British Lion

Abstract

Abstract BRITISH LIONDON was the second largest distributor of British Films in the 1950s. During the decade, it distributed about 150 films, many of them made by independent producers, and it became a central player in debates about state control and cinematic creativity. British Lion was a long-established company, and was founded in the 1930s, when it concentrated almost entirely on’ quota quickies’, and had a distribution deal with the American Republic Pictures Corporation. During the war, British Lion’s relationship with Republic was increasingly profitable, and in 1944 it achieved a record profit of £101,000, which enabled it to acquire 50 per cent of the Worton Hall studio at Isleworth. It was at this juncture that Alexander Korda became interested in the company, and in 1945 he sold his shares in United Artists in order to buy it. He also bought a controlling interest in Shepperton Studios, and large production offices in Piccadilly; his aim was to transform British Lion from a small-time outfit into a company that could distribute and produce large-budget international films. Korda, of course, had previously had a substantial career in British cinema. In the 1930s, he founded London Films and produced (and occasionally directed) a range of popular films such as The Scarlet Pimpernel(1935) which skilfully deployed residual elements in British culture. During the war, Korda thought his primary task was to persuade the Americans to enter the war, and in Hollywood he made the phenomenally successful Lady Hamilton(1941). As a major share holder in United Artists, he understood the economics of the major Hollywood companies. Unlike Rank, Korda was essentially cosmopolitan in his personality and tastes; he exuded a confident charisma, and his cultural and business instincts were acute during the1930s and the war. However, his plans went awry in the post war period, and by 1948, British Lion was deeply compromised.