Directing
Maurice Elvey
EN, XX cinema · 157 credits
Born
11 November 1887
Died
28 August 1967 (aged 79)
Birthplace
Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema. Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.
Known for
Filmography
Vice Versa
Vice Versa
Director
Second Fiddle
Director
Dry Rot
Director
Stars in Your Eyes
Director
Room in the House
Director
You Lucky People!
Director
Fun at St. Fanny's
Director
The Gay Dog
Director
The Harassed Hero
Director
The Happiness of Three Women
Theatre Play, Director
House of Blackmail
Director
The Great Game
Director
My Wife's Lodger
Director
The Third Visitor
Director
Beware of Pity
Producer, Director
Medal for the General
Director, Associate Producer
Strawberry Roan
Director
The Lamp Still Burns
Director
The Gentle Sex
Co-Director
Salute John Citizen
Director
Under Your Hat
Director
Room for Two
Director
Sons of the Sea
Director, Screenplay
Sword of Honour
1939
Sword of Honour
Producer, Director
Who Goes Next?
Director
The Tunnel
Director
The Clairvoyant
Director
Heat Wave
Director
Princess Charming
Director
My Song for You
Director
I Lived with You
Director
The Wandering Jew
Director
This Week of Grace
Director
The Lost Chord
Director
Soldiers of the King
Director
The Lodger
Director
The Water Gipsies
Director
Diamond Cut Diamond
Director
Sally in Our Alley
Director
Potiphar's Wife
Adaptation, Director
The School for Scandal
Director, Producer
High Treason
Director
Balaclava
Director
Palais De Danse
Director, Producer
Hindle Wakes
Director, Producer
The Flag Lieutenant
Director
Human Law
Director
Quinneys
1927
Quinneys
Director
The Glad Eye
Producer, Director
Roses of Picardy
Producer, Director
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
Director, Producer
Every Man's Wife
Director
She Wolves
Director
Curlytop
Director
Folly of Vanity
Director
My Husband's Wives
Director
The Sign of Four
Director, Writer
Sally Bishop
Director
The Dying Detective
Director
The Devil's Foot
Director
Innocent
Director
A Scandal in Bohemia
Director
Bleak House
Director
The Hundredth Chance
Director
The Swindler
Director
Comradeship
Director
God's Good Man
Director
Nelson
Director
Dombey and Son
1917
Dombey and Son
Director, Producer
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
as Capt. Matthews, Director
The Fallen idol
1913
The Fallen idol
as The lover, Director
Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
1913
Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
as Captain Matthews, Director, Writer