Two Cities Films is a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as a production company operating in the two cities of London and Rome which gave the company its name.
The driving forces behind the company were the flamboyant, Italian-born Filippo Del Giudice,[1] and his partner the multitalented Mario Zampi,[2] born in Sora, Italy who often worked in the dual role of director and producer. Two Cities produced a number of quintessentially English[3] film classics including the most popular British film from the wartime period, In Which We Serve (1942).[4]
Other Two Cities films such as This Happy Breed (1944), The Way Ahead (1944), Henry V (1944), The Way to the Stars (1945), and Blithe Spirit (1945) contributed significantly to the high critical reputation acquired by the British cinema of the time.[5][3]
In the mid-1940s Two Cities Films became part of the Rank Organisation. It was raising the finances for the production of Laurence Olivier's patriotic epic Henry V (1944) totalling more than £470,000, which forced Filippo Del Giudice to surrender his controlling interest in the company to the Rank Organisation.[1] Under Rank they produced key films such as Odd Man Out (1947), Hamlet (1948), and Vice Versa (1948).
Two Cities Films is now owned by Gregory Motton.[6]
New Production edit
The company went back into production in 2017 with the shooting of The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah, a quartet of films,The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah, part one: A Voice Crying In The Wilderness, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part two; Conquering Death, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part three, The Seducer, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part four is to be released in January 2022,[7][8] Lilith (2022), Dracula (2022)
Select filmography edit
- French Without Tears (1939)
- Unpublished Story (1942)
- In Which We Serve (1942)
- The Demi-Paradise (1943)
- The Flemish Farm (1943)
- The Gentle Sex (1943)
- The Lamp Still Burns (1943)
- This Happy Breed (1944)
- The Way Ahead (1944)
- Henry V (1944)
- Blithe Spirit (1945)
- The Way to the Stars (1945)
- The Way We Live (1946)
- Men of Two Worlds (1946)
- Odd Man Out (1947)
- Vice Versa (1948)
- Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1948)
- Hamlet (1948)
- Trottie True (1948)
- Madness of the Heart (1949)
- Prelude to Fame (1950)
- Personal Affair (1953)
- Trouble in Store (1953)
- The Purple Plain (1954)
- The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah (2019)
- Dracula (2022)
- Lilith (2022)
References edit
- ^ a b "Filippo del Giudice". IMDb.
- ^ "Mario Zampi". IMDb.
- ^ a b Tom Ryall, Encyclopedia of British Film
- ^ "In Which We Serve". IMDb.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Film Studios and Industry Bodies > Two Cities Films".
- ^ "TWO CITIES FILMS LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
- ^ "The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah, pt one a Voice Crying in the Wilderness B". YouTube.
- ^ "Dracula the Messiah - Two Cities Films".
External links edit
- Two Cities Films at IMDb
- Two Cities Films at BFI Screenonline
- Website [1]