The World's Best Labels and Studios

We finished the last article talking about two of the most iconic British film series ever, the Carry On films and the James Bond films.  James Bond films are of course still in production today and it’s the highest grossing film series ever.

For this post our narrative moves into the 1980s and the continuation of the 007 series with For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View To A Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).  1984 saw the reconstruction of the 007 stage which had first been built in 1977 but which subsequently burnt down.  It was destroyed again in  2006 but rebuilt once again.  1982 also saw the production of one of the most famous music videos of all time – the feature length version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.  You can check out the cinematic trailer below:

The album was actually made in 1979 but the idea for the film had always been there even though production had to wait for three years.  Originally it was intended to be scenes from the live stage shows with cartoonist Gerald Scarfe’s idiosyncratic animations added but eventually a genuine script was written, based on lead singer Roger Waters own experiences.  Scarfe’s animation was retained and the film explores the subject of alienation in post-war Britain.

James Bond remained in action throughout the 1990s with Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and The World is not Enough (1999).  It also saw the production of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket in 1987 and this was notable for the American director’s preference to film in the United Kingdom, particularly at Pinewood.

The turn of the century brought three new 007 films – Die Another Day (2002), Casino

Project Pinewood

Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008), the final two being Daniel Craig’s first outings.  In 2007 Pinewood studios announced the plans for Project Pinewood, an enormous development nearby which would see built, among other things, recreations of many different worldwide locations and street scenes.  Currently the planning application has been rejected and Pinewood are appealing against that decision.

Following the Second World War, when Pinewood was used as a base of operations for many of the TV production units attached to the different sections of the armed forces, production of films moved back there from the nearby Denham Stuios.

The late 1940s and early 1950s, a period of post-war austerity, saw the production of several

Barbara Windsor & Sid James - Carry On stalwarts

notable films, including Black Narcissus (1947), The Blue Lagoon (1949) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952).   Pinewood was now clearly the venue of choice for filmmakers in the U.K. and in 1959 it saw the production of  Carry on Sergeant, the first  in the long-running series of twenty-nine comedy films that spanned twenty years.  There was actually a Carry on Columbus made in 1992 with a whole new set of actors but the last genuine one had been made in 1978 (Carry on Emmanuelle – not at Pinewood).  The entire series was made at Pinewood and as an example of British slapstick humour from the period, should not be missed.

Back to the history then and the 1960s impressive production schedule conrtinued with films such as Whistle Down The Wind (1961), The Ipcress File (1965) and Fahrenheit 451 (1966).  It was also the decade which saw the production of the first James Bond film – Dr.

Daniel Craig

No – in 1962.  The James Bond franchise is the highest grossing film series of all time and is synonymous with Pinewood, perhaps even more so than the Carry On series.  Bond films are still being produced regularly now and the new Daniel Craig inspired 007 has injected new life into the character in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.  The next film is due for release sometime in 2012.

Along with the Bond films, the 1970 witnessed the production of such famous films as The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and the first Superman film in 1978.  Adults of a certain age will also surely remember the bizarre custard pie, Chicago gangster film Bugsy Malone from 1975.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_0cvd1EUM

Part three follows…….

So let’s move on for this article to the next stage and the first article about world famous movie studios.  I’m English so the first post is about the historic Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, U.K.  It’s a short drive west from London and so ideally situated for actors and employees alike.

Pinewood was completed in 1934 by the Henry Boot Company of Sheffield and the driving force behind the construction was Charles Boot, Henry’s son.  Henry was influenced by the new methods and ideas emanating from Hollywood at the time.  The first actual filming began in 1936.  The first film completed at Pinewood was called London Melody – it had started filming at the British and Dominions studios but that facility had burned down during production necessitating the swap.  The first film entirely produced at Pinewood was Talk of the Devil, completed in 1937.

A name familiar to film fans also had a significant interest in Pinewood from the outset and

J Arthur Rank

this was J Arthur Rank.  In later years Rank would take a controlling interest in Pinewood and was also instrumental in wrestling distribution control away from American companies before the Second World War.  We tend to think of American homogenisation as a relatively recent phenomenon but in the post war period 80% of films shown in U.K cinemas were American as the supply lines for both countries were controlled by the same group of companies.  Rank eventually successfully challenged this monopoly.

Back to Pinewood then and during the war the studios took on a variety of tasks when the wartime government requisitioned the studios for various purposes, one of which was the production of government documentaries (some may say propaganda).  Other film-making operations based there at the time were the Crown Film Unit, the RAF Film Unit, the Army Film Unit and, at one stage, the Polish Army Film Unit.  During this period film production was moved to Denham Studios, another of J Arthur Rank’s premises and just 4 miles away.

Part Two Follows……..