Angry Hector

Some years ago I found an old Gaumont British Exhibitor's manual for the year of 1935. Now this lovely piece features many fabulous full-page illustrations for the company's releases of that coming year, many of which I have seen or at least know of.

However, one has always puzzled me, as it seems like quite a prestigious production that was planned and advertised but never actually filmed. It is a film called "The Great Fire" which was to star George Arliss under the direction of Milton Rosmer. With Christmas finally bringing me a digital camera, I have taken a snapshot of the page, which I think you'll agree is pretty impressive. I apologise about the flash glare, but the tagline on the upper right had side reads "Peyps planning naval victories while London blazes".

Now does anyone have any information as to why this production never actually got off the ground??

DB7

With the prospect of war looming a film about London burning might not have been commercially or politically wise.

dylan

Fire Over England about the Spanish Armada was released in 1937. The film was a thinly veiled warning of the Nazi thread although no overtly anti-Hitler films would get past the censors because of the appeasment policy of the time.