The Magic Box (1952)

Director:

John Boulting

Writers:

Ray Allister (biography Friese-Greene, Close-Up of an Inventor)
Eric Ambler (writer)

Release Date:

21 January 1952 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The story of William Friese-Greene, a British inventor who (this film would have you think) made the first movie camera.

Plot Keywords:

Obsession | Invention | Military | Police Officer | Pregnancy

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

Robert Donat	...	William Friese-Greene
Margaret Johnston	...	Edith Harrison Friese-Greene
Maria Schell	...	Helena Friese-Greene
Renée Asherson	...	Miss Tagg
Richard Attenborough	...	Jack Carter
Robert Beatty	...	Lord Beaverbrook
Martin Boddey	...	Sitter in Bath Studio
Edward Chapman	...	Father in Family Group
John Charlesworth	...	Graham Friese-Greene
Maurice Colbourne	...	Bride's Father in wedding group
Roland Culver	...	1st Company Promoter
John Howard Davies	...	Maurice Friese-Greene
Michael Denison	...	Reporter
Joan Dowling	...	Maggie
Henry Edwards	...	Butler at Fox Talbot's

Runtime:

118 min | UK:103 min (DVD version) | UK:108 min (edited version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:U | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

ABPC Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Festival Film Productions

Trivia:

The actress Amy Veness - shown in the cast list against Undetermined Role - can be identified as the elderly lady in black, a grandmother presumably, in the first wedding group we see being photographed in Mr.Guttenberg's studio.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In 1915 when Green's three eldest sons join the army, the landlord's agent mentions that the Spanish influenza is going around. In actuality the Spanish influenza did not begin until 1918.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Laurence Olivier: A Life (1982) (TV)

A biography of one of the true first inventors of the cinema.

A brilliant biography of one of the virtually unknown inventors of modern motion pictures. The historical aspects are incredibly well researched and detailed (look at the film credits)-- down to the reproduction of a beautiful example of his first twin-lensed motion picture camera, which was stereoscopic (which proved not be be practical until the introduction of polarized projection at the 1939 World's Fair). This film was made as a showcase piece for the 1951 "Festival of Britain" at the current location of the Royal Festival Hall and the Museum of the Moving Image on the banks of the Thames in London, England. What remains of the original Friese-Greene camera may be seen at the Science Museum in London. For those interested in the history of the cinema, and its earliest experiments, this is a "must see" film. Historical footage is brilliantly incorporated into the story. Although the presentation is a little bit slow by today's standards, it remains a fascinating and unique film. For related topics see the book "The Missing Reel", by Christopher Rawlence, about the other unknown film pioneer, Louis Aime Augustin Le Prince.