Victor Saville

Victor Saville (25 September 1895 8 May 1979) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962.

Victor Saville
Victor Saville in 1936
Born(1895-09-25)25 September 1895
Birmingham, England
Died8 May 1979(1979-05-08) (aged 83)
London, England
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active1923–1962

Biography

Saville produced his first film, Woman to Woman, with Michael Balcon in 1923, and on the back of its success produced pictures for the veteran director Maurice Elvey, including the classic British silent Hindle Wakes (1927). His first picture as director was The Arcadians (1927). In 1929 he and Balcon worked together again on a talkie remake of Woman to Woman for Balcon's company, Gainsborough Pictures. This time Saville directed it.

From 1931, as Gainsborough Pictures and the Gaumont British Picture Corporation joined forces, Saville produced a string of comedies, musicals and dramas for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, including the popular Jessie Matthews pictures. In 1937, he left to set up his own production company, Victor Saville Productions, and made three pictures for Alexander Korda's London Films at Denham studios.

As an independent producer he had purchased the film rights to A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel. He was persuaded to sell them to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in return for the chance to produce the film and another big-budget adaptation, Goodbye Mr Chips (1939). Both films starred Robert Donat and were a great success in the US as well as in Britain, providing Saville with a passport to Hollywood.

When the war broke out in 1939, Saville was in America and was advised to remain there. He produced pictures in support of the war effort, such as The Mortal Storm and Forever and a Day (1943) (in which he worked for the last time with his former star Jessie Matthews), and in 1945 Tonight and Every Night, based on the history of the Windmill Theatre in London.

After the war Saville continued directing films for MGM but eventually returned to Britain. Saville acquired production rights for Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer mysteries and produced a few features, though Spillane thought he was interested in doing so only to acquire the money to produce The Silver Chalice.[1] He produced two final films in the 1960s, The Greengage Summer (1961), adapted from the novel of the same name, and Mix Me a Person (1962).

Selected filmography

Year Film Director Producer
1927 A Woman in Pawn Yes
1927 The Glad Eye Yes
1927 Roses of Picardy Yes
1927 The Arcadians Yes Yes
1927 The Flight Commander Yes
1928 Tesha Yes Yes
1929 Kitty Yes
1929 Woman to Woman Yes Yes
1930 The W Plan Yes Yes
1930 A Warm Corner Yes
1931 The Sport of Kings Yes Yes
1931 Sunshine Susie Yes
1931 Michael and Mary Yes
1931 Hindle Wakes Yes
1932 Love on Wheels Yes
1932 The Faithful Heart Yes
1933 The Good Companions Yes
1933 I Was a Spy Yes
1933 Friday the Thirteenth Yes
1934 Evergreen Yes
1934 Evensong Yes
1934 The Iron Duke Yes
1935 First a Girl Yes
1935 The Dictator Yes
1937 Dark Journey Yes Yes
1937 Storm in a Teacup Yes Yes
1938 The Citadel Yes
1938 South Riding Yes Yes
1939 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Yes
1940 Bitter Sweet Yes
1941 A Woman's Face Yes
1943 Above Suspicion Yes
1943 Forever and a Day Yes Yes
1945 Tonight and Every Night Yes Yes
1946 The Green Years Yes
1947 Green Dolphin Street Yes
1949 Conspirator Yes
1950 Kim Yes
1951 Calling Bulldog Drummond Yes
1952 24 Hours of a Woman's Life Yes
1953 I, the Jury Yes
1954 The Long Wait Yes
1954 The Silver Chalice Yes Yes
1955 Kiss Me Deadly Yes
1957 My Gun Is Quick Yes Yes

Notes

  1. "Mickey Spillane Interview Page". www.crimetime.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

References

  • BFI screenonline biography "Saville, Victor" Retrieved on 2 February 2009
  • Lloyd & Robinson (1983). Movies of the Thirties. Orbis Publishing, London. ISBN 0-85613-523-2.
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