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67-424: In London, Maddalena Anna Paradine ( Alida Valli ) is a very beautiful and enigmatic young Italian woman who is accused of poisoning her older, blind husband, a wealthy retired colonel. It is not clear whether she is a grateful and devoted wife who has been falsely charged or a calculating and ruthless femme fatale . Mrs. Paradine's solicitor, Sir Simon Flaquer ( Charles Coburn ), hires Anthony Keane ( Gregory Peck ),

134-525: A fighter pilot with the Regia Aeronautica and was killed during a mission over British-held Tobruk on 14 April 1941. Valli married Oscar de Mejo in 1943 and filed for divorce from him in 1949, but they reconciled. They had two sons together before their marriage ended in divorce in 1952 and she returned to Italy. She married Italian film director Giancarlo Zagni in the early 1960s, divorcing in 1970. Valli's movie career suffered in 1953 from

201-495: A Face ( Les Yeux sans visage , 1959) ( Eyes Without a Face , 1959) with Pierre Brasseur . From the 1960s, she worked in several pictures with prominent directors, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini 's Edipo re ( Oedipus Rex ), 1967; Bernardo Bertolucci 's La strategia del ragno , 1972; Novecento , 1976, and Dario Argento 's Suspiria , 1977. Her final movie role was in Semana Santa (2002), with Mira Sorvino . In Italy, she

268-595: A Face ; 1960), Pier Paolo Pasolini ( Oedipus Rex ; 1967), Mario Bava ( Lisa and the Devil ; 1972), Bernardo Bertolucci ( 1900 , 1976; La Luna ; 1979), and Dario Argento ( Suspiria ; 1977). Within her lifetime, Valli was invested a Knight of the Italian Republic , and received the Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion at the 1997 Venice Film Festival for her contributions to cinema. Valli

335-498: A brilliant and successful barrister, to defend her in court. Although Keane has been happily married for eleven years, he instantly becomes deeply infatuated with his client. Keane's wife, Gay ( Ann Todd ), sees his obsession, and although he offers to relinquish the case, presses him to continue. She knows that a "guilty" verdict, followed by Mrs. Paradine's hanging, will mean that she will lose her husband emotionally forever. The only way that she can regain her husband's love and devotion

402-451: A cello, at about 38 minutes. Hitchcock described The Paradine Case as "...a love story embedded in the emotional quicksand of a murder trial". The production credits on the film were as follows: Bosley Crowther , film critic for The New York Times , liked the film, the acting, and Hitchcock's direction, and wrote, "With all the skill in presentation for which both gentlemen are famed, David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock have put upon

469-1128: A deal with the BBC to gain access to Rank's nineteen feature offerings. In 1987, the Rank Film Distributors group received a $ 100 million fund for film financing, and the Rank Film and Television division had invested in $ 32 million that they would take the budget against non-U.S. rights. In 1995, the Rank Group acquired all the outstanding shares of the Rank Organisation. In spring 1997, the Rank Group sold Rank Film Distributors, including its library of 749 films, to Carlton Communications for £65 million and immediately became known as Carlton/RFD Ltd. Pinewood Studios and Odeon Cinemas were both sold off in February 2000 for £62 million and £280 million respectively. The company finally severed its remaining connections with

536-482: A group profit of over £6 million and stated 41% of its film production income came from overseas. In October 1964 Davis reported profits of £4.6 million. From 1959 to 1969, the company made over 500 weekly short cinema films in a series entitled Look At Life , each film depicting an area of British life. From 1971 to 1976, Rank only invested around £1.5 million a year in film production. According to executive Tony Williams "the two main streams that they were down to

603-451: A pair of bedroom eyes, and Louis Jourdan, a new boy from Paris, is electric as the badgered valet." Variety wrote, "high dramatics...Hitchcock's penchant for suspense and unusual atmosphere development get full play. There is a deliberateness of pace, artful pauses and other carefully calculated melodramatic hinges upon which he swings the story and players. Time Out says "Bleak in its message (those who love passionately inevitably destroy

670-477: A radio adaptation of the film on 9 May 1949, starring Joseph Cotten , with Alida Valli and Louis Jourdan reprising their roles. Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, Freiin Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli ), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, spanning from

737-531: A scandal surrounding the death of Wilma Montesi , whose body was found on a public beach near Ostia . Prolonged investigations resulted, involving allegations of drug and sex orgies in Roman society. Among the accused – all of whom were acquitted, leaving the case unsolved – was Valli's lover, jazz musician Piero Piccioni (son of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs). Valli's death at her home on 22 April 2006

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804-575: A spokesman for Rank. The following year, Rank reported a record pre-tax profit of £102 million. According to Tony Williams: After a time Rank Film Distributors was in trouble because they hadn't got any new product. So Rank Film Distributors was then given chunks of money to go and buy into pictures because they made a blunder. And they carried on, on that basis, not directly making them and they had no direct control over what they made at all, no influence. They just bought into pictures. They did an output deal with Orion and that carried on until they sold

871-515: A tre punte ( The Three Cornered Hat ) during the so-called Telefoni Bianchi cinema era. Her first big success came with the movie Mille lire al mese (1939). After many roles in a large number of comedies, she earned her success as a dramatic actress in Piccolo mondo antico (1941), directed by Mario Soldati , for which she won a special Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival . During

938-432: A wider audience. The Rank Organisation was established, as a means for Rank to consolidate his filmmaking interests, in 1937. A loose collective of filmmakers was established by Rank under the banner of Independent Producers Ltd. including The Archers , consisting of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger , Cineguild Productions , consisting of David Lean , Ronald Neame , John Bryan , and Anthony Havelock-Allan ,

1005-512: Is also the current length of the DVD release. In 1980, a flood reportedly destroyed the uncut original version of the film, making a restoration unlikely. The Paradine Case was not a box office success, worldwide receipts barely covering half of the cost of production. Hitchcock put in a cameo appearance in most of his films. In this film, he can be seen leaving the Cumberland train station, carrying

1072-430: Is coldly furious that (contrary to her express instructions) Keane has destroyed Latour, who was her lover. On the witness stand, she tells Keane that she hates him and that he has murdered the only person she loved. She goes so far as to say that she poisoned her husband in order to be with Latour. Keane is overwhelmed. Attempting to summarize, he improvises a brief and faltering speech, admitting how poorly he has handled

1139-465: Is if he is able to obtain a "not guilty" verdict for Mrs. Paradine. Meanwhile, Keane himself starts to focus his legal efforts on Colonel Paradine's Feench-Canadian manservant, André Latour, DCM & Bar ( Louis Jourdan ). Keane sees Latour as a scapegoat on whom he can pin the crime of murder, but this strategy backfires. After Keane repeatedly badgers Latour in court, triggering an angry outburst, word comes that Latour has killed himself. Mrs. Paradine

1206-578: The Bush Radio manufacturing facility and began to diversify its interests. In the early 1960s Rank took over Murphy Radio to form the Rank Bush Murphy Group (which was eventually sold to Great Universal Stores in 1978). In 1956 Rank began a partnership with the Haloid Corporation to form Rank Xerox , to manufacture and promote its range of plain paper photocopying equipment. In later years,

1273-522: The J. Arthur Rank Organisation ) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937, Rank also served as the company chairman. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribution, and exhibition facilities as well as manufacturing projection equipment and chairs. It also diversified into

1340-531: The Royal Ballet . In February 1956 Davis announced Rank would make 20 films at over £3 million. He said "great care will be taken to ensure that, while retaining essentially British characteristics the films will have the widest international appeal. This is part of an intensified drive to secure ever widening showing in overseas markets which already return more than half the revenue earned by Pinewood films." That year, Rank announced it would set up distribution in

1407-654: The "most beautiful woman in the World", Valli had a career in English-language films through David Selznick , who signed her a contract, thinking that he had found a second Ingrid Bergman . In Hollywood, she performed in great successes and memorable movies, in Alfred Hitchcock 's The Paradine Case (1947) with Gregory Peck ; with Fred MacMurray and Frank Sinatra (in his first non-musical performance), in The Miracle of

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1474-797: The 1930s to the early 2000s. She was one of the biggest stars of Italian film during the Fascist era , once being called "the most beautiful woman in the world" by Benito Mussolini , and was internationally successful post-World War II. According to Frédéric Mitterrand , Valli was the only actress in Europe to equal Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo . Valli worked with many significant directors both in Italy and abroad, including Alfred Hitchcock ( The Paradine Case ; 1947), Carol Reed ( The Third Man ; 1949), Luchino Visconti ( Senso ; 1954), Michelangelo Antonioni ( Il Grido ; 1957), Georges Franju ( Eyes Without

1541-826: The Bells (1948); alongside Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten in Carol Reed 's The Third Man (1949), regarded as one of the best movies ever made worldwide and the British Film Institute selection as the greatest British film of all time ; and again with Cotten in Walk Softly, Stranger (1950). Through these and other films, she gained international renown, often credited with the cursive word Valli , which would become her characteristic 'wordmark' in America "to make her sound even more exotic." In 1951, she complained that she disliked

1608-605: The Cannes Film Festival in 1980, Ed Chilton of Rank announced a £12 million slate of projects. However, by June, they withdrew from production once again. "The decision was made to plunge on in and then it was pulled back", said Williams. The Rank films that had been announced for production – including an adaptation of HMS Ulysses , The Rocking Horse Winner and a film version of To the Manor Born – were cancelled. "It now takes too long to recoup money on films," said

1675-464: The Sands and Silver Dream Racer . Many of these stories were set in the past. "You have to go back in time to tell a story that doesn't have to face seventies problems", said Williams in 1978. "What people are nostalgic for isn't necessarily any particular period, but the happier values that are missing today." Few of these new Rank films performed well at the box office, losing £1.6 million overall. At

1742-561: The Second World War, she starred in many movies, including Stasera niente di nuovo (1942) (whose song "Ma l'amore no" became the leitmotif of the Italian forties) and the diptych Noi Vivi / Addio Kira! (1943) (based on Ayn Rand 's novel We the Living ). These latter two movies were nearly censored by the Italian government under Benito Mussolini , but they were finally permitted because

1809-603: The Stingers , Wilbert Harrison , Skip & Flip , Andy Stewart , Craig Douglas and John Leyton . A US branch operated from 1959 to 1961; its artists included Jack Scott , Dorothy Collins , and The Fireballs . Rank Audio Visual was created in 1960, bringing together Rank's acquisitions in multimedia, including Bell & Howell (acquired with Gaumont British in 1941), Andrew Smith Harkness Ltd (1952) and Wharfedale Ltd (1958). Subsequent acquisitions included Strand Electric Holdings (1968) and H.J. Leak & Co. (1969). In

1876-827: The UK, opening its first services at Farthing Corner on the M2 in Kent in 1963. Top Rank operated a portfolio of 10 service areas until the takeover of Mecca Leisure Group by the Rank Group in 1991, when they were spun off to ex-Mecca CEO Michael Guthrie under the name Pavilion (later acquired by Granada and now forming part of Moto Hospitality ). There were other small specialised groups, including Rank Taylor Hobson who made inspection equipment, Rank Cintel who made telecine (television film scanners) machines, and Gaumont Kalee who made audio analysis equipment. During this period, Rank started focussing on primarily solidly commercial ventures, largely aimed at

1943-569: The US. In October Davis listed the Rank actors he thought could become international stars: Dirk Bogarde , Peter Finch , Kay Kendall , Jeannie Carson , Virginia McKenna , Belinda Lee , Michael Craig , Tony Wright , Maureen Swanson and Kenneth More . In October 1957, at the 21st birthday for Pinewood Studios, Davis said Rank would make 18 films this year and 20 the next, with the latter costing £5 million. However cinema attendances fell. In September 1958

2010-475: The case; unable to continue speaking, he has to leave the court. He stays overnight at Sir Simon's office, knowing that his career is in ruins. Finding him there, his wife offers reconciliation and hope for the future. David O. Selznick had purchased the rights to Robert Smythe Hichens ' novel in 1933, before it was published, when Selznick was still at MGM , with Greta Garbo in mind to star – indeed, Garbo

2077-404: The company had lost £1,264,000 on films causing the group's profit to drop from £5 million to £1.8 million. John Davis wound up several long term contracts Rank had with talent. "The trouble with some of them is they won't work," he said. "They lose their sense of proportion." To recoup some of their losses, Rank sold Ealing Studios and its library to Associated British Picture Corporation . In

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2144-524: The courtroom scenes exactly duplicated a courtroom in London's Old Bailey , photographed, with permission, by unit manager Fred Ahern, and built in 85 days at the cost of $ 80,000. Unusually, the set had ceilings to allow for low camera angles. For the courtroom sequence, Hitchcock used more than one camera, a technique which had been used in the past, but only to shoot the same subject. Here, Hitchcock used four cameras shooting simultaneously, each focused on one of

2211-703: The director, "He seemed really bored with the whole thing..." The film was in production from December 19, 1946, to May 7, 1947, with retakes done in November of that year. Although some external shots show the Lake District in Cumbria, the rest of the footage was shot on three sets at Selznick's lot in Culver City, California, a first in Selznick's career as an independent producer. Selznick reportedly spared no expense. The set for

2278-577: The family market. These include the popular Norman Wisdom comedies, the Doctor films series and, later, Rank took on the Carry On film series from Anglo-Amalgamated . Films of note were produced during this era including Carve Her Name with Pride , Sapphire , A Night to Remember and Victim , as well as a clutch of prestige topics such as the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and filmed performances by

2345-481: The film. A draft of the script was submitted by MGM to the censors at the Hays Office , who warned that the script would likely be rejected since Mrs. Paradine was guilty of murder, adultery and perjury, and later committed suicide. They also objected to the judge being portrayed as a sadist who enjoyed sending people to their deaths. A new draft of the script was submitted, but not for some years, in 1942, and this script

2412-424: The filmmaking duo of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat , and the directors Ken Annakin and Muriel Box . The Company of Youth , the Rank Organisation's associated acting school often referred to as "The Charm School", was founded in 1945. It launched several careers including those of Donald Sinden , Dirk Bogarde , Diana Dors and Christopher Lee . Although she was not a member of the school, Petula Clark

2479-479: The first ITV television contract holder for the south of England . In the late 1950s, The Rank Organization set up Rank Records Ltd. , the record label division was named Top Rank Records and Jaro Records (a US subsidiary). In 1960, Top Rank Records was taken over by EMI , and in 1962 they replaced it with Stateside Records . Top Rank Records artists included Gary U.S. Bonds , the Shirelles , B. Bumble and

2546-564: The first draft of the script together, before bringing in Scottish playwright James Bridie to do some polishing, but that Selznick, dissatisfied with the result, would view the previous day's rushes, do a rewrite, and send the new scenes to the set to be shot. According to his biographer Donald Spoto "...Hitchcock's disgust with the content and method that were forced upon him conspired to produce an uneasy atmosphere from which Hitchcock could scarcely wait to extricate himself." Gregory Peck said of

2613-430: The half-dozen best actresses in the world". The French critic Frédéric Mitterrand wrote: "[She] was the only actress in Europe to equal Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo ". Lux Radio Theatre broadcast "The Paradine Case" in a radio adaptation of the film on 9 May 1949, starring Joseph Cotten, with Alida Valli and Louis Jourdan reprising their roles. Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as

2680-409: The industry; in particular they led film director David Lean , responsible for some of Rank's most critically and financially successful films, to look elsewhere for backing. J. Arthur Rank stepped down as managing director of the Rank Organisation in 1952, but remained as chairman until 1962. In October 1955 the company reported its film production was "satisfactory". In 1945, the company bought

2747-439: The late 1950s Sydney Box became head of production although he retired from the industry in 1959. In January 1960, John Davis announced that Rank would concentrate on bigger budgeted, internationally focused productions. In 1961 they announced a production slate of a dozen films worth £7 million. In October 1962 Lord Rank resigned as chairman of the company and was replaced by managing director Davis. That year to company made

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2814-516: The manufacture of radios, TVs and photocopiers (as one of the owners of Rank Xerox ). The company name lasted until February 1996, when the name and some of the remaining assets were absorbed into the newly structured Rank Group plc . The company itself became a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox and was renamed XRO Limited in 1997. The company logo, the Gongman , first used in 1935 by the group's distribution company General Film Distributors and seen in

2881-621: The melodrama Senso , directed by Luchino Visconti . In that film, set in mid-19th-century Venice during the Risorgimento , she played a Venetian countess torn between patriotic ideals and an adulterous love for an officer (played by Farley Granger ) of the occupying Austrian forces. In 1956, Valli decided to stop making movies, concentrating instead on the stage. She was in charge of a company that produced Broadway plays in Italy. She appeared in Georges Franju 's horror film Eyes Without

2948-490: The mid and late 1970s, Rank Audio Visual made a 3-in-1 stereo music centre, as well as TV sets in conjunction with NEC of Japan. The production of the "classic" Rank TV ran in the mid to late 70s, some interim models appeared and the "modern" Rank TV appeared in the early 1980s. The NEC badge did not appear in the PAL /220/240 volt countries until the mid-1980s. Top Rank was one of the early operators of motorway service areas in

3015-449: The novel upon which they were based was anti-Soviet. The films were successful, and the public easily realized that they were as much against fascism as communism. After several weeks, however, the films were pulled from theatres as the German and Italian governments, which abhorred communism, found out the story also carried an anti-fascist message. By her early 20s, already widely regarded as

3082-477: The object of their desire), the movie only half works. The intricate, triangular plot is finally overburdened by the courtroom setting." Leonard Maltin said "talk, talk, talk in complicated, stagy courtroom drama;" Despite the mixed reviews the movie received, most critics noted the strong performances of Ann Todd and Joan Tetzel. Ethel Barrymore was nominated for a 1947 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Lady Sophie Horfield. Lux Radio Theatre broadcast

3149-507: The opening titles of the films, became a celebrated and enduring film emblem. The company founder J. Arthur Rank, born in Kingston upon Hull , UK, was already a wealthy industrialist through his father's flour milling business, Joseph Rank Ltd , before making his start in filmmaking by financing short religious subjects in line with his Methodist beliefs. As Rank was a Methodist Sunday School Teacher, he wished to introduce these beliefs to

3216-420: The part as well as Garbo (who had not yet turned down the project) or Ingrid Bergman for Mrs. Paradine. Other actors who were considered for the film include: Maurice Evans , Joseph Cotten , Alan Marshal , James Mason for Anthony Keane; Hedy Lamarr for Mrs. Paradine; Claude Rains for Lord Thomas Horfield; and Robert Newton for Mrs. Paradine's lover. In the end, Hitchcock pushed for Gregory Peck, then at

3283-545: The peak of his box-office appeal; Ann Todd was borrowed from the Rank Organisation to play his wife; and Selznick settled on Alida Valli, considered one of the more promising actresses in the Italian cinema for Mrs. Paradine. The Paradine Case was the last film made under Hitchcock's seven-year contract with Selznick, as Hitchcock may have tired of the association by that time. In an interview with François Truffaut , Hitchcock said that he and his wife Alma Reville wrote

3350-530: The premiere. The Paradine Case opened December 29, 1947, in Los Angeles and in two theaters across the street from each other in Westwood, California followed by its New York City premiere on January 8, 1948. The film was initially 132 minutes long, Selznick having editing down Hitchcock's rough cut of almost three hours. Before general release, however, Selznick further reduced the running time to 114 minutes, which

3417-455: The principal actors in the scene. This set-up, including elaborately choreographed crane shots, allowed Hitchcock to shoot longer takes of about ten minutes, something he would push to the limit on his next two films, Rope (1948) and Under Capricorn (1949). The completed film cost an estimated $ 4,258,000 to make, almost as much as Gone with the Wind . Selznick maintained close supervision on

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3484-411: The production, and interfered with Hitchcock's normally carefully budgeted process by demanding extensive re-takes. When Hitchcock insisted on receiving his contractual $ 1000/day fee, Selznick took over post-production, supervising the editing and the scoring of the film. The producer went through eighteen different title changes for the picture before rechristening it The Paradine Case, just hours before

3551-440: The screen a slick piece of static entertainment in their garrulous The Paradine Case ... Gregory Peck is impressively impassioned as the famous young London barrister who lets his heart, cruelly captured by his client, rule his head. And Ann Todd, the pliant British actress, is attractively anguished as his wife. Alida Valli, an import from Italy, makes the caged Mrs. Paradine a compound of mystery, fascination and voluptuousness with

3618-414: The shooting match. Then the decision was made to get out of (the) film (industry), so RFD was closed down, Rank Film Advertising was sold off, eventually, the laboratories went. Cinemas was the last one to go. In 1982, the company partnered with Andre Blay Corporation to license its British title library to home video. In 1986, Rank Film Distributors, and archrival Cannon Screen Entertainment had signed

3685-456: The single-name reference. "I feel silly going around with only one name," she said. "People get me mixed up with Rudy Vallée ." The actress could not tolerate the strict rules of Selznick , who imposed total control on his actors, and managed to gain her contract's rescission, though with the payment of a high penalty . She returned to Europe in the early 1950s and starred in many French and Italian films. In 1954, she had great success in

3752-740: The titles Dr.h.c. of the III. University of Rome, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of France and Knight of the Italian Republic . Intellectually gifted, at fifteen Valli travelled to Rome, where she attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the oldest school for film actors and directors in Western Europe and still one of the most prestigious. At that time, she lived with her cousin Ettore Tolomei. Valli started her movie career in 1934, in Il cappello

3819-446: The waning film company assets were hastily converted and pressed into 'Rank Xerox' service. This venture was a huge gamble but ultimately the company's saving grace, until, once more in financial difficulties, it signed off increasing percentages of its holdings, to the parent company, finally becoming fully integrated into Xerox in the late 1990s. Rank was also a significant shareholder in the consortium which became Southern Television ,

3886-515: Was Carry On pictures and horror films made by Kevin Francis". However, in 1976, Rank enjoyed much success with Bugsy Malone (which they co-produced with Paramount Pictures , who held its American rights). This encouraged them to re-enter film production. In 1977, Rank appointed Tony Williams head of production and over two years Rank made eight films worth £10 million, including Eagle's Wing , The Shout , The Thirty Nine Steps , Riddle of

3953-497: Was Elisa Tomasi from Trento, a cousin of the Roman senator Ettore Tolomei . Valli's mother, Silvia Oberecker Della Martina, born in Pola, was a "culturally sophisticated" housewife of half-Slovene and half-Italian descent. Valli's mother was the daughter of Felix Oberecker (also: Obrekar) from Laibach, Austria (now Ljubljana , Slovenia) and Virginia Della Martina from Pola, Istria (then part of Austria). Valli's maternal granduncle, Rodolfo,

4020-459: Was Hichens' inspiration for the creation of Mrs. Paradine. Garbo did consider doing the film, but ultimately turned it down. She had decided to retire from acting. (Garbo had also turned down I Remember Mama at about the same time, and is reputed to have said "No murderesses, no mamas".) Howard Estabrook was assigned to write the script at that time, and it was announced that John Barrymore , Lionel Barrymore and Diana Wynyard would star in

4087-633: Was a close friend of Gabriele D'Annunzio . Valli was multi-lingual. She grew up speaking Slovene, Italian, and German and was also fluent in Serbo-Croatian, French, and English. In European films with international casts she would routinely film her dialogue in the language of the actors opposite her and dub herself (usually in Italian) for the soundtrack. Valli was christened Freiin Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg . During her lifetime she also gained

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4154-524: Was also well known for her stage appearances in such plays as Ibsen 's Rosmersholm ; Pirandello 's Henry IV ; John Osborne 's Epitaph for George Dillon ; and Arthur Miller 's A View from the Bridge . At the 54th Venice International Film Festival in 1997 Alida Valli obtained the Golden Lion award for her career. Her teenage love, Carlo Cugnasca , was a famous Italian aerobatic pilot. He served as

4221-410: Was announced by the office of the mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni . The critic David Shipman wrote in his book The Great Movie Stars: The International Years that, on the basis of her best-known films before 1950, she might seem to be "one of Hollywood's least successful continental imports", but a viewer of "any two or three of the films she has made since then ... will probably regard her as one of

4288-461: Was approved. In 1946, another version was sent in, and this was also approved after the suicide was removed from the story. In 1946, it was announced that Alfred Hitchcock would direct the film, and that Laurence Olivier would star as the barrister, but Olivier eventually turned the project down, as he was preparing for his production of Hamlet . Hitchcock was interested in Ronald Colman for

4355-617: Was born in Pola, Istria , Italy (today Pula , Croatia; until 1918 part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before then under Venetian rule). She was of Austrian, Slovenian and Italian descent, although "she was never considered to be anything other than Italian." Her paternal grandfather was the Baron Luigi Altenburger (also: Altempurger), an Austrian-Italian from Trento , a descendant of the Counts d'Arco; her paternal grandmother

4422-563: Was now called), owned: Despite funding films which were both popular and critically acclaimed, Rank was in crisis by 1949, having built up a debt of £16 million, and reported an annual loss of £3.5 million. Managing Director John Davis cut staff, reduced budgets and concentrated film production at Pinewood. Other studio facilities (in Islington ) were closed, sold (Lime Grove Studios) or leased (Denham). The Rank Organisation closed Independent Producers Ltd. The policies of Davis alienated many in

4489-519: Was under contract to Rank for a period of time and starred in a number of films released by the studio, including London Town (1946), one of the costliest flops in British film history. Also under contract to Rank was the Canadian actor Philip Gilbert . The company grew quickly, largely through acquisition. Significant developments included: By the late 1940s J. Arthur Rank (or the Rank Organisation as it

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