Please try again. [2][3], In 1939 Fox and Hillard were living in Dolphin Square, where they became annoyed by their neighbour Unity Mitford's habit of playing loud Nazi marching songs. It very much reminded me of a proto Children's Film Foundation movie and, indeed, director Charles Frend would go on to shoot such pictures. (1992), Patriot Games We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. They are looking for him to give it back, thinking he's a poor waif, and he ends up on the run across the river in Liverpool, protected by a bunch of tough street kids, while his parents, Stephen Murray and Kay Walsh, search for him. I also enjoyed hearing the Northern accents on the scruffy boys who rough-up then adopt Johnny once they find out they have a common enemy in the police. (1992), The 18th Annual American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Sir David Lean [6], Fox went on to perform in J.B. Priestley's play Dangerous Corner, directed by Tyrone Guthrie; he was billed as "a great discovery". (1984), Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes He encounters a medical originator (Meredith Edwards), who is holding sales for the hospital, and resolves to let the man have the magnet namelessly. After watching his father board the ferry to his work as a psychologist in Liverpool, he spends the rest of the morning playing on the beach. Its as if everything is reset in a cultural medium and tastes need to be rediscovered or even reinvented. He would also appear in an opera as Haushofmeister in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne.[2][3]. After a six-year interruption for military service in World War II, his acting career did not reach the heights of his early years. It's rather like the sound you used to hear through the ear piece of an old telephone. Fox read an advertisement in The Times inviting people to audition for the Central School of Speech and Drama, which had been founded by Elsie Fogerty and was at that time based at the Royal Albert Hall, London. After a characteristically stressful Physiology exam, decided to settle down with a movie, and what better than an offering from that beloved British institution, Ealing Studios? . [2][3][5], Fox also acted in and wrote radio dramas. [4] He won a scholarship, but since he was from a wealthy family, the scholarship was only given on the condition that the money be passed on to the next person on the list. Some may consider the adventures of a boy and a magnet interesting but it left me cold. Fox left acting in 1973 when he joined a Christian missionary group, the Navigators, though he did act in the story of a suicidal woman saved by religion, "No Longer Alone" (1978). William is represented by Regan Management What William said about us - click to read review William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. As the boy continues to feel guilty for stealing the magnet, the magnet comes back to him in an unexpected way. In 1932 he married Carol Rees, who was seven years his senior and already pregnant with their daughter. (1986), Absolute Beginners When Johnny visits the boy, he sees the magnet mounted on the iron lung and is reunited with the inventor, who is delighted to have found Johnny again. (2004), The Prince & Me Click Customise Cookies to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Rudkin. A delightful comedy of mistaken identity, misinformation, and chinese whispers. Incidents come and go but James Fox is annoying as an actor and his accent is totally out of character in Liverpool, and the rest of the actors suffer from the same Kensington/Chelsea complaint, or should I say Belgravia and Mayfair. As there is next to no hope of StudioCanal restoring this film properly, both sound as well as image and we're now stuck with this, whoever instigated this stupid policy of muffling the sound should be sacked as they are clearly incompetent. Country: As far as I know, William / James is still alive and will be 80 years old next year, which gives some idea of just how long ago this film was made. He rejected an offer to join the Broadway cast of the play, opting to join a company led by John Gielgud at the Old Vic Theatre. [2][3][5], Fox was an officer in the London Irish Rifles. (1950), The Magnet After demobilisation Fox was considered too old to take on juvenile roles, and given that he had no experience as a lead actor, directors were wary of casting him in these parts. This is likely the case due to none of the studios big name actors appearing in the film, as well as the fact that it doesn't contain too many comedic moments. (1999), Circle of Passion His second wife was actress Patricia Hilliard, whom he first met in 1938 when they were in a play together. User Ratings (1990), The Mighty Quinn He has traded in a magnet for an alleged invisible watch, and gives it away to clear his conscience yet can't escape what he did. In 'The Magnet,' resourceful youth Johnny Brent (William Fox) cheats another boy out of an expensive magnet, before realising that this sin might eventually catch up to him. The grey jacket and short trousers he wears in "THE MAGNET . With his distinguished middle-aged bearing, Fox has usually incarnated a series of old guard authority figures: David Lean specifically asked for him for "A Passage to India" (1984), and Fox was also effective as a British statesman who misguidedly gives in to his own prejudices and weaknesses while placating the Nazis in the name of peace in "The Remains of the Day" (1993). Entitled De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure ("On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet of the Earth"), the work . Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. (1984), Runners One actor who benefited from this was Dirk Bogarde. Fox enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles. This article was amended on Wednesday October 1 2008. This part, one of Fox's finest, typified many of his subsequent roles: classy yet often duplicitous, prone to weakness, decadence, and bad judgment. WATCHED. His imagination - coupled with his stricken conscience - takes over, as the boy with the magnet becomes of interest to the local authorities. James Fox. (1995), Fall from Grace Younger; produced the musical "Chess" on both the Broadway and London stages; formerly married to Natasha Richardson. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 May 2012. William George Zane, better known as Billy Zane, was born on February 24, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, to Thalia (Colovos) and William Zane, both of Greek ancestry. (1987), New World Brooke Shields Actress | The Blue Lagoon See it and enjoy. But other than that, for the most part the cast as terribly well spoken. The film moves at a solid pace and, although it's not always successful, it's certainly never dull. Some of the satire (on the profession of psychology, and in the way a false scenario causes the cash for the iron lung to be raised) is lacking in subtlety, but there are a couple of surreal scenes (young Johnny depicted as various types of urchin as the eccentric inventor parlays the story of the generous child into a fairy tale) which must have been quite innovative in 1950. Fox was married twice; first when aged 21, to the actress Carol Rees, with whom he had a daughter. Fearing that he has caused the death of the boy, Johnny runs away. After a six-year interruption for military service in the Second World War, his acting career did not reach the heights of his early years. : actor. Remove Ads Cast Crew Details Genres Cast THE MAGNET is an unusual Ealing Studios comedy, seemingly aimed at children but with plenty of satirical elements for the adults. When I went to Liverpool I didn't understand a thing, wish I had met these people. He auctions the magnet to the crowd and sells it for 40. i'll watch this with my sister who still lives there and she will point out the roads. Assistant director: Norman Priggen. (2009). Sorry, there was a problem saving your cookie preferences. The 1960s saw him in fewer theatrical roles; he did however perform in film, television and radio, for which he also wrote. He is the son of influential talent agent Robin Fox, and brother of actor Edward and theatrical producer Robert. Actor . THE MAGNET is an unusual Ealing Studios comedy, seemingly aimed at children but with plenty of satirical elements for the adults. I have knocked one star off my rating for the lack-lustre sound quality. William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 - 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. He offers the boy everything he has in return for the magnet but the boy won't swop it for anything. After six years service Fox was demobbed with the rank of major (and had had a spell as an acting lieutenant-colonel). An Ealing Studios production released through The J. Arthur Rank Organisation. I remember seeing this film on the children's' matine in the 1950's - I enjoyed it then, and it has lost none of its charm now. (2000), Up At the Villa Toby Miniver The Magnet (Oct-1950), Do you know something we don't? 1934 was Fox's busiest year to date; he performed in five stage plays in the West End. After several successful productions Fox handed over the chairmanship of the Reunion Theatre to Laurence Olivier. Alright kids adventure, fleeing from the law and getting into a decent amount of trouble along the way. (2000), Sexy Beast One of his roles involved helping to administer the meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in Tehran in 1943. In 1916 Fox was sent to preparatory school, then attended Haileybury public school. Of course, where else would you try to sell iron lungs, but at a bikini contest. Mighty Quinn, The (1989) -- (Movie Clip) Are You Being Police Polite? , Language It's all a bit forced, if somewhat harmless, though I'm not sure it would play to kids today unaccustomed to scarlet fever quarantines, unmonitored outdoor play, iron lungs, and having no toys better than a magnet. Michael Andrew Fox (Edmonton, Alberta; 9 de junio de 1961), ms conocido como Michael J. Ealing often sent their crews to exotic locations and the claim in the opening credits that this fanciful whimsy was filmed at Ealing Studios - unusually without Alec Guinness - is ironically promptly contradicted by its's vivid rendering by cameraman Lionel Banes of the Merseyside locations around which a young 'William' Fox (as he was then called) is pursued; although Banes does also do an atmospheric job on the interiors. Though active on stage, his film appearances were few and include The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). : Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2007. They leave him a tin of soup and some dry macaroni. Fox's career showed great promise with his role as a boy whose life gets complicated once he acquires "The Magnet" (1951), but he soon gave up acting to finish school. Childhood & Early Life. Stephen Murray Kay Walsh James Fox Meredith Edwards Gladys Henson Thora Hird Michael Brooke Wylie Watson Julien Mitchell Anthony Oliver Molly Hamley-Clifford Harold Goodwin Joan Hickson Joss Ambler Sam Kydd Russell Waters James Robertson Justice, 79mins If you agree, well also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie Notice. Absolute Beginners (1986) -- (Movie Clip) I Love This Look! An Ealing Studios film, The Magnet is a lesser known Ealing comedy. WAITING. 1950 He's left to himself, apparently he has no friends, and wanders around on his own. It wasn't actually stepped, but a vicious prank gone bad that left young James Fox films with a guilty conscience and paranoid over every conversation that he hears. (1964), The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima His first performance was in 1934 in Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea. (1995), A Perfect Hero 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [2][3][5] After the war he continued to hold a reserve commission as a captain and honorary major until 1961, when he reached the age limit for service. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. Directed by Charles Frend. So much so that I bought the remastered DVD of it.As an adult actor, William Fox changed his name to James Fox and co-starred in many films, including The Servant with Dirk Bogarde. 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