James Hill (Director)

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James Hill (born July 9, 1919 in Eldwick , Yorkshire , United Kingdom , † October 7, 1994 in London ) was a British film director , film producer and screenwriter who had made a name for himself with some nature and animal films.

Life

Hill, who came from a village in the county of Yorkshire, joined the film industry in 1937 (at the GPO Film Unit ) and initially worked as an assistant director and editor. Hill did his military service within the film department of the Royal Air Force . In 1947 he was able to make his first (still short) documentary film, after which he worked in various functions: as a documentary film director, as a director of B-movies for children and as a second unit director for entertainment films such as “ Despite all violence ”. Hill received an Oscar in 1961 for his short film " Giuseppina " .

As a result, the Briton received directing offers for higher budgeted feature films for the first time (" The Kitchen", "The Big Kniller", " Sherlock Holmes' Biggest Case "). Another documentary (“ The Home-Made Car ”) was nominated again for an Oscar and received the Silver Bear at the 1963 Berlinale . In those years James Hill earned his living mainly with successful, artistically but not exactly demanding television crime series food (" Simon Templar ", " With umbrella, charm and melon " ). Despite winning the Oscar, Hill remained a largely unknown figure until the mid-1960s when he directed his most famous film: " Born free - Queen of the Wild " tells the story of the lioness Elsa - from her childhood to her final release through the Reservation Ranger couple Joy and George Adamson. The film, which was presented at the Royal Film Performance in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II , was an enormous success worldwide, not least thanks to John Barry's catchy theme song, which won two Oscars .

Hill remained loyal to animal films from then on, but none of his subsequent works in this genre were anywhere near as successful as "Born Free". In 1968 he directed another film for a young audience with the underwater adventure "Captain Nemo". Since the late 1970s Hill has not received any more assignments from the cinema, and he returned to television, for which he e.g. He filmed 'The Wild & the Free', 'Owain Glyndwr - Prince of Wales', 'The Young Visitors' and the series 'CATS Eyes'.

Hill was married to the translator and casual actress Lucienne Hill (1923–2012).

Movies

as a director of the cinema, unless otherwise stated

  • 1946: Apples From Your Garden (short documentary, anonymous)
  • 1947: A Journey for Jeremy (short documentary)
  • 1952: The Stolen Plans (also screenplay)
  • 1953: Gibraltar Adventure
  • 1955: The New Explorers (documentary, also screenplay)
  • 1956: Peril for the Guy (also screenplay)
  • 1957: Cold Komfort (short film)
  • 1958: Shyhook (short documentary)
  • 1959: Mystery in the Mine (film series, also co-script)
  • 1960: Giuseppina (Oscar-winning short documentary film, also screenplay)
  • 1961: The kitchen ( The Kitchen )
  • 1962: The big blockbuster ( The Dock Letter )
  • 1963: The Home-Made Car (short film, also screenplay and production)
  • 1964: Every Day's a Holiday
  • 1965: Sherlock Holmes' greatest case ( A Study in Terror )
  • 1965: Born Free - Queen of the wilderness ( Born Free )
  • 1965: The Specialist (short film)
  • 1966: Hell of Macau (co-director)
  • 1966: The Lions Are Free (documentary)
  • 1969: Kapitän Nemo ( Captain Nemo and the Underwater City )
  • 1969: Onkel Bob's Hut ( An Elephant Called Slowly ) (also co-production and co-screenplay)
  • 1970: Black Beauty ( Black Beauty )
  • 1971: Christian, der Löwe ( Christian the Lion ) (co-director, co-production, co-script)
  • 1973: The Lion at World's End (Co-Director, Co-Production, Co-Script)
  • 1973: No Mercy for the Fox ( The Belstone Fox ) (also screenplay)
  • 1975: The Man From Nowhere
  • 1977: The Queen's Garden (documentary, also screenplay and production)
  • 1977: Focus on Sight (short film, also production)
  • 1978: Mr. Selkie (co-script only)
  • 1979–1981: The Scarecrow ( Worzel Gummidge ) (TV series, also production)
  • 1980: The Wild and the Free (TV movie)
  • 1984: The Young Visiters (Production and Screenplay)
  • 1987–1989: Worzel Gummidge Down Under (TV series, also screenplay participation)
  • 1993: Alaska Kid (TV series)

literature

  • International Motion Picture Almanac 1991. 62nd edition, edit. By: Barry Monush. Quigley Publishing Co., New York 1991. pp. 148 f.
  • Ephraim Katz : The Film Encyclopedia, 4th Edition. Revised by Fred Klein & Ronald Dean Nolen, pp. 628 f., New York 2001

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hill, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British film director, screenwriter and film producer
DATE OF BIRTH July 9, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Eldwick
DATE OF DEATH October 7, 1994
Place of death London