Forever Ealing (TV 2002)

This is a history of the England's Ealing Film Studios, from its beginnings in 1902. It follows the studio's successes through the 1930's, World War II dramas, the well-known 'Ealing ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew Snell

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, John McCallum, Richard Attenborough

Cast

Credited cast:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John McCallum	...	Himself

Storyline

This is a history of the England's Ealing Film Studios, from its beginnings in 1902. It follows the studio's successes through the 1930's, World War II dramas, the well-known 'Ealing comedies' with Alec Guinness, and the BBC's television productions. At the end we see the resurrection of Ealing with the release of _Importance of Being Earnest, The (2002)_ .

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Plot Keywords:

film studio | british film history | film history

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

Ireland France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2002 (USA)

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel 4 Television Corporation, Silver Apples Media, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Wednesday Play: The Gorge (1968)

User Reviews

Excellent documentary with nostalgic, bittersweet overtures...

Andrew Snell directed this fascinating, at times heartrending documentary on Britain's Ealing Film Studios, a once-prestigious movie-production entity which got its start in the early 1900s, later finding its footing in the WWII years with gripping black-and-white combat dramas like 1946's "The Captive Heart" and 1953's "The Cruel Sea". Ealing--the breaking ground for diverse British talents such as John Mills, Michael Redgrave, Alec Guinness, and Peter Sellers--ushered in a new style of dry, witty black comedy in the 1950s, but their later fortunes faltered and it was eventually taken over by the BBC. While Daniel Day-Lewis narrates tenderly, and recent interviews with several of the original players are terrific, there's a forlorn ambiance about the project which is never quite resolved; Ealing got back in the game with one theatrical production, "The Importance of Being Earnest" in 2002, yet Snell ends his film with shots of an empty building covered in dirt and dusty memories. Commentary from Ealing admirers like Martin Scorsese and John Landis are predictably laudatory, however the film clips are highly enjoyable (even if the endings to "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "The Ladykillers" are recklessly given away!).