Available on iPlayer* for a while and just over an hour long, The Ealing Comedies (1970) offers a vintage look at the singular success of the tiny studio that could. If you are not a fan of these films, I probably don’t have much to say to you, as they are some of the most delightful bits of celluloid in existence.
Creative folks wondering how to find their way in a culture that rewards the already famous and familiar might also find here a wealth of lessons on how to carve out success with very little — applicable to small presses as well as indie filmmakers and others. Lessons to be learned from this small studio:
Take the lack of capital as a challenge to creativity, i.e. what can you make from what you have?
Multi-skilled people thrive in this kind of environment. What are your skills?
Collegiality is a must. Do you play well with others? Also, as Diana Morgan demonstrates, breaking glass ceilings takes persistence and smarts and sometimes just being the best.
Wishes can be fodder for plans. Example: Henry Cornelius wished for a film that showed a bunch of boys taking over London for a day. Visualising that image, he had to figure out what made it happen: cue Hue & Cry, the first of the Ealing comedies that made use of the wreckage around St. Paul’s.
Don’t disdain a small role: Jack Warden’s first role as a copper ended 20 minutes into the film — but it led to a long string of parts.
Fit yourself to the part available: Ealing had no stars at first, roles were written and actors made them their own.
There are a lot of impossibles: find what is just possible.
Whisky.
The best quote perhaps from Charles Crichton: The comic should not neglect the poetic (alas, most comedies at present do).
See it for yourself and then go watch some of those wonderful films. And be sure to check out the other neglected works at Todd’s blog.
Graham Wynd 