“DRIFTED INTO FILMS.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20231, 15 February 1934, Page 6

“DRIFTED INTO FILMS.”

England’s Only Woman Director. People who paid a visit to the Plaza Theatre last week have all been telling their friends about the excellent “ short ” they saw there called “ The King’s English.” They will be interested to hear that a woman, Miss Mary Field, directed it. Miss Field, who is the only woman director of “ talkies ” in England, works for G. B. Instructional, Ltd., associated with the Gaumont British Group, and has had an interesting and successful career. She is an M.A. of London University, and originally lectured on history. “ I just drifted into the film world by chance.” she confessed to an interviewer. ”My history professor got me the job of checking up the accuracy of a history film, and I was so greatly interested in the cinema that I did similar work for some time. I worked with the British Instructional Films, which were doing some excellent pictures dealing with Nature, history and geography. I went into their studios and learnt practically every side of the work. I altered films, edited them, did continuity writing; later I wrote scenarios, and finally directed the whole production.”