Percy Nash

Percy Nash (1868-1958) was a pioneer British producer, director and screenwriter, who made some 70 films between 1912 and 1927. He was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. The scarcity of information on Nash and his work has meant film historians have neglected his contributions to the development of British cinema.[1]

Percy Cromwell Nash
Born(1868-12-05)5 December 1868
Kensington
Died30 April 1958(1958-04-30) (aged 89)
Brighton
OccupationFilm director, screenwriter, producer
Years active1912 - 1932
Spouse(s)
  • Vivia Nina Abrahams
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1893; div. 1909)​
  • ​
    (m. 1912⁠–⁠1956)​

Work

Nash's prolific career as a director of fiction films, often from works by popular authors of the day, such as Hall Caine and W.P. Drury, was ended by the official condemnation of his 1921 film How Kitchener Was Betrayed. The film suggested that the vessel carrying Lord Kitchener had been sunk by enemy action rather than a mine, leading to a de facto ban on the film in Britain. After this setback, Nash worked on a number of documentary films for the Federation of British Industries on topics including the Manchester Ship Canal, Oxford University Press and the British underwear industry.[2] His wide experience on films with naval subjects saw him work as an advisor on Walter Summers' 1927 film The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands.[3]

Selected filmography

References
  1. Ince, Bernard (2007). "'For the Love of the Art': The life and work of Percy Nash, film producer and director of the silent era". Film History. 19 (3): 292–301.
  2. "Percy Nash". Explore Film. BFI. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  3. "Percy Nash". Explore Film. BFI. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.