The Magic Box. 1951. Directed by John Boulting.

(8/17-00-8/21/00)

The British film industry paid a loving tribute to pioneer William Friene-Greene in this lovely, dignified film. Robert Donat does a fine job of portraying him at different ages and many of the British screen's most illustrious performers contributed their presences--people like Cecil Parker, Margaret Rutherford and Laurence Olivier. Jack Cardiff was the cinematographer and the film evokes the Victorian era quite nicely.

The most moving scene is probably the one with Laurence Olivier. Friene-Greene has successfully projected motion pictures in his laboratory. He has to share his moment of triumkph with someone and goes out and finds a policeman. Olivier as the officer first thinks he is dealing with a lunatic. He accompanies him back to the lab and sees the projected scenes of (I think) a parade. He doesn't understand what is going on at first, but eventually gets the idea. Donat is jubilant. Olivier underplays wonderfully and merely says, "You must be a very happy man." This scene conveys the thrill of achievement so beautifully and somehow makes up for all the sadness in the rest of the film.

The rest of the film is sad. It is about a man who is impractical, who can't protect his discovery and who is forgotten. Earlier in the film we had seen another memorable moment. Friene-Greene's son comes home from a fight with another boy. They fought about the father. The other boy shows him an encyclopedia in which Friene-Greene's name isn't even mentioned in reference to the invention of the motion picture camera. "They could have at least mentioned my name," Donat says quietly and sadly.

At the end of the film he makes a speech at a meeting of the most important people of the British film industry. Nobody pays attention to him, but as he goes on this unimportant man begins to speak with a commanding authority. He speaks with a great fervor and belief in the importance and promise of the motion picture. The he dies.

I had never heard of William Friene-Greene and I don't know what role he actually played in the development of the motion picture. I do know, now, that the British film industry held him in great esteem and paid him a dignified and deeply-felt tribute in this production.