Anthony Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict cod ...

'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among other adaptations. His other notable films include '' Pygmalion'' (1938), ''

French Without Tears ''French Without Tears'' is a comic play written by a 25-year-old Terence Rattigan in 1936. Setting It takes place in a cram school for adults needing to acquire French for business reasons. Scattered throughout are Franglais phrases and sc ...

'' (1940), '' The Way to the Stars'' (1945) and a 1952 adaptation of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

''.

Life and career

Born in London, he was the son of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

, the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

from 1908 to 1916, and

Margot Asquith Emma Alice Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith (' Tennant; 2 February 1864 – 28 July 1945), known as Margot Asquith, was a British socialite and author. She was married to British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith from 1894 to his ...

, who was responsible for 'Puffin' as his family nickname.Anthony Asquith biography
at BFI Screenonline He was educated at Eaton House,

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. The film industry was viewed as disreputable when Asquith was young, and according to the actor Jonathan Cecil, a family friend, Asquith entered this profession in order to escape his background.Geoffrey Macna
"The Asquith version"
''The Guardian'', 6 February 2003 At the end of the 1920s, he began his career with the direction of four silent films, the last of which, ''A Cottage on Dartmoor'', established his reputation with its meticulous and often emotionally moving frame composition. '' Pygmalion'' (1938) was based on the

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

play featuring

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

and Wendy Hiller. He made several films for Edward Black at Gainsborough. Asquith was a longtime friend and colleague of Terence Rattigan (they collaborated on ten films) and producer Anatole de Grunwald. His later films included Rattigan's ''

'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), and

's ''

'' (1952). Asquith served as President of the

Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

and as a Governor of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

. Asquith was an alcoholic and, according to actor Jonathan Cecil, a repressed homosexual. He died in 1968. He was buried at All Saints Churchyard, Sutton Courtenay,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, England.

Filmography

Feature film

*'' Shooting Stars'' (1927) *'' Underground'' (1928) *'' The Runaway Princess'' (1929) *'' A Cottage on Dartmoor'' (1929) *'' Tell England'' (1931) *'' Dance Pretty Lady'' (1932) *'' The Lucky Number'' (1933) *'' Letting in the Sunshine'' (1933) *''

Unfinished Symphony An unfinished symphony is a fragment of a symphony that is left incomplete. The reason as of why and the state of the sketches themselves can vary considerably. The death of the composer is the most common cause for a symphony to be left unfi ...

'' (1934) *'' Moscow Nights'' (1935) *'' Pygmalion'' (1938) *''

'' (1940) *'' Freedom Radio'' (1941) *'' Quiet Wedding'' (1941) *'' Cottage to Let'' (1941) *'' Uncensored'' (1942) *'' We Dive at Dawn'' (1943) *'' The Demi-Paradise'' (1943) *'' Fanny by Gaslight'' (1944) *'' The Way to the Stars'' (1945) *'' While the Sun Shines'' (1947) *''

'' (1948) *'' The Woman in Question'' (1950) *'' The Browning Version'' (1951) *''

'' (1952) *'' The Final Test'' (1953) *'' The Net'' (1953) *'' The Young Lovers'' (1954) *'' Carrington V.C.'' (1955) *'' On Such a Night'' (1955) *'' Orders to Kill'' (1958) *'' The Doctor's Dilemma'' (1958) *''

Libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

'' (1959) *''

The Millionairess ''The Millionairess'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers. Set in London, it is a loose adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1936 play of the same name. Plot By the ...

'' (1960) *'' Two Living, One Dead'' (1961) *'' Guns of Darkness'' (1962) *'' The V.I.P.s'' (1963) *'' The Yellow Rolls-Royce'' (1965)

Short film

*'' The Story of Papworth'' (1935)See also advertisement for its premiere in ''The Times'', 14 December 1935, p. 11. *'' Channel Incident'' (1940) *''

Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...

'' (1941) *'' Two Fathers'' (1944)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asquith, Anthony 1902 births 1968 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Asquith family British LGBTQ film directors Children of H. H. Asquith Deaths from lymphoma in England English gay men English people of Scottish descent Film directors from London LGBTQ people from London LGBTQ nobility People educated at Gibbs School People educated at Summer Fields School People educated at Winchester College Tennant family Younger sons of earls 20th-century English LGBTQ people Governors of the British Film Institute