Ivor Montagu: Pioneer of Silent Cinema

Ivor Montagu, 3rd son of the 2nd Baron Swaythling, was an English aristocrat, a rebel, and, in the words of film producer Michael Balcon, "one of the first real intellectual artists of the cinema".

After coming down from Cambridge, he founded, at the age of 21 in 1925, the (London) Film Society, which introduced British audiences to artistically adventurous films from around the world. Montagu became a film critic, scriptwriter, and film editor, soon achieving a position as head of scripting and editing at Gainsborough Studios and working particularly with the young Alfred Hitchcock.

Then, going freelance, Montagu directed three short comedies starring Elsa Lanchester and based on story ideas by H.G. Wells. Shot with a small group of friends sharing an infectious sense of fun, the films fired satirical jabs at capitalist society’s law enforcement, top-hatted elite, and avaricious petty bourgeois.

Hear from Dr Russell Campbell about this fascinating film-maker followed by an excerpt from the film Blue Bottles.

For more events on during Heritage Month in Hutt City visit www.huttcity.govt.nz/heritagemonth.