About

Known credits:
83
Birthday:
1895-09-25
Place of birth:
Birmingham, England, UK
Website:
N/A

Victor Saville

Overview

Victor Saville (25 September 1895, Birmingham, England – 8 May 1979, London) was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962.

He produced his first film, Woman to Woman, with Michael Balcon in 1923, and on the back of its success produced pictures for the veteran director Maurice Elvey, including the classic British silent Hindle Wakes (1927). His first picture as director was The Arcadians (1927). In 1929 he and Balcon worked together again on a talkie remake of Woman to Woman for Balcon's company, Gainsborough Pictures. This time Saville directed it.

From 1931, as Gainsborough Pictures and the Gaumont British Picture Corporation joined forces, Saville produced a string of comedies, musicals and dramas for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, including the popular Jessie Matthews pictures. In 1937, he left to set up his own production company, Victor Saville Productions, and made three pictures for Alexander Korda's London Films at Denham studios.

As an independent producer he had purchased the film rights to A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel. He was persuaded to sell them to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in return for the chance to produce the film and another big-budget adaptation, Goodbye Mr Chips (1939). Both films starred Robert Donat and were a great success in the USA as well as in Britain, providing Saville with a passport to Hollywood.

When the war broke out in 1939, Saville was in America and was advised to remain there. He produced pictures in support of the war effort, such as The Mortal Storm and Forever and a Day (1943) (in which he worked for the last time with his former star Jessie Matthews), and in 1945 Tonight and Every Night, based on the history of the Windmill Theatre in London.

After the war Saville continued directing films for MGM but eventually returned to Britain. Saville acquired production rights for Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer mysteries and produced a few features, though Spillane thought he was interested in doing so only to acquire the money to produce The Silver Chalice. He produced two final films in the 1960s, The Greengage Summer (1961), adapted from the novel of the same name, and Mix Me a Person (1962).

Known for

Directing
2004 Kim Wilde - Best Of - The Singles Collection 1981-1993 Directing Director N/A
N/A
1954 The Silver Chalice Directing Director 58
Average
1954 The Long Wait Directing Director 59
Average
1952 24 Hours of a Woman's Life Directing Director 58
Average
1951 Calling Bulldog Drummond Directing Director 59
Average
1950 Kim Directing Director 59
Average
1949 Conspirator Directing Director 59
Average
1947 If Winter Comes Directing Director 59
Average
1947 Desire Me Directing Director 59
Average
1947 Green Dolphin Street Directing Director 59
Average
1946 The Green Years Directing Director 59
Average
1945 Tonight and Every Night Directing Director 58
Average
1943 Forever and a Day Directing Director 59
Average
1940 The Earl of Chicago Directing Director 59
Average
1938 South Riding Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Dark Journey Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Storm in a Teacup Directing Director 59
Average
1936 It's Love Again Directing Director 59
Average
1935 First a Girl Directing Director 58
Average
1935 Me and Marlborough Directing Director 58
Average
1935 The Dictator Directing Director 59
Average
1934 The Iron Duke Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Evensong Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Evergreen Directing Director 59
Average
1933 Friday the Thirteenth Directing Director 59
Average
1933 I Was a Spy Directing Director 58
Average
1933 The Good Companions Directing Director 59
Average
1932 Love on Wheels Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 The Faithful Heart Directing Director 59
Average
1931 Sunshine Susie Directing Director 59
Average
1931 Michael and Mary Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Hindle Wakes Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 The Sport of Kings Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 A Warm Corner Directing Director 58
Average
1930 The W Plan Directing Director 59
Average
1929 Armistice Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 Woman to Woman Directing Director 58
Average
1929 Me and the Boys Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 Kitty Directing Director 58
Average
1928 Tesha Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 The Arcadians Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1932 Love on Wheels Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1932 The Faithful Heart Writing Adaptation 59
Average
1931 Hindle Wakes Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1930 A Warm Corner Writing Adaptation 58
Average
1930 A Warm Corner Writing Writer 58
Average
1930 The W Plan Writing Writer 59
Average
1929 Woman to Woman Writing Writer 58
Average
1928 Tesha Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1927 The Arcadians Writing Scenario Writer N/A
N/A
1927 Hindle Wakes Writing Writer 59
Average

Production
1962 Mix Me a Person Production Producer 58
Average
1961 The Greengage Summer Production Producer 59
Average
1955 Kiss Me Deadly Production Executive Producer 64
Fair
1954 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer! Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1954 The Silver Chalice Production Producer 58
Average
1953 I, the Jury Production Producer 59
Average
1945 Tonight and Every Night Production Producer 58
Average
1943 Above Suspicion Production Producer 59
Average
1943 Keeper of the Flame Production Producer 59
Average
1942 White Cargo Production Producer 58
Average
1941 Smilin' Through Production Producer 59
Average
1941 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Production Producer 60
Fair
1941 A Woman's Face Production Producer 60
Fair
1940 Bitter Sweet Production Producer 59
Average
1940 The Mortal Storm Production Producer 60
Fair
1940 The Earl of Chicago Production Producer 59
Average
1939 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Production Producer 61
Fair
1938 The Citadel Production Producer 59
Average
1937 Action for Slander Production Producer N/A
N/A
1937 Dark Journey Production Producer 59
Average
1937 Storm in a Teacup Production Producer 59
Average
1931 The Sport of Kings Production Producer N/A
N/A
1930 The W Plan Production Producer 59
Average
1929 Kitty Production Producer 58
Average
1928 Tesha Production Producer N/A
N/A
1927 The Arcadians Production Producer N/A
N/A
1927 A Woman in Pawn Production Producer N/A
N/A
1927 Hindle Wakes Production Producer 59
Average
1927 A Sister to Assist 'Er Production Producer N/A
N/A
1927 The Glad Eye Production Producer N/A
N/A
1924 The White Shadow Production Producer 59
Average
1923 Woman to Woman Production Producer 59
Average