Two Cities Films is a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as a production company operating in the two cities of London and Rome which gave the company its name.
The driving forces behind the company were the flamboyant, Italian-born Filippo Del Giudice, [1] and his partner the multitalented Mario Zampi, [2] born in Sora, Italy who often worked in the dual role of director and producer. Two Cities produced a number of quintessentially English [3] film classics including the most popular British film from the wartime period, In Which We Serve (1942). [4]
Other Two Cities films such as This Happy Breed (1944), The Way Ahead (1944), Henry V (1944), The Way to the Stars (1945), and Blithe Spirit (1945) contributed significantly to the high critical reputation acquired by the British cinema of the time. [5] [3]
In the mid-1940s Two Cities Films became part of the Rank Organisation. It was raising the finances for the production of Laurence Olivier's patriotic epic Henry V (1944) totalling more than £470,000, which forced Filippo Del Giudice to surrender his controlling interest in the company to the Rank Organisation. [1] Under Rank they produced key films such as Odd Man Out (1947), Hamlet (1948), and Vice Versa (1948).
Two Cities Films is now owned by Gregory Motton. [6]
The company went back into production in 2017 with the shooting of The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah, a quartet of films,The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah, part one: A Voice Crying In The Wilderness, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part two; Conquering Death, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part three, The Seducer, The Four Gospels of Dracula the Messiah part four is to be released in January 2022, [7] [8] Lilith (2022), Dracula (2022)