Film & TV Database

Notes Incorporated 1927/11/27. British Lion was founded by S.W. Smith in November 1927. By the end of World War II, the company had released over fifty five films including In Which We Serve for which writer/producer Noel Coward received an Academy Award. In 1946 Sir Alexander Korda bought a controlling interest in the company. A subsidiary owned Shepperton Studios. Among early British Lion classics were The Third Man, Hobson's Choice, Odette and David Lean's The Sound Barrier. 1958 saw a significant change at British Lion. The new working management was film producers, the Boulting Brothers, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. Many notable films such as A Taste of Honey, The Entertainer, The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery, I'm All Right Jack, The L-Shaped Room and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning were released under their management. The company was sold to Barclay Securities. Peter Snell was appointed Head of Production and then Managing Director. Don't Look Now and The Wicker Man followed. British Lion was acquired by EMI for the value of its film library. Peter Snell later bought British Lion from Thorn/EMI in order to revitalize this great industry name. British Lion celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2002. http://www.britishlionfilms.com/about_us_history.html