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alternatehistory.com
Here's something that's been going around in my mind now for a while. I may or may not continue it depending upon reaction.
Yorkshire Film Studios
1911: Eugene Augustin Lauste returns from America with his dreams ending in disappointment. Despite great strides in integrating sound and film, very few people are willing to invest in his work. However, a week after he returns to Brixton, he receives a letter from Andrew Pelham-Holles, the Duke of Newcastle. Holles, having a great interest in the new technology, had researched Lauste’s work and admired the man’s advances. He offered Lauste a very generous sum of money to continue his research along with a studio and a staff to aid him.
Throughout the year, Lauste worked upon the process of integrating sound with film and by was given numerous help from Andrew himself. Andrew was 25 at this time, sandy coloured hair, a strapping physique and notably handsome features. Having had an interest (yet know in depth technical knowledge) in the new science, Andrew hoped to start the process of starting his own studio like the Frenchman Meliere had done.
In December 1911, Lauste had developed the Andrographe, named after the Duke himself. Working upon the design of his Sound – Grate, Lauste found an almost perfect way to link sound to imagery. The Duke was delighted when Lauste sent him a recording of his youngest child reading The Walrus and the Carpenter, a poem that was a favourite of Holles.
Holles immediately set to work and offered Lauste a deal, in return for working with Holles by developing better cameras and recording techniques, Lauste would get a share of any profits that their films might make. Lauste agreed and he and Holles set up a company to record and distribute motion films. Though unnamed as of yet, Holles immediately through himself into making a film that would make his company famous. As he was quoted as saying to Lauste “Impress people? No my dear fellow. We have to amaze people.”
1912: By February, Holles had decided upon his first major project. The previous December, one of Lauste’s children had sent him a copy of Peter and Wendy and Holles had devoured the book. Contacting J.M Barrie in January, the two men agreed upon the format of the film. By March, Holles, Barrie and Lauste had agreed upon the final output of the movie with Lauste displaying the improved Andrographe, which would allow for 10 minutes worth of recording with dialogue at the most.
Prior to filming Lauste had patented and sold various Andrographes throughout Europe and America. Though only limited amounts were sold, it allowed the film to be shown while other studios started to copy and work upon the design. They were still far behind as the production of Peter and Wendy began.
Filming took place in a specially designed set at York. Casting had brought forth 14 year old Matthew Parks as peter and 14 year old Alice Brideson as Wendy. The production went smoothly and Holles was delighted with the end product, as was Barrie. The film was first shown in a cinema in London. The nine minute production astounded and delighted the initial audience with many coming to see the film many times over.
With the film a huge hit and many copies being sold abroad, Holles decided to set up a permanent studio. Despite offers coming in from all over Britain (including a very tempting one from Berkshire) Holles remained loyal to Yorkshire and set up his studio there. The newly christened Yorkshire Film Studios (Or York Studio for short) was given a special gift by Barrie himself, the logo for the new studio. Based off a scene from the film itself, it showed the silhouettes Peter and Wendy holding hands, surrounded by stars with the letters YS in white just below them.
With the new logo and money still coming in from Peter and Wendy, Holles set upon a course of improving the films York studios were to become the forefront of filming technology with Lauste now head of the technical department. Holles also decided to make three more talking films by the end of the year along the same length of the previous film.
The three films were factual rather than fiction. The first was entitled Lauste’s Andrographe which was Lauste briefly explaining the technical details of the Andrographe. The second was an interview with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill was surprised to b asked for an interview but granted it on the basis the questions would reflect upon his literary career rather than politics. The interview led to Holles and Churchill striking up a friendship due to the two of them having an interest in history and both having a taste for the dramatic. This friendship would become very important for the two of them in later years.
The final film was a full 10 minute segment of a circus act run by Fred Karno. The segment was personally overseen by Holles himself and focused upon the capers of Karno’s most famous clown, Charles Spencer Chaplin. Showing a comedic style that was a cut above the rest of the clowns, Holles offered Chaplin a lucrative contract to appear in various movies made by YS until 1915. Chaplin signed the contract on the agreement that he would have creative control. Circus of Karno when released in November was unsurprisingly the most successful of the three films with its hilarious clown routines and use of exciting circus music.
By the end of the year, Yorkshire Film Studios were expanding into a large business. Lauste was making new strides in making the integrated audio and image films last longer while Holles and Chaplin were laying the groundwork for his new comedic films. However, several film studios in France and America had by this time managed to duplicate the Andrographe and were working upon their own talking films. The next few years would test the Yorkshire Studios prosperity with rigorous competition.
Peter and Wendy: Length – 9:23 minutes
Plot – Taken from the scene when Peter and Wendy first meet, the film deviates from the book by adding the ‘moonlight ballet’ that used many technical features used in the theatrical production of the play. The film ended with Peter escorting Wendy back to her bed and promising to return the following night.
Trivia – The film which made Yorkshire Film Studios famous was a much beloved interpretation of the 1911 book Peter and Wendy. It’s most famous scene was the ‘moonlight ballet’ where by using wires, highly developed sets and well written music, it did appear that Peter and Wendy were dancing a ballet in the sky. Both of the young actors had training in ballet dancing before hand and the scene became one of the most beloved in cinema history The film is rather notorious for a casting oversight in the form of the young boy playing Peter Pan, Matthew Perks. Whereas the young co – star Alice Brideson was hired from London and spoke ‘King’s English’ Matthew was actually hired from an audition where he had travelled from Newcastle to get there. His Geordie accent became one of the best loved bloopers in cinema history and the quote “Ha’way Tinkerbell man!” Became ingrained into the British psyche. On a more sinister note, the development of the film gave rise to rumours about Holles’s personal life some time later. Though he was married, many later detractors pointed out the ‘special attention’ he gave Matthew Perks as a sign of darker motives. Though these theories are widely derided, a noticeable pattern would emerge where young boys that worked upon a YS Film would get more attention than necessary from Holles.