The Ideal Film Company (often known as Ideal Films or simply Ideal) was a British film

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

company that operated between 1911 and 1934.

History

The company, based in

Soho, London SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall (SoHo), and ha ...

, was started by the two Jewish brothers Harry Moses (1875 – 17 August 1951) and Simon (1877 – 26 June 1950) Rowson (born Rosenbaum). They were born in Manchester, where their father, an immigrant from

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, worked as a butcher.William D. Rubinstein: ''The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History'', Palgrave Macmillan 2011, page 831
Linked 2015-03-18 After having begun as a pure distribution company in 1911, Ideal also began producing films in 1916. In 1917, the company acquired the first of the Elstree Studios in

Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...

from the Neptune Film Company. During the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, the Ideal Film Company became one of the leading British production companies, benefiting from the post-

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

boom in films. However the company was badly hit by the Slump of 1924, and stopped its production, while the distribution arm continued. In 1927 the company was merged into the

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was a British company that produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of France's Gaumont. Film production Gaumont-British was fou ...

empire, where it continued to distribute under its own name until 1934. During its 23 years, the company distributed almost 400 films and produced more than 80. Most of the films produced by the company are now considered lost, but a number still survive. Perhaps the company's best known film is ''

The Life Story of David Lloyd George ''The Life Story of David Lloyd George'' (originally titled ''The Man Who Saved The Empire'')David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

, directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

. Simon Rowson went on to become an adviser to the government on British film, and was the first president of the British Kinematograph Society (1931–1938). His son,

Leslie Rowson Leslie Rowson (1903–1977) was a British cinematographer. He was the son of the statistician and film executive Simon Rowson (1877–1950). Rowson collaborated on several films with the director Michael Powell. Selected filmography * '' The C ...

, became a renowned British cinematographer.

Selected list of films produced

* ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' (1916) * ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'' (1917) * ''

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

'' (1917) * '' Red Pottage'' (1918) * ''

The Life Story of David Lloyd George ''The Life Story of David Lloyd George'' (originally titled ''The Man Who Saved The Empire'')Dombey and Son ''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...

'' (1919) * '' The Chinese Puzzle'' (1919) * ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode Serial (literature), serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853. The novel has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by th ...

'' (1920) * ''

Lady Audley's Secret ''Lady Audley's Secret'' is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published on 1 October 1862. It was Braddon's most successful and well-known novel. Critic John Sutherland (author), John Sutherland (1989) described the work as "the most ...

'' (1920) * ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

'' (1920) * '' Ernest Maltravers'' (1920) * ''

A Woman of No Importance ''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...

'' (1921) * ''

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 1 ...

'' (1921) * '' Bentley's Conscience'' (1922) * ''

A Master of Craft ''A Master of Craft'' is a 1922 British silent comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley Thomas Bentley may refer to: * Thomas Bentley (director) Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Card ''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. Like much of Bennett's best work, it is ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots ''The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots'' is a 1923 British silent historical film directed by Denison Clift and starring Fay Compton, Gerald Ames and Ivan Samson. The film depicts the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her eventual execution. It ...

'' (1923) * ''

Hutch Stirs 'em Up ''Hutch Stirs 'em Up'' is a 1923 British silent comedy action film directed by Frank Hall Crane and starring Charles Hutchison, Joan Barry and Malcolm Tod. It was based on the novel '' The Hawk of Rede'' by Harry Harding. Cast * Charles ...

'' (1923) * '' Hurricane Hutch in Many Adventures'' (1924) * ''

Wedding Rehearsal ''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife. Plot "Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at hi ...

'' (1932)

References

Bibliography

* Gledhill, Christine. ''Reframing British Cinema 1918-1928: Between Restraint and Passion''. British Film Institute, 2003. * Low, Rachael. ''The History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

External links

''Ideal Film Company''
at 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, ...

British film studios Film production companies of the United Kingdom Film distributors of the United Kingdom Mass media companies established in 1911 Mass media companies disestablished in 1934 1911 establishments in England 1934 establishments in England 1927 mergers and acquisitions {{UK-film-company-stub