Director Basil Dearden (1911)

Basil Dearden directed the British film The League of Gentlemen (1960). One night, Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Hyde emerges from a manhole on an empty street in his dinner suit. He then drives home in a Rolls-Royce and prepares seven envelopes with an invitation to lunch at the Cafe Royal, along with £5-notes and a copy of ‘The Golden Fleece’ novel. These envelopes are sent to former army officers who are facing desperate or humiliating situations. At the lunch, when Hyde asks for their thoughts on the robbery-themed book, the men initially show little interest. However, their curiosity is sparked when he ...

Made by Ealing Studios, Dead of Night (1945) is a black and white British anthology supernatural horror film. It is a rare example from the 1940s, as horror films were prohibited from production in Britain during World War II. Its influence can be seen in subsequent British films of the same genre. John Baines’ stories were reused for later films, while the episode with the ventriloquist dummy was adapted for the pilot episode of CBS radio series Escape. Architect Walter Craig arrives at Elliot Foley’s country cottage in Kent, where he has been invited to consult on renovations. Strangely enough, despite never having met any of them before, Craig claims to ...