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==In Britain== {{multiple image <!-- Essential parameters --> | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 220 <!-- Image 1 --> | image1 = Private-Life-Henry-VIII.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = [[Charles Laughton]] and [[Elsa Lanchester]] in ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'' (1933), produced and directed by Korda <!-- Image 2 --> | image2 = Four-Feathers-1939.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = [[John Clements (actor)|John Clements]] and [[Ralph Richardson]] in Korda's production of ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' (1939) directed by [[Zoltan Korda]] <!-- Image 3 --> | image3 =Vivian Leigh Laurence Olivier That Hamilton Woman.jpg | alt3 = | caption3 = [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Laurence Olivier]] in ''[[That Hamilton Woman]]'' (1941), produced and directed by Korda }} Korda relocated to London where he made ''[[Service for Ladies (1932 film)|Service for Ladies]]'' (1932) for Paramount. He produced ''[[Women Who Play]]'' (1932) for them. ===London Films=== Korda then decided to form his own company. In 1932 he founded [[London Films]]. Its first production was ''[[Wedding Rehearsal]]'' (1932). He then produced ''[[Men of Tomorrow (1932 film)|Men of Tomorrow]]'' (1932), co-directed by his brother [[Zoltan Korda]], ''[[That Night in London]]'' (1932) starring [[Robert Donat]], ''[[Strange Evidence]]'' (1933), ''[[Counsel's Opinion]]'' (1933), and ''[[Cash (1933 film)|Cash]]'' (1933). ====''The Private Life of Henry VIII''==== Korda had a huge hit with ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'' (1933), which he directed. It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], established Korda internationally and made a star of [[Charles Laughton]]. ====After ''The Private Life of Henry VIII''==== Korda followed it with ''[[The Girl from Maxim's]]'' (1933), which he shot in English and French. He tried to repeat the success of ''Henry'' with ''[[The Private Life of Don Juan]]'' (1934) starring [[Douglas Fairbanks]], which he directed, and ''[[The Rise of Catherine the Great]]'' (1934) which he did not. Neither did as well as ''Henry''. Korda produced a well-respected short, ''[[The Private Life of the Gannets]]'' (1934), and enjoyed a big success as producer of ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934 film)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]]'' (1934). Also popular was ''[[Sanders of the River]]'' (1935) starring [[Paul Robeson]] and directed by his brother, and ''[[The Ghost Goes West]]'' (1936) starring Donat. His other credits as producer include ''[[Moscow Nights (1935 film)|Moscow Nights]]'' (1936) with [[Laurence Olivier]], ''[[Men Are Not Gods]]'' (1936), and ''[[Forget Me Not (1936 film)|Forget Me Not]]'' (1936). Korda directed ''[[Rembrandt (1936 film)|Rembrandt]]'' (1936) with Laughton, which was a critical rather than a commercial success. ''[[Things to Come]]'' (1936), directed by [[William Cameron Menzies]], has come to be regarded as a classic. It was written by [[H. G. Wells]] and Korda's ''[[The Man Who Could Work Miracles]]'' (1936) is based on a Wells short story. Korda also commissioned and financed the documentary ''[[Conquest of the Air]]'' (1936). ===Denham=== Korda bought property in [[Denham, Buckinghamshire]], including [[Hills House, Denham|Hills House]], and built film studios on the property. London Film's [[Denham Film Studios]] was financed by the [[Prudential plc|Prudential]] and opened in 1936. On 21 June 1936, Thurston Macauley, London correspondent to [[The New York Times]], filed a story headlined "The Korda Workshop at Denham" describing the facility, located on 165 acres of woodland, field and river scenery suitable for filming, with 28 acres of buildings and a planned total of fifteen 250-foot by 130-foot sound stages (state of the art at the time). It was "not only the most up-to-date of all the world's studios" but a "complete community in itself" from foundry and blacksmith's shops to projection theatres, with "unusually good dressing and bathroom accommodations" and able to easily manage crowds of 500. Macauley pointed to the special construction designed to ensure that even dense fog would not penetrate the buildings and interfere with filming, a serious problem in Britain in the winter months. He concluded: "Hollywood, as well as the rest of the world, will be watching with interest what Korda does at Denham".<ref>{{Cite news|title=THE KORDA WORKSHOP AT DENHAM| work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/06/21/85405208.html?pageNumber=165|access-date=2020-07-29}}</ref> Korda was naturalised as a [[British subject]] on 28 October 1936.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34338 |date=6 November 1936 |page=7118}}</ref> That same year Korda was an important contributor to the Moyne Commission, formed to protect British film production from competition, mainly from the United States. Korda said: "If American interests obtained control of British production companies, they may make British pictures here, but the pictures made would be just as American as those made in Hollywood. We are now on the verge of forming a British school of film-making in this country."<ref>[https://www.terramedia.co.uk/quotations/Quotes_K.htm#Korda Quoted from terramedia website 2009]</ref> Korda produced ''[[Fire Over England]]'' (1937) with Olivier and [[Vivien Leigh]]. He also attempted a version of ''[[I, Claudius (film)|I, Claudius]]'' with Laughton and [[Merle Oberon]], but it was abandoned with only a few scenes shot. Korda made ''[[Dark Journey (film)|Dark Journey]]'' (1937) with [[Conrad Veidt]] and Leigh, and had a big hit with ''[[Elephant Boy (film)|Elephant Boy]]'' (1937) directed by his brother from a [[Rudyard Kipling]] story; it made a star of [[Sabu Dastagir|Sabu]]. Korda also made some cheaper films: ''[[Farewell Again]]'' (1938), ''[[Storm in a Teacup (film)|Storm in a Teacup]]'' (1938) with Leigh and [[Rex Harrison]], ''[[The Squeaker (1937 film)|The Squeaker]]'' (1937), ''[[Action for Slander]]'' (1937), ''[[Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel]]'' (1937) and ''[[Paradise for Two (1937 film)|Paradise for Two]]'' (1937). ''[[Knight Without Armour]]'' (1937) with Donat and [[Marlene Dietrich]] was an expensive epic that failed to recoup its money. ''[[The Divorce of Lady X]]'' (1938) was a comedy with Olivier and Merle Oberon. Korda had a big success with ''[[The Drum (1938 film)|The Drum]]'' (1938), directed by Zoltan and starring Sabu. He produced ''[[South Riding (film)|South Riding]]'' (1938), ''[[The Challenge (1938 film)|The Challenge]]'' (1938), ''[[The Rebel Son]]'' (1939) and ''[[Prison Without Bars]]'' (1938). During the Second World War Korda made more propaganda films, including ''[[Q Planes]]'' (1939), with Olivier, and ''[[The Lion Has Wings]]'' (1939). Korda had a massive hit with another adventure film directed by Zoltan, ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' (1939). By 1939 [[Michael Powell]] had been hired as a contract director by Korda on the strength of ''[[The Edge of the World]]'' (1937). Korda set him to work on some projects such as ''Burmese Silver'' that were subsequently cancelled.<ref>Powell, Michael. ''A Life in Movies: An Autobiography''. London: [[Heinemann (publisher)|Heinemann]], 1986. {{ISBN|0-434-59945-X}}.</ref> Nonetheless, Powell was brought in to save a film that was being made as a vehicle for two of Korda's star players, [[Conrad Veidt]] and [[Valerie Hobson]]. The film was ''[[The Spy in Black]]'' (1939), where Powell first met [[Emeric Pressburger]]. Korda also produced the comedy ''[[Over the Moon (1939 film)|Over the Moon]]'' (1939) and the drama ''[[21 Days]]'' (1939). Korda soon ran into financial difficulties, and management of the Denham complex was merged with [[Pinewood Studios|Pinewood]] in 1939,<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/460162/index.html "Denham Studios"], BFI Screenonline.</ref> becoming part of the [[Rank Organisation]].
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