Max Anderson (British director)
Max Anderson (25 April 1914 in London, England, UK - 10 July 1959) was a British director of documentaries. He worked with the GPO Film Unit from 1936 onwards, and later changed to Crown Film Unit.
Biography[edit]
Max Anderson was born on 25 April 1914.[1] He was educated at Sloane School and Cambridge University. He joined the GPO Film Unit in 1936 at age 22, and became a director.[2] Soon after the start of World War II the GPO Film Unit became the Crown Film Unit (CFU) under the Ministry of Information.[3] In 1940, Anderson joined the Realist Film Unit (RFU).[2] He directed Out of the Night for the RFU in 1941.[4]
Anderson's 1942 documentary for Imperial Chemical Industries, The Harvest Shall Come, examined restoring the fertility of depleted soil. It gave a history of post-Victorian farmers, discussed the effect of the change from an agricultural economy to one based on industry, and gave a cautiously optimistic view of post-war agriculture.[5] The 35-minute documentary, with music by William Alwyn, was sponsored by the Ministry of Information.[6] The Harvest Shall Come was entirely filmed on location, including the interior scenes. It was named "Documentary of the Month" by Documentary News Letter, which called it "the first genuine story film made with the documentary purpose and by documentary method."[7] It has been called "a far-sighted educational treatment of a major social problem."[5]
In 1943 he directed the 20-minute Words and Actions for the RFU.[8] The CFU produced the first six issues of Mining Review for the National Coal Board in 1947.[3] Anderson directed several of the Mining Review stories in October-December 1947.[9] In 1949 Anderson produced Daybreak in Udi for the Crown Film Unit, directed by Terry Bishop.[10] The 40-minute film, again with music by William Alwyn, was a 1948 Academy Award Winner.[11] In 1950 he directed Four Men in Prison, one of three feature-length documentaries produced that year by John Grierson for the CFU. Another was The Dancing Fleece directed by Frederick Wilson.[12] Four Men in Prison and The Dancing Fleece caused widespread controversy.[13] Anderson's film "disappeared under a ban of official disapproval."[12]
Anderson died on 10 July 1959, aged 45.[1] A tribute ceremony was held in his honor on 31 January 1960 at the National Film Theatre.[14]
Filmography[edit]
As director[edit]
- Out of the Night (1941)
- The Harvest Shall Come (1942)
- Words and Actions (1943)
- Mining Review series (October - December 1947):[15]
- Bestwood Training Centre (October 1947)
- Open Cast Mining (October 1947)
- Workington Football (October 1947)
- Welsh Debate (October 1947)
- Swadlincote (November 1947)
- The Forrest of Dean (December 1947)
- Shepherds from the mine (December 1947)
- Denby Washery (December 1947)
- Four Men in Prison (1950) 40 minutes.[16]
- Every Five Minutes (1951)
- Treasure at the Mill (1957)
As producer[edit]
- Daybreak in Udi (1949)
- Savage World (1954)
As writer[edit]
- Caught in the Net (1960)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Anderson, Max (1914-1959 ; réalisateur)". BnF catalogue général. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ellis 2000, p. 79.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Crown Film Unit". Screen Online. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ↑ Orbanz 1977, p. 204.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Barsam 1992, p. 194.
- ↑ Dressler 2011, p. 21.
- ↑ Johnson 2005, p. 57.
- ↑ Orbanz 1977, p. 169.
- ↑ "Max Anderson". British Universities Film and Video Council. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ↑ Enticknap 1999, p. 308.
- ↑ Johnson 2005, p. 319.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ellis 2000, p. 258.
- ↑ Enticknap 1999, p. 243.
- ↑ Max Anderson, 1914-1959: A Tribute. 1960. Search this book on
- ↑ "Results Max+Anderson". British Universities Film and Video Council. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ↑ "Four men in prison". BnF catalogue général. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
Sources
- Barsam, Richard Meran (1992-01-01). Nonfiction Film: A Critical History. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-20706-1. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Search this book on
- Dressler, John C. (2011-08-16). William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-136-66003-0. Search this book on
- Ellis, Jack C. (2000). John Grierson: Life, Contributions, Influence. SIU Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-2242-8. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Search this book on
- Enticknap, Leo Douglas Graham (1999). The Non-fiction Film in Britain, 1945-51. University of Exeter. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Search this book on
- Johnson, Ian (2005). William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-159-4. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Search this book on
- Orbanz, Eva (1977). Journey to a Legend and Back: The British Realistic Film. New York Zoetrope. ISBN 978-3-920889-51-1. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Search this book on
External links[edit]
- Max Anderson on IMDb
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