Directed by:
John BoultingScreenplay:
Eric AmblerCinematography:
Jack CardiffComposer:
William AlwynCast:
Renée Asherson, Robert Donat, Maria Schell, Richard Attenborough, Edward Chapman, Henry Edwards, Robert Flemyng, Leo Genn, Joyce Grenfell, Kathleen Harrison (more)Plots(1)
Adapted by Eric Ambler from the controversial biography by Ray Allister, Magic Box contends that Friese-Greene was the true father of motion pictures, and not such upstarts as W. K. L. Dickson and Thomas Edison. Told in flashback, the film details Friese-Greene's tireless experiments with the "moving image," leading inexorably to a series of failures and disappoints, as others hog the credit for the protagonist's discoveries. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
![Renée Asherson](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/999/158999987_d1da5b.jpg)
Renée Asherson
UK
Best movies:
The Others (2001)
Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985) (TV movie)
The Magic Box (1951)
![Robert Donat](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/337/164337594_d1cfe8.jpg)
Robert Donat
UK
Best movies:
The 39 Steps (1935)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
The Citadel (1938)
![Maria Schell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/163/239/163239868_5d3587.jpg)
Maria Schell
Austria
Best movies:
Gervaise (1956)
Le Notti Bianche (1957)
Cimarron (1960)
![Richard Attenborough](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/269/269536_c92229.jpg)
Richard Attenborough
UK
Best movies:
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Great Escape (1963)
Hamlet (1996)
![Edward Chapman](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/271/271478_defc00.jpg)
Edward Chapman
UK
Best movies:
Mandy (1952)
The Early Bird (1965)
Night and the City (1950)
![Henry Edwards](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/354/159354877_435eee.jpg)
Henry Edwards
UK
Best movies:
Oliver Twist (1948)
The Magic Box (1951)
Green for Danger (1947)
![Robert Flemyng](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/162/099/162099475_7a5da2.jpg)
Robert Flemyng
UK
Best movies:
The Medusa Touch (1978)
Battle of Britain (1969)
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
![Leo Genn](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/165/656/165656778_9e9462.jpg)
Leo Genn
UK
Best movies:
The Longest Day (1962)
Moby Dick (1956)
Quo Vadis (1951)
![Joyce Grenfell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/270/270277_0ec2f5.jpg)
Joyce Grenfell
UK
Best movies:
The Million Pound Note (1954)
The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
The Magic Box (1951)
![Kathleen Harrison](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/948/157948809_441739.jpg)
Kathleen Harrison
UK
Best movies:
Oliver Twist (1948)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
The Magic Box (1951)
![Stanley Holloway](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/269/269503_dc8345.jpg)
Stanley Holloway
UK
Best movies:
My Fair Lady (1964)
Hamlet (1948)
Brief Encounter (1945)
![Jack Hulbert](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/124/120/124120194_b6195c.jpg)
Jack Hulbert
UK
Best movies:
The Magic Box (1951)
Elstree Calling (1930)
![Sidney James](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/274/274618_cc7ffc.jpg)
Sidney James
South Africa
Best movies:
Father Brown (1954)
The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
The Silent Enemy (1958)
![Glynis Johns](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/270/270267_c30eab.jpg)
Glynis Johns
South Africa
Best movies:
The Great Manhunt (1950)
Mary Poppins (1964)
The Court Jester (1955)
![Peter Jones](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/269/269150_6e4ad8.jpg)
Peter Jones
UK
Best movies:
The Browning Version (1951)
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
Never Let Go (1960)
![John Longden](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/097/319/97319181_7d766c.jpg)
John Longden
Best movies:
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Blackmail (1929)
![Bessie Love](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/270/270217_f3f994.jpg)
Bessie Love
USA
Best movies:
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages (1916)
Ragtime (1981)
The Magic Box (1951)
![Laurence Olivier](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/653/164653386_e9c43e.jpg)
Laurence Olivier
UK
Best movies:
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Sleuth (1972)
Hamlet (1948)
![Cecil Parker](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/046/576/46576488_c985bd.jpg)
Cecil Parker
Best movies:
Father Brown (1954)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Citadel (1938)
![Bernard Miles](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/072/312/72312374_725763.jpg)
Bernard Miles
UK
Best movies:
Great Expectations (1946)
The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Moby Dick (1956)