Maurice Elvey

Known for DirectingBorn 1887-11-11Died 1967-08-28Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK

Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema. Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.Read more

Movies & web series

Room in the House

Who Killed John Savage?

Heat Wave

Diamond Cut Diamond

Balaclava

Palais De Danse

The Flight Commander

A Sister to Assist 'Er

The Glad Eye

Curlytop

A Debt of Honour

Dick Turpin's Ride to York

The Fruitful Vine

The Beryl Coronet

The Priory School

The Empty House

Bleak House

At the Villa Rose

Salute John Citizen

Sword of Honour

Change for a Sovereign

Sailors Don't Care

The Flag Lieutenant

Human Law

The Arcadians

Mademoiselle from Armentieres

Baddesley Manor: The Phantom Gambler

Glamis Castle

The Tower of London

Every Man's Wife

Silent Sherlock: Three Classic Cases

Henry, King of Navarre

The Love Story of Aliette Brunton

Guy Fawkes

Man and His Kingdom

The Passionate Friends

The Red-Haired League

The Resident Patient

The Yellow Face

The Noble Bachelor

The Solitary Cyclist

A Gentleman of France

A Romance of Wastdale

The Tavern Knight

The Hundredth Chance

The Rocks of Valpre

Comradeship

Room for Two