Vernon Campbell Sewell (4 July 1903 – 21 June 2001) was a British film director, writer, producer and, briefly, an actor.
Sewell was born in London, England,
and was educated at
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...
.
He directed more than 30 films during his career, starting with ''
Morgenrot'' (1933) and ending with ''
Burke & Hare'' (1971).
[ He worked chiefly in ]B-movies
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...
, some of which were, according to the BFI Screenonline
Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...
, "well above the usual cut-price standards of film-making at this level."Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
, South Africa, at age 97.
Filmography (director)
*1933: '' Morgenrot''
*1934: ''The Medium''
*1937: ''A Test for Love''
*1938: ''Breakers Ahead''
*1939: ''What Men Live By''
*1943: ''The Silver Fleet
''The Silver Fleet'' is a 1943 British World War II film written and directed by Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley and produced by Powell and Pressburger under the banner of "The Archers".
Plot
Early during the Second World War, the Nazis ove ...
''
*1945: ''The World Owes Me a Living
''The World Owes Me a Living'' is a 1945 British Second World War drama film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring David Farrar and Judy Campbell. It was written by Sewell and Irwin Reiner based on the novel of the same title by John Llewelly ...
''
*1945: ''Latin Quarter
The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne.
Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...
''
*1947: '' The Ghosts of Berkeley Square''
*1948: ''Uneasy Terms
''Uneasy Terms'' is a 1948 British crime thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Michael Rennie, Moira Lister and Faith Brook. It is based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Peter Cheyney.
Premise
Slim Callaghan is a private ...
''
*1949: '' The Jack of Diamonds''
*1951: '' The Dark Light''
*1951: '' Black Widow''
*1952: ''The Floating Dutchman
''The Floating Dutchman'' (U.S. TV title: ''Clue for a Corpse'') is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Dermot Walsh, Sydney Tafler and Mary Germaine. It is based on a 1950 novel ''The Floating Dut ...
''
*1952: ''Ghost Ship
A ghost ship, also known as a phantom ship, is a ship, vessel with no living crew aboard; it may be a fictional ghostly vessel, such as the ''Flying Dutchman'', or a physical Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict, derelict found adrift with its cre ...
''
*1953: '' Counterspy''
*1954: ''Dangerous Voyage
''Dangerous Voyage'' (U.S. title ''Terror Ship'') is a 1954 British crime thriller B movie, B film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring William Lundigan, Naomi Chance and Vincent Ball. It was written by Sewell and Julian Ward and was distribut ...
''
*1954: ''Radio Cab Murder
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to ...
''
*1955: ''Where There's a Will
Where There's a Will may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Where There's a Will'' (1936 film), a British comedy starring Will Hay
* ''Where There's a Will'' (1955 film), a British comedy starring George Cole
* "Where There's a Will" (''Big Love ...
''
*1956: '' Johnny, You're Wanted''
*1956: ''Soho Incident
''Soho Incident'', released in the United States as ''Spin a Dark Web'', is a 1956 British film noir directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Faith Domergue and Lee Patterson. The screenplay by Ian Stuart Black is based on the 1937 novel ''Wide B ...
'' (aka ''Spin a Dark Web'')
*1956: ''Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...
''
*1957: '' Rogue's Yarn''
*1958: ''Battle of the V-1
''Battle of the V-1'' (also known as ''Battle of the V.1'', ''Battle of the V1'', ''Missiles from Hell'' and ''Unseen Heroes'') is a 1958 British war film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Medina, Milly Vitale, Davi ...
''
*1959: '' Wrong Number''
*1960: '' Urge to Kill''
*1961: ''House of Mystery
''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
''
*1961: '' The Wind of Change''
*1961: ''The Man in the Back Seat
''The Man in the Back Seat'' is a 1961 British second feature crime film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Derren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner. It was written by Malcolm Hulke and Eric Paice based on an Edgar Wallace story.
Plot
Cold and ...
''
*1962: ''Strongroom
A bank vault is a secure room used by banks to store and protect valuables, cash, and important documents. Modern bank vaults are typically made of reinforced concrete and steel, with complex locking mechanisms and security systems. This article ...
''
*1963: ''A Matter of Choice
''A Matter of Choice'' is a 1963 British black and white drama film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Malcolm Gerard, Michael Davis, Anthony Steel, Jeanne Moody and Ballard Berkeley. The screenplay was by Paul Ryder based on an original st ...
''
*1963: '' Strictly for the Birds''
*1967: ''Some May Live
''Some May Live'' ( also known as ''In Saigon Some May Live'') is a 1967 British war film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Joseph Cotten and Martha Hyer. It was written by David T. Chantler and shot at Twickenham Studio ...
''
*1968: ''The Blood Beast Terror
''The Blood Beast Terror'' (U.S. title: ''The Vampire-Beast Craves Blood''; also known as ''Blood Beast From Hell'' and ''Deathshead Vampire'') is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng a ...
''
*1968: ''Curse of the Crimson Altar
''Curse of the Crimson Altar'' (also called ''The Crimson Altar''; released in the United States as ''The Crimson Cult'') is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and M ...
''
*1971: '' Burke & Hare''
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Vernon
1903 births
2001 deaths
20th-century British male actors
20th-century British screenwriters
20th-century British male writers
British male film actors
British male screenwriters
English-language film directors
Film directors from London
German-language film directors
Male actors from London
People educated at Marlborough College