Cecil Milton Hepworth (19 March 1874 – 9 February 1953) was a British

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 ...

, producer and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. He was among the founders of the

British film industry British cinema has significantly influenced the global film industry since the 19th century. The oldest known surviving film in the world, ''Roundhay Garden Scene'' (1888), was shot in England by French inventor Louis Le Prince. Early colour ...

and continued making films into the 1920s at his Hepworth Studios. In 1923 his company

Hepworth Picture Plays Hepworth Picture Plays was a British film production company active during the silent era. Founded in 1897 by the cinema pioneer Cecil Hepworth, it was based at Walton Studios west of London. In February 1909 the company took part in the Paris Fi ...

went into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

. His works include ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' (1903), the first film adaptation of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

's children's book ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

''.

History

Hepworth was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, in present-day

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

. His father, Thomas Cradock Hepworth, was a famous

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...

showman and author. Cecil Hepworth became involved in the early stages of British filmmaking, working for both

Birt Acres Birt Acres (23 July 1854 – 27 December 1918) was an American and British photographer and film pioneer. Among his contributions to the early film industry are the first working 35 mm camera in Britain (Wales), and ''Birtac'', the firs ...

and

Charles Urban Charles Urban (April 15, 1867 – August 29, 1942) was a German-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema before the First World War. He was a pioneer of the do ...

, and wrote the first British book on the subject in 1897. With his cousin Monty Wicks he set up the production company Hepworth and Co. (also known as "Hepwix" after the word mark in its trade logo), which was later renamed the Hepworth Manufacturing Company (officially: Hepworth Film Manufacturing Company), and then

. In 1899 they built a small

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part ...

, Hepworth Studios. The company produced about three films a week, sometimes with Hepworth directing. He was associated with

Percy Stow Percy Stow (1876 – 10 July 1919) was a British director of short films. He was also the co-founder of Clarendon Film Company. He was born in Islington, London, England. He was previously associated with Cecil Hepworth from 1901 to 1903, where ...

from 1901-1903 who specialized in trick films. His film ''

Rescued by Rover ''Rescued by Rover'' is a 1905 British short silent drama film, directed by Lewin Fitzhamon, about a dog who leads its master to his kidnapped baby, which was the first to feature the Hepworth's family dog Blair in a starring role; following ...

'' (1905), co-directed with Lewin Fitzhamon and starring a

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many type ...

in the title role, was a huge financial success. The film is now regarded as an important development in

film grammar In film, film grammar is defined as follows: # A frame is a single still image. It is analogous to a letter. # A shot is a single continuous recording made by a camera. It is analogous to a word. # A scene is a series of related shots. It i ...

, with shots being effectively combined to emphasize the action. Hepworth was also one of the first to recognize the potential of film stars, both animal and human, with several recurring characters appearing in his films. By 1910, Hepworth was also the inventor of Vivaphone, an early sound on disk system for adding sound to motion pictures. The device used phonograph records to record and play back the sound. Hepworth's Vivaphone was distributed in Britain and also in the United States and Canada. The company continued making popular films into the 1920s, despite Hepworth's now unchanging and increasingly old-fashioned film style. Boosted by the international success of '' Alf's Button'' (1919), the company went

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

to fund a large studio development. He failed to raise the necessary capital and, also suffering the box office failure of '' Comin' Thro the Rye'' (1923), the company went into

the next year. All of the original film negatives in Hepworth's possession were melted down by the receiver in order to sell the silver, and his feature films have been considered lost for many decades. However, an original 35mm. print of his 1920 film ''

Helen of Four Gates ''Helen of Four Gates'' is a 1920 British silent melodrama film directed by cinema pioneer Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor (in a dual role as mother and daughter), James Carew, and Gerald Ames. Production background The film was adapt ...

'' was located in a film archive in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 2008."''Helen of Four Gates'' to get screening after 80-year hiatus"
''The Guardian'', 31-05-2010. Retrieved 26-08-2010. The Cecil Hepworth Playhouse in Walton-on-Thames is named after him.

Selected filmography

* ''The Egg-Laying Man'' (1897) * '' The Beggar's Deceit'' (1900) * ''

How It Feels to Be Run Over '' How It Feels to Be Run Over'' is a one-minute British silent trick film, made in 1900, and directed by Cecil M. Hepworth. As in other instances of the very earliest films, the film presents the audience with the images of a shocking experi ...

'' (1900) * '' Explosion of a Motor Car'' (1900) * Rough Sea (1900) * ''

'' (1903) * ''

A Day in the Hayfields ''A Day in the Hayfields'' is a 1904 British silent documentary film directed by Cecil M. Hepworth filmed on location in the United Kingdom. Synopsis This is a documentary film showing the process of making hay as it was in the early 20th cen ...

'' (1904) * ''

'' (1905) * ''

Baby's Toilet ''Baby's Toilet'' is a 1905 British short film directed by Cecil Hepworth. The film features Hepworth's baby daughter Elizabeth being bathed and dressed by her nurse, and was categorised by Hepworth as a "Domestic Scene". In the film Hepworth ...

'' (1905) * ''

The Jewel Thieves Outwitted ''The Jewel Thieves Outwitted'' is a 1913 silent film short directed by Frank Wilson, starring Jack Hulcup, Violet Hopson, Rachel de Solla. Cast * Jack Hulcup - The Thief * Violet Hopson - The Maid * Rachel de Solla William Lepper Pilgrim ( ...

'' (1913) * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' (1913) * ''

The Cloister and the Hearth ''The Cloister and the Hearth'' (1861) is an historical novel by the British author Charles Reade. Set in the 15th century, it relates the travels of a young scribe and illuminator, Gerard Eliassoen, through several European countries. ''The C ...

'' (1913) * ''

Dr. Trimball's Verdict ''Dr. Trimball's Verdict'' was a silent horror movie produced by Cecil Hepworth in 1913. Plot A doctor kills his rival and dies of shock on seeing him materialise on a purchased skeleton. Cast * Alec Worcester as Dr. Trimball * Chrissie Whi ...

'' (1913) * '' The Baby on the Barge'' (1915) * '' The Man Who Stayed at Home'' (1915) * ''

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1672 - c1760 ) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Ann ...

'' (1916) * '' Molly Bawn'' (1916) * '' The Marriage of William Ashe'' (1916) * '' The Cobweb'' (1917) * ''

The American Heiress ''The American Heiress'' is a 1917 British silent crime film directed by Cecil M. Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, Violet Hopson and Stewart Rome.Wintour p.173 Cast * Alma Taylor as Bessie * Violet Hopson as Cynthia Hunks * Stewart Rome a ...

'' (1917) * '' City of Beautiful Nonsense'' (producer) (1919) * '' The Refugee'' (1918) * ''

Broken in the Wars ''Broken in the Wars'' is a 1919 British silent drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Henry Edwards, Chrissie White and Alma Taylor. The Pensions Minister John Hodge appeared in the film to promote the King's Fund, which supported ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Forest on the Hill ''The Forest on the Hill'' is a 1919 British silent crime film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, James Carew and Gerald Ames. It was based on a novel by Eden Phillpotts. Cast * Alma Taylor - Drusilla Whyddon * James Carew - ...

'' (1919) * ''

'' (1920) * ''

The Narrow Valley ''The Narrow Valley'' is a 1921 British silent film, silent drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth. As of August 2010, the film is missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "BFI 75 Most Wanted, 7 ...

'' (1921) * ''

Tansy Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Tinted Venus ''The Tinted Venus'' is a 1921 British silent fantasy film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, George Dewhurst and Maud Cressall.Palmer p.92 ''The Tinted Venus'' is based on the 1885 novella by F. Anstey (pseudonym of Thomas ...

'' (1921) * ''

Wild Heather ''Wild Heather'' is a 1921 British drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Chrissie White, Gerald Ames, James Carew and George Dewhurst. It was based on the 1917 play '' Wild Heather'' by Dorothy Brandon. Cast *Chrissie White as " ...

'' (1921) * '' Comin' Thro the Rye'' (1923) * ''

Strangling Threads ''Strangling Threads'' is a 1923 British silent drama film directed by Cecil M. Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, Campbell Gullan and James Carew.Gifford p.55 Plot A millionaire thinks he kills a blackmailing Mexican wife who dies of shock. ...

'' (1923) * ''

Mist in the Valley ''Mist in the Valley'' is a 1923 British silent crime film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, G. H. Mulcaster and James Carew. It was based on a novel by Dorin Craig. Cast * Alma Taylor - Margaret Yeoland * G. H. Mulcaste ...

'' (1923)

Notes

References

*''Came the Dawn'', Cecil Hepworth. London: Phoenix House, 1951. *''Raising the Flag: Constructing a National Cinema in Britain'', Andrew Higson. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995, . Chapter on ''Comin' Thro' The Rye'': pp. 26–97.

External links

Cecil Milton Hepworth
at Victorian-cinema.net * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hepworth, Cecil 1874 births 1953 deaths People from Lambeth English film directors English film producers English male screenwriters British cinema pioneers 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers British silent film directors