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97-525: Numerous Hollywood films have a British dimension (based on British people, stories or events), many of which have had enormous worldwide commercial success. Two of the top eight highest-grossing films worldwide of all time have some British historical, cultural or creative dimensions: Titanic (1997), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of

194-405: A British film himself. He raised £1,400 to make The Wonderful Story (1922). It was directed by a Newcastle exhibitor who shared Wilcox's enthusiasm for D. W. Griffith , Jack Graham Cutts ; he and Wilcox established Graham-Wilcox Productions. Wilcox sold the film for £4,000 and the premiere got excellent reviews. This enabled Wilcox to raise funds for a slate of films, before The Wonderful Story

291-816: A Cavalier poet. Cavalier works make use of allegory and classical allusions, and they are influenced by Latin authors Horace , Cicero , and Ovid . John Milton (1608–74) is one of the great English poets, who wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval. He is generally seen as the last major poet of the English Renaissance, though his major epic poems were written in the Restoration period, including Paradise Lost (1671). Among these are L'Allegro , 1631; Il Penseroso , 1634; Comus (a masque), 1638; and Lycidas , (1638). His later major works are Paradise Regained , 1671 and Samson Agonistes , 1671. Milton's works reflect deep personal convictions,

388-453: A biopic about Van Gogh starring Trevor Howard , but it was never made. Wilcox made a film without Neagle, Into the Blue (1950), with Wilding and Odile Versois ; it was not particularly popular. Neagle and Wilding were reunited for The Lady with a Lamp (1951), a biopic of Florence Nightingale and Derby Day (1952), an ensemble film. Both did well at the box office but not as well as

485-509: A biopic of Amy Johnson and the war thriller Yellow Canary (1943). Wilcox and Neagle had a big hit with I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945), co starring Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger . They followed it with Piccadilly Incident (1946), starring Neagle and Michael Wilding , which was even more popular, the second biggest British hit of 1946. Wilcox signed Wilding to a long-term contract. The Courtneys of Curzon Street (1947)

582-475: A biopic of Flora MacDonald filmed in Scotland but the declaration of war made that impossible. Instead they made three musicals: Irene (1940), with Ray Milland ; No, No, Nanette (1940), with Victor Mature ; and Sunny (1941) with Ray Bolger . They were among the many names who worked on Forever and a Day (1943). In July 1941, Wilcox and Neagle returned to England to make They Flew Alone (1942)

679-483: A biopic of Queen Victoria . Woolf refused to finance it, believing it to be a bad investment, so Wilcox raised the bulk of the finance himself. Wilcox invested his entire savings and Neagle put in £10,000. They secured a distribution agreement with RKO . Victoria the Great (1937) was a massive success and led to Wilcox signing a ten-year deal with RKO to help finance and distribute the films. He and Neagle promptly made

776-515: A colleague, Jack Smart. Wilcox contributed £117, and the others made up the rest. It was based in Yorkshire. "Owing to the war, there were practically no British productions", said Wilcox. "They were almost all American films." The company was immediately successful so they expanded into London. Astra had a lot of success with a British film, A Peep Behind the Scenes (1919) so Wilcox decided to produce

873-462: A compass or a mosquito, to achieve surprise effects. George Chapman (?1559-?1634) was a successful playwright who is remembered chiefly for his translation in 1616 of Homer 's Iliad and Odyssey into English verse. This was the first complete translation of either poem into the English language, and it had a profound influence on English literature. Philosopher Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) wrote

970-465: A distinctive entity since the 20th century. The need for a separate identity for this kind of writing arose because of the parallel development of modern Welsh-language literature . Because Britain was a colonial power the use of English spread through the world; from the 19th century or earlier in the United States, and later in other former colonies, major writers in English began to appear beyond

1067-531: A major player in the industry by buying Universal Pictures' English operations; Wilcox was appointed to the board to directors of Universal English and the Universal American parent company. He also had shares in a new company, General Cinema Finance , which was to control the distribution and production of films and acquire cinemas. This company would go on to acquire Gaumont British and the Odeon circuit and form

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1164-452: A movie which looks quintessentially ‘British’, such as The King's Speech , achieves equivalent success, everyone suddenly starts writing articles about the state of our national cinema as if it somehow exists in isolation." He agrees, nevertheless, that ‘the real problem’ is distribution rather than funding: "only a scant few secure the width of distribution that allows an extensive audience." British literature British literature

1261-401: A new genre in English literature theatre, the revenge play or revenge tragedy. Jane Lumley (1537–1578) was the first person to translate Euripides into English. Her translation of Iphigeneia at Aulis is the first known dramatic work by a woman in English. William Shakespeare (1564–1616) stands out in this period as a poet and playwright as yet unsurpassed. Shakespeare wrote plays in

1358-436: A number of his better-known tragedies , including King Lear and Anthony and Cleopatra . The plots of Shakespeare's tragedies often hinge on fatal errors or flaws, which overturn order and destroy the hero and those he loves. In his final period, Shakespeare turned to romance or tragicomedy and completed four major plays, including The Tempest . Less bleak than the tragedies, these four plays are graver in tone than

1455-443: A passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644), written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship, is among history's influential and impassioned defences of free speech and freedom of the press . William Hayley 's 1796 biography called him

1552-664: A period, three of the best known American superheroes were portrayed by Britons: Christian Bale as Batman , Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man , and Henry Cavill as Superman . Some actors, such as Sam Wanamaker permanently settled in Britain while others, such as Kevin Spacey , spent many years in the country. Many other actors from the United Kingdom have achieved international fame and critical success, including; The American studios have had their own production facilities and subsidiaries in

1649-565: A pilot. A case of appendicitis kept him away from the front for a time but he wound up serving in France and serving as a flight instructor in England. After the war, Wilcox went to work for his brother Charles as a film salesman. He began selling American films to Yorkshire exhibitors, occasionally working with Victor Saville . In 1919, Wilcox used his war gratuity to found his own distribution company, Astra Films , in association with his brother and

1746-473: A possible friend and influence on William Shakespeare , had brought much of the Italian language and culture to England. He was also the translator of Montaigne into English. The earlier Elizabethan plays include Gorboduc (1561), by Sackville and Norton , and Thomas Kyd 's (1558–94) revenge tragedy The Spanish Tragedy (1592). Highly popular and influential in its time, The Spanish Tragedy established

1843-519: A rich variety of artistic production, and made British literature distinctive and innovative. Some works were still written in Latin; these include Gerald of Wales 's late-12th-century book on his beloved Wales, Itinerarium Cambriae . After the Norman Conquest of 1066, Anglo-Norman literature developed, introducing literary trends from Continental Europe , such as the chanson de geste . However,

1940-511: A sequel, Sixty Glorious Years (1938). Wilcox produced but did not direct A Royal Divorce (1938) starring Ruth Chatterton . Wilcox announced he would make a biopic of Lord Kitchener but the film was never made. He and Neagle went to the US to work for RKO. They looked into making a biopic of Marie Lloyd but could not find a suitable co-star for Neagle so instead made another biopic, Nurse Edith Cavell (1939). They were going to follow it with

2037-502: A shift towards a more secular base for European theatre. Morality plays are a type of allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a godly life over one of evil. The plays were most popular in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Somonyng of Everyman ( The Summoning of Everyman ) ( c.  1509 – 1519), usually referred to simply as Everyman ,

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2134-436: A stake in such significant British films as Alfie (1966) and if.... (1968). After ABPC was sold to EMI in 1969, MGM formed a short-lived distribution partnership in 1970 with EMI which lasted until 1973. EMI formed a tripartite distribution arrangement with Warner and Columbia in 1978 under the name of Columbia-EMI-Warner. The Cannon Group , briefly took over EMI's share in 1986 (renamed as Columbia-Cannon-Warner) before

2231-421: A story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral . Chaucer is a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of Middle English at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin. The multilingual nature of the audience for literature in the 14th century can be illustrated by

2328-473: A variety of genres, including histories , tragedies , comedies and the late romances , or tragicomedies. Works written in the Elizabethan era include the comedy Twelfth Night , tragedy Hamlet , and history Henry IV, Part 1 . Shakespeare's career continued during the reign of King James I, and in the early 17th century, he wrote the so-called " problem plays ", like Measure for Measure as well as

2425-673: A wider audience. Wace ( c.  1110 – after 1174), who wrote in Norman-French , is the earliest known poet from Jersey ; he also developed the Arthurian legend . ) At the end of the 12th century, Layamon in Brut adapted Wace to make the first English-language work to use the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table . It was also the first historiography written in English since

2522-511: Is a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland . It is written in unrhymed alliterative verse divided into sections called "passūs" ( Latin for "steps"). Piers is considered by many critics to be one of the early great works of English literature along with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight during the Middle Ages. Sir Gawain and

2619-487: Is a late 15th-century English morality play. Like John Bunyan 's allegory Pilgrim's Progress (1678), Everyman examines the question of Christian salvation through the use of allegorical characters. Renaissance style and ideas were slow to penetrate England and Scotland , and the Elizabethan era (1558–1603) is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance. However, many scholars see its beginnings in

2716-590: Is also some brief discussion of major figures who wrote in Scots , but the main discussion is in the various Scottish literature articles. The article Literature in the other languages of Britain focuses on the literatures written in the other languages that are, and have been, used in Britain. There are also articles on these various literatures: Latin literature in Britain , Anglo-Norman , Cornish , Guernésiais , Jèrriais , Latin , Manx , Scottish Gaelic , Welsh , etc. Irish writers have played an important part in

2813-648: Is both Irish and British. In 1927 the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 formally changing the name of the UK to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Until fairly recent times Celtic languages continued to be spoken widely in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Ireland, and these languages still survive, especially in parts of Wales. Works written in the English language by Welsh writers , especially if their subject matter relates to Wales, has been recognised as

2910-534: Is comprehensible to modern readers and listeners, albeit not easily. Middle English Bible translations , notably Wycliffe's Bible , helped to establish English as a literary language. Wycliffe's Bible is the name now given to a group of Bible translations into Middle English that were made under the direction of, or at the instigation of, John Wycliffe . They appeared over a period from about 1382 to 1395. Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Plowman ( William's Vision of Piers Plowman ) (written c. 1360–1387)

3007-572: Is from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , the Isle of Man , and the Channel Islands . This article covers British literature in the English language . Anglo-Saxon ( Old English ) literature is included, and there is some discussion of Latin and Anglo-Norman literature, where literature in these languages relate to the early development of the English language and literature . There

Hollywood and the United Kingdom - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-708: Is perhaps the most notable British director in Hollywood, gaining his greatest prestige, and made the bulk of his most important pictures, in the United States, but numerous other British directors have found success in America, including: Richard Attenborough , John Boorman , Danny Boyle , Charlie Chaplin , Stephen Frears , David Lean , Sam Mendes , Anthony Minghella , Alan Parker , Carol Reed , John Schlesinger , Ridley Scott , Christopher Nolan and Tony Scott . American directors who have made their home in Britain include Tim Burton , Stanley Kubrick , and Joseph Losey . For

3201-532: The Authorised King James Version of the Bible have been hugely influential. The King James Bible, one of the great translation projects in the history of English up to that time, was started in 1604 and completed in 1611. It continued the tradition of Bible translation into English from the original languages that began with the work of William Tyndale . (Previous translations into English had relied on

3298-528: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . Interest in King Arthur continued in the 15th century with Sir Thomas Malory 's Le Morte d'Arthur (1485), a popular and influential compilation of some French and English Arthurian romances. It was among the early books printed in England by Caxton . In the later medieval period a new form of English now known as Middle English evolved. This is the earliest form which

3395-518: The Vulgate ). It became the standard Bible of the Church of England , and some consider it one of the great literary works of all time. The metaphysical poets continued writing in this period. Both John Donne and George Herbert died after 1625, but there was a second generation of metaphysical poets: Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), Thomas Traherne (1636 or 1637–1674) and Henry Vaughan (1622–1695). Their style

3492-588: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639–51). (King Charles reigned from 1625 and was executed in 1649). The best known of these poets are Robert Herrick , Richard Lovelace , Thomas Carew , and Sir John Suckling . They "were not a formal group, but all were influenced" by Ben Jonson . Most of the Cavalier poets were courtiers , with notable exceptions. For example, Robert Herrick was not a courtier, but his style marks him as

3589-548: The nouveaux riches . After Shakespeare's death, the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was the leading literary figure of the Jacobean era. Jonson's aesthetics hark back to the Middle Ages and his characters embody the theory of humours , based on contemporary medical theory, though the stock types of Latin literature were an equal influence. Jonson's major plays include Volpone (1605 or 1606) and Bartholomew Fair (1614). A popular style of theatre in Jacobean times

3686-523: The utopian novel New Atlantis , and coined the phrase " Knowledge Is Power ". Francis Godwin 's 1638 The Man in the Moone recounts an imaginary voyage to the moon and is now regarded as the first work of science fiction in English literature. At the Reformation , the translation of liturgy and the Bible into vernacular languages provided new literary models. The Book of Common Prayer (1549) and

3783-440: The "greatest English author", and he remains generally regarded "as one of the preeminent writers in the English language". Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director . He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wife Anna Neagle . Wilcox's mother

3880-423: The 12th century and Julian of Norwich in the early 14th century. Julian's Revelations of Divine Love (around 1393) is believed to be the first published book written by a woman in the English language. Margery Kempe ( c.  1373 – after 1438) is known for writing The Book of Margery Kempe , a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Major Scottish writers from

3977-547: The 15th century include Henrysoun , Dunbar , Douglas and Lyndsay . The works of Chaucer had an influence on Scottish writers . In the Middle Ages , drama in the vernacular languages of Europe may have emerged from religious enactments of the liturgy . Mystery plays were presented on the porches of the cathedrals or by strolling players on feast days . Miracle and mystery plays, along with moralities and interludes, later evolved into more elaborate forms of drama, such as

Hollywood and the United Kingdom - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-487: The Americanisation of British film culture in the 1990s. He cites as examples Hollywood coverage and the use of language in publications like Empire magazine, as well as dominance of big-budget American films in multiplexes, but he also notes that this is an industrial matter: The Full Monty was entirely financed and distributed by one of the US majors, Twentieth Century Fox , […] The praise went to Britain, but all

4171-559: The Cup (1931) with Sydney Howard , The Barton Mystery (1932), Life Goes On (1932), Thark (1932), Leap Year (1932), It's a King (1932), The Love Contract (1932), Say It with Music (1932), The Mayor's Nest (1932), and A Night Like This (1932). As a director he made The Chance of a Night Time (1931) with Ralph Lynn from a play by Ben Travers ; Carnival (1931); and The Blue Danube (1933). Wilcox's professional relationship with Anna Neagle began when he

4268-495: The Great , and Cynewulf . Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known. Cædmon's only known surviving work is Cædmon's Hymn , which probably dates from the late 7th century. Chronicles contained a range of historical and literary accounts, and a notable example is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . The poem Battle of Maldon also deals with history. This is the name given to a work, of uncertain date, celebrating

4365-399: The Green Knight is a late-14th-century Middle English alliterative romance . It is one of the better-known Arthurian stories, of an established type known as the "beheading game". Developing from Welsh, Irish and English tradition Sir Gawain highlights the importance of honour and chivalry. "Preserved in the same manuscript with Sir Gawayne were three other poems, now generally accepted as

4462-882: The King (2003), made in New Zealand, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2005). Adding four more Harry Potter films and one more Lord of the Rings movie, plus the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland (2010), and more than half of the top twenty most financially successful films, had a substantial British dimension. British influence can also be seen with the 'English Cycle' of Disney animated films, which include Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in

4559-479: The Manor (1933), Discord (1933) – then they were reunited on The Little Damozel (1933), a conscious effort on Wilcox's part to ensure that Neagle was not type cast as an "English Rose". He bought the rights to a John Galsworthy play Loyalties and developed a screenplay. He later sold it to William Fox for a profit. He produced That's a Good Girl (1933). Bitter Sweet (1933) starred Neagle, based on

4656-606: The Next Best Thing (1923). After what he described as a "series of unimpressive films" he made The Only Way (1926), based on a stage play which was based on A Tale of Two Cities . He followed it with Nell Gwyn (1926), starring Dorothy Gish in the title role. This was a big success around the world. The world rights to Nell Gwyn were purchased by British National Films , a company established by J.D. Williams, who signed Wilcox and Gish to make three more films, all financed by Paramount: Madame Pompadour (1926),

4753-906: The Norwegian king in the 9th century until about 1200. Old English literature , or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses the surviving literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England , from the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in England ( Jutes and the Angles ) around 450, until "soon after the Norman Conquest" in 1066; that is, c. 1100–50. These works include genres such as epic poetry , hagiography , sermons , Bible translations, legal works, chronicles , riddles, and others. In all. there are about 400 surviving manuscripts from

4850-506: The Stone (1963), and The Jungle Book (1967). Disney first became interested in live-action films as a means of using financial reserves which had built up in Britain, and could not be repatriated owing to exchange controls, by making two films from Scottish and English sources. These were Treasure Island (1950) and The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952), which were both successes at

4947-543: The UK. Warner Bros. acquired Teddington Studios to produce ' quota quickies ' around 1931. American production companies were required to invest in British product for their own films to be shown in the UK. Paramount-British Productions were formed in 1931 having leased facilities from Herbert Wilcox the previous year, and would continue (later using Pinewood) until the war. The earliest films made by Alexander Korda in Britain, before

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5044-713: The age of fourteen to find work. Shortly afterwards, his father died at the age of 42. Wilcox began earning money as a professional pool player at the Metropole in Camberwell Green. The First World War broke out and Wilcox enlisted in the army. He was training cadets in County Cork when the Easter Rising broke out in 1916 and Wilcox was wounded. He then enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps to earn more money and trained as

5141-494: The back bone of the Rank Film empire. Their first film was Street Singer Serenade (1936), aka Limelight , directed by Wilcox with Neagle and Jack Buchanan. It was followed by Fame (1936), which he produced, starring Sydney Howard and new Wilcox discovers Miki Hood and Geraldine Hislop. He and Neagle did a story about trapeze artists, Three Maxims (1936). He made Where's George? (1936) with Sydney Howard . Wilcox

5238-520: The boundaries of Britain and Ireland; later these included Nobel laureates. Although the Romans withdrew from Britain in the early 5th century, Latin literature , mostly ecclesiastical, continued to be written, including Chronicles by Bede (672/3–735), Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ; and Gildas ( c.  500 –570), De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae . Various Celtic languages were spoken by many British people at that time. Among

5335-523: The box office. The studio continued to draw on British source material for its animated films after Walt Disney 's death in 1967, with the cartoon feature films Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (1976) and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), one of many Disney to draw on A. A. Milne 's characters. Many famous Directors have crossed the Atlantic to pursue a career in moviemaking. Alfred Hitchcock

5432-404: The comedies of the 1590s, but they end with reconciliation and the forgiveness of potentially tragic errors. Other important figures in Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre include Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), Thomas Dekker ( c.  1572 – 1632), John Fletcher (1579–1625) and Francis Beaumont (1584–1616). Marlowe's subject matter is different from Shakespeare's as it focuses more on

5529-545: The development of literature in England and Scotland , but though the whole of Ireland was politically part of the United Kingdom from January 1801 to December 1922, it can be controversial to describe Irish literature as British. For some this includes works by authors from Northern Ireland . The United Kingdom publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. The nature of British identity has changed over time. The island that contains England , Scotland , and Wales has been known as Britain from

5626-483: The early 1500s during the reign of Henry VIII (1491 – 1547). Italian literary influences arrived in Britain: the sonnet form was introduced into English by Thomas Wyatt in the early 16th century, and was developed by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey , (1516/1517 – 1547), who also introduced blank verse into England, with his translation of Virgil 's Aeneid in c.  1540 . The spread of printing affected

5723-452: The early formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song. They developed from the 10th to the 16th century, reaching the height of their popularity in the 15th century before being rendered obsolete by the rise of professional theatre. There are four complete or nearly complete extant English biblical collections of plays from

5820-412: The elites. Utopia is a work of fiction and political philosophy by Thomas More (1478–1535) published in 1516. The book, written in Latin, is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. In the later 16th century, English poetry used elaborate language and extensive allusions to classical myths. Sir Edmund Spenser (1555–99)

5917-554: The example of John Gower ( c.  1330 – October 1408). A contemporary of Langland and a personal friend of Chaucer, Gower is remembered primarily for three major works, the Mirroir de l'Omme , Vox Clamantis , and Confessio Amantis , three long poems written in Anglo-Norman , Latin, and Middle English respectively, which are united by common moral and political themes. Women writers were also active, such as Marie de France in

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6014-495: The film’s profits went to America." Conversely, BBC critic Mark Kermode believes that "the movie industries of Britain and America are inextricably intertwined", citing numerous examples of how Hollywood provides work to British production staff and studios, whilst Britain enables Hollywood to base their prestigious productions at UK studios. He refers to British director Christopher Nolan ’s The Dark Knight and Inception as British rather than as American films, and yet "when

6111-433: The first British all talkie ever made, Wolves (1930), with Charles Laughton and Dorothy Gish and produced Canaries Sometimes Sing (1930). He made an arrangement to produce a series of films in association with His Master's Voice gramophone company, with the aim of using their celebrity recording stars. Among the films they were to make together were Cochran's Talkie Revue , a film of C.B Cochran's variety show;

6208-512: The first film shot at the newly built Elstree Studios ; London (1926); and Tip Toes (1927). It was later revealed in a court case that Wilcox's fee was £3,000 a film plus 25% of the profits, but there were no profits for the three films. Wilcox ended up leaving British National and founded the British and Dominions Film Corporation with Nelson Keys with capital of half a million pounds. His first film for them, via Herbert Wilcox Productions,

6305-624: The foundation of London Films , were also released through Paramount. Other major American studios (Fox, Columbia and RKO) invested in British-made films through subsidiaries. MGM-British was established just before the Second World War at Denham Studios , and produced four films there including Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). Revived after the war and based in Borehamwood , MGM-British was involved in producing filmns for over twenty years until

6402-495: The indigenous development of Anglo-Norman literature was precocious in comparison to continental Oïl literature. Geoffrey of Monmouth ( c.  1100 – c.  1155 ) was one of the major figures in the development of British history and of the popularity of the tales of King Arthur . He is best known for his chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) of 1136, which spread Celtic motifs to

6499-652: The late medieval period. The most complete is the York cycle of forty-eight pageants. They were performed in the city of York , from the middle of the 14th century until 1569. Besides the Middle English drama, there are three surviving plays in Cornish known as the Ordinalia . Having grown out of the religiously based mystery plays, the morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor theatrical entertainment, which represented

6596-515: The moral drama of the renaissance man . His play Doctor Faustus ( c.  1592 ), is about a scientist and magician who sells his soul to the Devil. Beaumont and Fletcher are less known, but they may have helped Shakespeare write some of his better dramas, and were popular at the time. Beaumont's comedy, The Knight of the Burning Pestle (1607), satirises the rising middle class and especially

6693-567: The more important written works that have survived are Y Gododdin and the Mabinogion . From the 8th to the 15th centuries, Vikings and Norse settlers and their descendants colonised parts of what is now modern Scotland . Some Old Norse poetry survives relating to this period, including the Orkneyinga saga , an historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands , from its capture by

6790-437: The operetta by Noël Coward . It was a box office failure. Yes, Mr Brown (1933) was a vehicle for Jack Buchanan and Lilies of the Field (1934) without her. Wilcox was back to Neagle for The Queen's Affair (1934). He and Neagle had a big hit with a new version of Nell Gwynn (1934). They followed it with Peg of Old Drury (1935). He also produced Escape Me Never (1935), starring Elisabeth Bergner , which

6887-555: The parent companies closure of the studio in 1970. For a time, after the war, Rank partly owned Universal-International, who distributed such films as Hamlet (1948) in the United States. Warner Bros. once had shares in the Associated British Pictures Corporation , and eventually took a 50% share (with ABPC controlling the remainder) in domestic company Warner-Pathé Distributors from 1958. Warner withdrew its involvement in 1967. Meanwhile, Universal made 13 films in Britain during this period with limited box-office success and Paramount had

6984-434: The passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, were first published in a 1609 quarto. Besides Shakespeare, the major poets of the early 17th century included the metaphysical poets John Donne (1572–1631) and George Herbert (1593–1633). Influenced by continental Baroque , and taking as his subject matter both Christian mysticism and eroticism, Donne's metaphysical poetry uses unconventional or "unpoetic" figures, such as

7081-674: The period. Oral tradition was very strong in early English culture and most literary works were written to be performed. Epic poems were thus very popular, and some, including Beowulf , have survived to the present day. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English and has achieved national epic status in England, despite being set in Scandinavia. Nearly all Anglo-Saxon authors are anonymous: 12 are known by name from medieval sources, but only four of those are known by their vernacular works with any certainty: Cædmon , Bede , Alfred

7178-447: The play Rookery Nook ; an adaptation of the novel The Blue Lagoon , and the life story of Robert Burns. However their first movie, The Loves of Robert Burns (1930), with Joseph Hislop , was not a success and the arrangement abruptly ended. Wilcox's plans to make The Life of Beethoven and a version of Don Quixote starring Chaliapin had to be cancelled. Wilcox produced Rookery Nook (1930), an Aldwych farce based on

7275-410: The play by Ben Travers and directed by Tom Walls . It led to a series of Aldwych farces from Travers and Walls. He acted as producer only on Splinters (1930), high Treason (1930, The Mountain of Mourne (1930), Warned Off (1930), On Approval (1930), Tons of Money (1930), Mischief (1931), The Speckled Band (1931), Plunder (1931), Almost a Divorce (1931), Up for

7372-482: The production ran into difficulties during filming. Technically an American production, the film won 9 Oscars . Conversely, many films credited as American have been shot largely in the UK such as Prometheus , Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Guardians of the Galaxy . "In film as in society at large, America’s influence has now reached levels and depths previously unimaginable," said critic Geoff Brown, referring to

7469-549: The real Battle of Maldon of 991, at which the Anglo-Saxons failed to prevent a Viking invasion. Classical antiquity was not forgotten in Anglo-Saxon England, and several Old English poems are adaptations of late classical philosophical texts. The longest is King Alfred 's (849–99) translation of Boethius ' Consolation of Philosophy . The linguistic diversity of the islands in the medieval period contributed to

7566-520: The reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) and then James I (1603–25), a London-centred culture that was both courtly and popular, produced great poetry and drama. The English playwrights were intrigued by Italian model: a conspicuous community of Italian actors had settled in London. The linguist and lexicographer John Florio (1553–1625), whose father was Italian, was a royal language tutor at the Court of James I , and

7663-531: The resulting movie was a big hit. In 1928 British and Dominion Films insured Wilcox for £100,000. There was some talk he would make a film of the Burke and Wills story. Instead he made what he described as "a series of unimportant but profitable films": The Bondman (1929), The Woman in White (1929), Generally, Alfred Hitchcock 's Blackmail is regarded as the first film with sound , but Wilcox's Black Waters

7760-695: The time of the Roman Pliny the Elder ( c.  23 AD –79). English as the national language had its beginnings with the Anglo-Saxon invasion which started around AD 450. Before that, the inhabitants mainly spoke various Celtic languages . The various constituent parts of the present United Kingdom joined at different times. Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542. However, it

7857-476: The transmission of literature across Britain and Ireland. The first book printed in English, William Caxton 's own translation of Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye , was printed abroad in 1473, to be followed by the establishment of the first printing press in England in 1474. Latin continued in use as a language of learning long after the Reformation had established the vernaculars as liturgical languages for

7954-451: The tripartite distribution arrangement was dissolved in 1988. The British film industry has a complex attitude to Hollywood. It has been argued that the size of the domestic British cinema market makes it impossible for the British film industry to successfully produce Hollywood-style blockbusters over a sustained period without U.S. involvement. American subsidiary Miramax took over Anthony Minghella 's The English Patient (1996) when

8051-664: The work of its author, including the intricate elegiac poem, Pearl ." Geoffrey Chaucer ( c.  1343 – 1400), known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey . Chaucer is best known today for The Canterbury Tales , a collection of stories written in Middle English (mostly written in verse although some are in prose), that are presented as part of

8148-462: Was Mumsie (1927), starring Pauline Frederick and, in his debut, Herbert Marshall . Wilcox wanted to make another film with Frederick and suggested Noël Coward 's The Vortex but Frederick disliked the role. Wilcox instead decided to do a version of the Edith Cavell story, Dawn (1928). Frederick dropped out of the film, and was replaced by Sybil Thorndike . Filming proved difficult but

8245-428: Was a surprise box office hit. The success of Peg of Old Drury saw Wilcox approached by Lord Portal to set up his own company, Herbert Wilcox Productions. Wilcox resigned from British Dominion, and set up the new company with C.M. Woolf and J. Arthur Rank . The only other shareholders in the company apart from Wilcox were Woolf and his brother Maurice. Wilcox, Woolf, Portal and Rank soon established themselves as

8342-510: Was back with Buchanan with This'll Make You Whistle (1936). He wanted to make an epic version of The Blue Lagoon with Hollywood stars to be shot mostly on location in Hawaii and a biopic of Lady Hamilton with Neagle but neither was made. Instead he made Millions (1937). Wilcox's film studio at Elstree burnt down and Wilcox moved to new studios at Pinewood. There he made London Melody (1937) with Neagle. Wilcox wanted to star Neagle in

8439-463: Was from County Cork, Ireland , and Wilcox considered himself Irish, but he was born in Norwood, south London. His family moved to Brighton when Wilcox was eight years old; he was one of five children. His family were poor and Wilcox had to do a number of part-time jobs, including some work as a chorus boy at the local Hippodrome. His mother died of tuberculosis when she was 42. Wilcox left school before

8536-617: Was looking for a leading lady to support Jack Buchanan in Goodnight, Vienna (1932). He decided to cast her after seeing Neagle support Buchanan on stage in a musical Stand Up and Cheer . Goodnight Vienna was Wilcox's biggest success to that time. He used Neagle again in The Flag Lieutenant (1932) He made some films without her – Money Means Nothing (1932), The King's Cup (1933), General John Regan (1933), The Blarney Stone (1933), The King of Paris (1933), Lord of

8633-538: Was not until 1707 with a treaty between England and Scotland that the Kingdom of Great Britain came into existence. This merged in January 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Subsequently, Irish nationalism led to the partition of the island of Ireland in 1922; thus the literature of the Republic of Ireland is not British, although literature from Northern Ireland

8730-505: Was released and flopped at the box office. However the next Graham-Wilcox production, Flames of Passion (1922), starring imported Hollywood star Mae Marsh was a big hit, among the first British films sold to the USA. The success of the film inspired Wilcox to steer away from realistic drama and focus on escapist entertainment. Wilcox optioned the screen rights for Chu-Chin-Chow (1923), with imported American star Betty Blythe . The film

8827-549: Was seen on the Elizabethan stages. Another form of medieval theatre was the mummers' plays , a form of early street theatre associated with the Morris dance , concentrating on themes such as Saint George and the Dragon and Robin Hood . These were folk tales re-telling old stories, and the actors travelled from town to town performing these for their audiences in return for money and hospitality. Mystery plays and miracle plays are among

8924-595: Was shot in Germany at UFA's studios in association with Eric Pommer with a huge budget but was only a moderate success. He followed it with Southern Love (1924), shot in Vienna, again with Blythe. Wilcox launched the film with a mock bull fight in Albert Hall and says the film returned a profit in England alone. Pommer asked Wilcox to collaborate again and they made Decameron Nights (1924). Back in Britain he made Paddy

9021-515: Was the revenge play , which had been popularised earlier by Thomas Kyd (1558–94), and then developed by John Webster (1578–1632) in the 17th century. Webster's famous plays are The White Devil (1612) and The Duchess of Malfi (1613). Other revenge tragedies include The Changeling written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley . Shakespeare also popularised the English sonnet , which made significant changes to Petrarch 's model. A collection of 154 sonnets , dealing with themes such as

9118-529: Was the author of The Faerie Queene , an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. The works of Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586), a poet, courtier and soldier, include Astrophel and Stella , The Defence of Poetry , and Arcadia . Poems intended to be set to music as songs, such as those by Thomas Campion , became popular as printed literature was disseminated more widely in households (see English Madrigal School ). During

9215-588: Was the most popular film at the British box office in 1947. Another hit was Spring in Park Lane (1948). Wilding was not in their next film, Elizabeth of Ladymead (1948) but returned for Maytime in Mayfair (1949), a sequel to Spring in Park Lane , and another massive success. Wilcox and Neagle returned to war stories with Odette (1950) a biopic of Odette Samson starring Neagle and Trevor Howard , and Wilcox's most profitable movie to date. He planned to make

9312-776: Was trade-shown several weeks earlier in May, 1929. He produced more than a hundred films, of which he directed about half. "His film production team were never laid off, even during the worst depressions of the British film industry. They were on full salary 52 weeks of the year." Wilcox built and equipped sound studios next to the British International Pictures studios, which they bought from John Maxwell. Wilcox signed up top stage artists such as Jack Buchanan , Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn and Sydney Howard , with C.B. Cochran and Albert de Courville as producers. He announced plans to make nine talkies. He produced and directed

9409-481: Was witty, with metaphysical conceits – far-fetched or unusual similes or metaphors , such as Marvell's comparison of the soul with a drop of dew; or Donne's description of the effects of absence on lovers to the action of a pair of compasses. Another important group of poets at this time were the Cavalier poets . They were an important group of writers, who came from the classes that supported King Charles I during

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