Victor Saville

Personal Info

Known For Director

Gender Male

Birthday 1895-09-25

Deathday 1979-05-08 (83 years old)

Place of Birth Birmingham, England, UK

Also Known As Phil Victor, George A. White

Victor Saville

Biography

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

Director

1954
The Long Wait

as Director

1954
The Silver Chalice

as Director

1951
1950
Kim

as Director

1949
Conspirator

as Director

1947
1947
If Winter Comes

as Director

1947
Desire Me

as Director

1946
The Green Years

as Director

1945
1943
Forever and a Day

as Director

1940
1938
South Riding

as Director

1937
Dark Journey

as Director

1937
Storm in a Teacup

as Director

1936
It's Love Again

as Director

1935
First a Girl

as Director

1935
The Dictator

as Director

1935
Me and Marlborough

as Director

1934
Evergreen

as Director

1934
Evensong

as Director

1934
The Iron Duke

as Director

1933
1933
1933
I Was a Spy

as Director

1932
The Faithful Heart

as Director

1932
Love on Wheels

as Director

1931
Hindle Wakes

as Director

1931
Sunshine Susie

as Director

1931
Michael and Mary

as Director

1931
The Sport of Kings

as Director

1930
A Warm Corner

as Director

1930
The W Plan

as Director

1929
Woman to Woman

as Director

1929
Armistice

as Director

1929
Me and the Boys

as Director

1929
Kitty

as Director

1928
Tesha

as Director

1927
The Arcadians

as Director

Producer

1962
Mix Me a Person

as Producer

1961
1955
Kiss Me Deadly

as Executive Producer

1954
The Silver Chalice

as Producer

1954
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer!

as Executive Producer

1953
I, the Jury

as Producer

1945
1943
1943
Above Suspicion

as Producer

1942
White Cargo

as Producer

1941
1941
A Woman's Face

as Producer

1941
Smilin' Through

as Producer

1940
The Mortal Storm

as Producer

1940
Bitter Sweet

as Producer

1940
1939
Goodbye, Mr. Chips

as Producer

1938
The Citadel

as Producer

1937
Dark Journey

as Producer

1937
Action for Slander

as Producer

1937
Storm in a Teacup

as Producer

1931
The Sport of Kings

as Producer

1930
The W Plan

as Producer

1929
Kitty

as Producer

1928
Tesha

as Producer

1927
Hindle Wakes

as Producer

1927
1927
The Arcadians

as Producer

1927
A Woman in Pawn

as Producer

1927
The Glad Eye

as Producer

1924
The White Shadow

as Producer

1923
Woman to Woman

as Producer

Writer

1932
Love on Wheels

as Screenplay

1932
The Faithful Heart

as Adaptation

1931
Hindle Wakes

as Writer

1930
The W Plan

as Writer

1930
A Warm Corner

as Adaptation

1930
A Warm Corner

as Writer

1929
Woman to Woman

as Writer

1928
Tesha

as Adaptation

1927
Hindle Wakes

as Writer

1927
The Arcadians

as Scenario Writer