Thorold Dickinson | |
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| Born | Thorold Barron Dickinson (1903-11-16)16 November 1903 Bristol, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 14 April 1984(1984-04-14) (aged 80) Oxford, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, film editor, film producer, educator |
| Years active | 1930–1958 |
Thorold Barron DickinsonCBE (16 November 1903 – 14 April 1984) was a Britishfilm director,screenwriter,film editor,film producer, and Britain's first university professor of film.[1] Dickinson's work received much praise,[2] with fellow directorMartin Scorsese describing him as "a uniquely intelligent, passionate artist... They're not in endless supply."[3]
Of Norwegian descent,[4]his father was theArchdeacon of Bristol from 1921 to 1927, Dickinson was educated atClifton College[5] andKeble College, Oxford where he read theology, history and French.[4] He was sent down from Oxford in his last year because his interest in theatre and film caused him to neglect his studies; he was inspired by lectures given byEdward Gordon Craig.[4] During his time at Oxford he interrupted his studies to observe the film industry in France where he worked withGeorge Pearson, the father of an Oxford friend.[6] For Pearson he wrote the scenario ofThe Little People (1926).[7] Following this he observed the American industry's transition to sound in New York in 1929. In the 1920s and 1930s he was active in the London Film Society, being responsible for the technical presentation of films. At the LFS, he helped introduce the work of the Soviet directorsSergei Eisenstein andDziga Vertov to British audiences, and in 1937 staged a notable programme protesting the Italian invasion of Abyssinia,Record of War.[8]
Dickinson worked as a film editor on such features asLove's Option (1928),Auld Lang Syne (1929),Loyalties (1933) andSing As We Go! (1934). His first directorial experience was onJava Head (1934), when he took over afterJ. Walter Ruben became ill and was unable to continue.[7] He became Vice-President of the Association of Cine-Technicians in 1936, observing the Soviet film industry for the craft union the following year,[9] remaining in the post until 1953.
Dickinson's first feature film, starringLionel Atwill andLucie Mannheim, wasThe High Command (1937), for which he formed the short-lived Fanfare Pictures withGordon Wellesley. He visited Spain during theCivil War and made two documentary shorts, one of whichSpanish ABC (1938) "is a sober advocacy of the educational policy of Republican Spain".[9] At short notice, Dickinson took over direction ofGaslight (1940).[10] Based on thePatrick Hamiltonplay, it was later suppressed for some years when MGM bought the rights for itsown version, but led to an invitation to work in Hollywood fromDavid O. Selznick which was rejected by Dickinson.[11]
A film biography ofDisraeli,The Prime Minister (1941), starringJohn Gielgud, was disowned by its director,[8] butThe Next of Kin (1942), expanded from what was originally intended as a training film, is described by Philip Horne as "one of the most interesting, and thrillingly ruthless, propaganda films of the War".[12]Men of Two Worlds (1946), from a script by novelistJoyce Cary starringRobert Adams, attempted to "tell an African story from the point of view of an African".[13] It was though a difficult production; the crew lost equipment and film stock.
ForThe Queen of Spades (1949) Dickinson assumed responsibility at five days notice after he was recommended by actorAnton Walbrook, the star ofGaslight, when the production was close to collapse. Following an aborted attempt to adaptThomas Hardy'sThe Mayor of Casterbridge in time for theFestival of Britain, he returned toSecret People (1952), a long cherished project whichEaling Studios took up, but this was unsuccessful at the box-office and became Dickinson's last British-made feature film.
Secret People was notable for providingAudrey Hepburn with her first supporting film role. Performing all her own ballet moves during the dance sequences, Dickinson went on to film the screen test of Audrey which led to international stardom. In the screen test, she describes how she used to dance for audiences to raise funds for the resistance in The Netherlands during the Second World War. The screen test was sent to directorWilliam Wyler and led to her casting as Princess Ann inRoman Holiday.[14]
In Israel, Dickinson directed a short film for the Israeli Army,The Red Ground (1953),[15] and an English-language feature,Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955), for which he reworked the screenplay in collaboration with his wife Joanna. Dickinson's other work outside the UK included a tenure with theUnited Nations Department of Public Information as Chief of Film Services from 1956 to 1960.[16] In 1959 he was a member of the jury at the1st Moscow International Film Festival.[17]
After his work with the United Nations, Dickinson devoted the final part of his life to teaching about film.[18] In 1960 he established thefilm studies department at theSlade School of Fine Art,University College London,[19] where one of his first students wasRaymond Durgnat, the prominent film critic. Others includedMarco Bellocchio andMaysoon Pachachi.[20] In 1967 he was head of the jury at the17th Berlin International Film Festival.[21] In the same year, he was named a professor in the department, becoming the first professor of film studies in the UK. He served in the post until 1971. He was appointed CBE in the1973 Birthday Honours.
The Thorold Dickinson Archive is held at theUniversity of the Arts London's Archives and Special Collections Centre.[22]
