"Here during a quarter of a century were made many films projecting Britain and the British character" - plaque installed at Ealing Studios when they were sold to the BBC in 1955.
The studios at Ealing in West London were built in 1931 by Basil Dean, a theatre director who had formed film production company Associated Talking Pictures (ATP) in 1929.
ATP made over 60 films during the 1930s, but as its fortunes declined, it was phased out and replaced by a production company bearing the name of the studio itself. Michael Balcon, previously head of production at Gaumont-British, took over at Ealing during this period. His ideas about national identity and the use of film to further the "national interest" strongly influenced the style and ideology of the Ealing films and his choice of directors to make them.
Under Balcon's guidance, Ealing's films aimed to become voices of social conscience, exploring issues such as the work of the police and the probation service in films like Basil Dearden's The Blue Lamp (1950) and I Believe in You (1952).
Better known today, though, are the post-war comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets (d. Robert Hamer, 1949), Whisky Galore (d. Alexander Mackendrick, 1949), Passport to Pimlico (d. Henry Cornelius, 1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (d. Charles Crichton, 1951) and The Ladykillers (d. Mackendrick, 1955). The Ealing comedies tended to present a distinct world view of England as a quaint, untouched place worth keeping that way.
Ealing's plots frequently involved the fight of the little man against the corporate giant or government bureaucracy. The typical Ealing character believes in tolerance and consensus and hates authority to the point of eccentricity. They were played by icons of the time like Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway.
All of these, and others too numerous to mention, are fondly remembered as films that reflected the mood of the nation and said something about British national identity which struck a chord with post-war audiences and are cherished by millions to this day.
Lou Alexander
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