Basil Dearden

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Basil Dearden (* 1. January 1911 in Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex , † 23. March 1971 by car accident ; actually Basil Dear ) was a British film director .

Life

As a teenager, Dearden played amateur theater and so his professional path initially led him to the theater . In 1931 he became stage manager for the private theater of the theater producer Basil Dean . He then changed his name to Dearden so as not to be confused with Basil Dean. In the mid-1930s he came to film and worked there in various functions. He edited and wrote screenplays and was an assistant director . Dearden made his directorial debut in 1943. For two years he shot parts of the episodic horror film classic Dream Without End .

From the 1950s he worked regularly with the film producer Michael Relph , together they made a number of socially critical films. In 1960 he received a British Academy Film Award in the category “Best British Film” for The Girl Saphir , which dealt with the difficult situation of Indian immigrants. His films had huge box office successes, including controversial works like The Vicious Circle from 1961, one of the first films to openly deal with homosexuality. In the 1960s, however, he lost acceptance by the critics due to the British New Wave , but this did not detract from the commercial success of his films.

Basil Dearden is the father of James Dearden , who was nominated for an Academy Award for screenwriting A Fateful Affair . Basil Dearden died in a car accident on the M4 freeway in 1971 while returning from filming at Pinewood Studios .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Dearden, Basil
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dear, Basil (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British film director
DATE OF BIRTH January 1, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex
DATE OF DEATH March 23, 1971