcock was an English assistant director, screenwriter and editor. She was the second daughter of Edward and Lucy Reville....
(whom Hitchcock soon married) - CinematographerCinematographerA cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
: Gaetano Ventimiglia