The Magic Box
Posted: June 26th, 2009, 10:55 am
Spoiler Alert
I'm amazed this classic movie isn't that well known in America, it's one of Robert Donat's finest films. The film was also part of The British Film Festival of 1951, which I imagine was because it dealt about the invention of the movie camera.
One reason why it maybe didn't hit the U.S was the accuracy of the subject matter. Most will say that Thomas Edison invented the movie camera and that Donat's character Willaim Friese Green by comparision contributed very little, whereas, here you're led to believe Green was responsible for the first moving pictures. However, later in the film one of his son's gets into a fight protecting his father's honour when someone said a book said Edison invented the movie camera and that his father wasn't even mentioned.
Laurence Olivier gave a great cameo performance in The Magic Box alongside the Donat. His health declining, Donat wasn't keen to do the scene with such a big star in a small role, but was persuaded by the Boulting brothers to do it. Both were superb as Donat's Friese Greene shows of his new discovery, with moving pictures from Hyde Park, to beat cop Olivier, in a crumpy London apartment.
The film had 3 stars Donat with Margaret Johnson and Maria Schell as his two wives. However, the cast was full of cameos from
also see Greene, struggle in the second part of his life. He had to sell the rights to his invention to carry on with his work, but well into his 2nd marraige he and his family are broke. His wife leaves him after their eldest 3 sons join up to fight in WW1, so they wouldn't be a finacial burden to their parents. Greene dies, unknown, attending a public meeting about the British Film Industry in 1921.
His first wife played by Maria Schell sacrifices her health (she had a weak heart) and her life to support her husband in his work
There are also cameos from-Kay Walsh, Richard Attenbourgh, Glynis Johns, Joyce Grenfel, Michael Redgrave, Michael Dennison, Eric Portman, Renee Asherson, David Tomlinson, Michael Horden, John Howard Davies, James Kenny, John Charlesworth and Sid James
We Greene's son Claude went on to become a famous movie cameraman in the 1930s.
I'm amazed this classic movie isn't that well known in America, it's one of Robert Donat's finest films. The film was also part of The British Film Festival of 1951, which I imagine was because it dealt about the invention of the movie camera.
One reason why it maybe didn't hit the U.S was the accuracy of the subject matter. Most will say that Thomas Edison invented the movie camera and that Donat's character Willaim Friese Green by comparision contributed very little, whereas, here you're led to believe Green was responsible for the first moving pictures. However, later in the film one of his son's gets into a fight protecting his father's honour when someone said a book said Edison invented the movie camera and that his father wasn't even mentioned.
Laurence Olivier gave a great cameo performance in The Magic Box alongside the Donat. His health declining, Donat wasn't keen to do the scene with such a big star in a small role, but was persuaded by the Boulting brothers to do it. Both were superb as Donat's Friese Greene shows of his new discovery, with moving pictures from Hyde Park, to beat cop Olivier, in a crumpy London apartment.
The film had 3 stars Donat with Margaret Johnson and Maria Schell as his two wives. However, the cast was full of cameos from
also see Greene, struggle in the second part of his life. He had to sell the rights to his invention to carry on with his work, but well into his 2nd marraige he and his family are broke. His wife leaves him after their eldest 3 sons join up to fight in WW1, so they wouldn't be a finacial burden to their parents. Greene dies, unknown, attending a public meeting about the British Film Industry in 1921.
His first wife played by Maria Schell sacrifices her health (she had a weak heart) and her life to support her husband in his work
There are also cameos from-Kay Walsh, Richard Attenbourgh, Glynis Johns, Joyce Grenfel, Michael Redgrave, Michael Dennison, Eric Portman, Renee Asherson, David Tomlinson, Michael Horden, John Howard Davies, James Kenny, John Charlesworth and Sid James
We Greene's son Claude went on to become a famous movie cameraman in the 1930s.