Ealing Studios
- For the film, see Ealing Comedy (film). For the film comedies see Ealing Comedies.
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Ealing Studios is the oldest continuously working film studio in the world,[1] and was built for the use of sound in early British films.
History
The site had been previously occupied by Will Barker Studios from 1896, but was acquired by theatre producer Basil Dean's newly-formed production company in 1929, and reopened as Ealing Studios in 1931. In 1933, the company was renamed Associated Talking Pictures. When Dean left in 1938, to be replaced by Michael Balcon from MGM, about 60 films had been made at the studios. Balcon discontinued the ATP name and began to issue films under the Ealing Studios name. In 1944, the company was taken over by the Rank Organisation.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Ealing produced many comedies with stars such as George Formby and Will Hay, who had established their reputations in other spheres of entertainment. The company was also instrumental in the use of documentary film-makers to make more realistic war films. These included Went the Day Well? (1942), The Foreman Went to France (1942), Undercover (1943), and San Demetrio, London (1943). In 1945, the studio made its influential chiller compendium Dead of Night.
In the post-war period, the company embarked on a series of celebrated comedies which became the studio's hallmark. These were often lightly satirical, and were seen to reflect aspects of British character and society. The first was Hue and Cry in 1947, and the last Barnacle Bill in 1956. However, the best remembered Ealing films were produced between 1948 and 1955: Whisky Galore! (1949), Passport to Pimlico (1949), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) and The Ladykillers (1955) are now seen as classics of British cinema.
The BBC bought the studios in 1955, though productions bearing the Ealing name continued to be made at the MGM studio at Elstree for around two years. The BBC based its Film Department at the studios; and at its peak over 60 film crews used the studios as a base for location filming of dramas, documentaries and other programmes; shot on 16mm and occasionally 35mm film. In the 1980s, the BBC developed and expanded the use of electronic PSC (Portable Single Camera) location equipment and the use of 16mm film on location gradually reduced. The BBC also used the studio facilities at Ealing for filmed inserts where the electronic studio could not be used, such as for the excavation site in Quatermass and the Pit (1958-59), The White Rabbit (TV mini-series, 1967), Colditz(1972-74) and the communal sequences in Porridge (1974-77). Programmes wholly shot on film were made there also, such as The Singing Detective (1986) and Fortunes of War (1987).
In 1995, the studios were purchased by the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and yet again in mid-2000 by a consortium led by Fragile Films' Uri Fruchtmann and Barnaby Thompson, Harry Handelsman and John Kao, with a view to reviving the fortunes of the studio. The studio has since begun to produce theatrical films again, such as Lucky Break (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and Valiant (2005). Shaun Of The Dead and the highly rated 2005 horror film The Descent were both shot on the lot. In 2007, Ealing revived the St Trinian's franchise and the first film took over £12 million at the UK Box Office, making it the 4th most successful British independent movie of all time. St. Trinian's, The Legend of Fritton's Gold was released in December 2009 and took over £7 million at the UK Box Office. Between these, Ealing released Easy Virtue (2008), directed by Stephan Elliot and Dorian Gray (2009), directed by Oliver Parker. Ealing Studios is also home to the Metropolitan Film School of London which has a purpose built school on the lot and use of the studios.
Ealing Studios films
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Documentaries
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BBC TV productions
- Colditz (inserts only; programme was predominantly videotaped)
- Doctor Who (ditto)
- Fortunes of War
- Quatermass and the Pit (inserts only; programme was otherwise live)
- The Singing Detective
- An Ungentlemanly Act (1992)
Later films
- An Ideal Husband (1999)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- A Christmas Carol (1999)
- Lucky Break (2001)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
- Shaun of the Dead (2004)
- Valiant (2005)
- I Want Candy (2007)
- St Trinian's (2007)
- St. Trinian's, The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009)
- Dorian Gray (2009)
- Burke and Hare (2010)
Independent TV
- The Royle Family (Granada)
- Bedtime (Hat Trick Productions)
- Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (Ghost)
- Emma Brody (20th Century Fox)
Music videos
- Walk Away by Franz Ferdinand
- Talk by Coldplay
- The Drowners by Suede (US video only)
- Crazy Beat by Blur
- The Moment You Believe by Melanie C
External links
- Ealing Studios
- Ealing Studios at screenonline.org.uk
- Ealing Studios at britmovie.co.uk
References
- Forever Ealing by George Perry, published by Pavilion, 1981, ISBN 0-907516-60-2; A history of Ealing Studios from its origins in 1902.
51°30′32″N 0°18′26″W / 51.509016°N 0.307258°W
