Launder and Gilliat were one of the most productive teams to work in British films. Separately or together they were involved in some of the greatest works of popular cinema made in this country. Their careers followed a typical path: scrabbling around doing bits of work here and there, a slow build up to a position where they could make what they wanted, a plateau of quality and then the slow decline. There's not a lot to be said about their personas so I'll let the filmography do the talking.
This still leaves the question "What makes a Launder and Gilliat film?". They got to the top of their profession as WWII was looming and proceeded over the next decade and a half to show us as we wanted to be shown: eccentric but real. Their films were good natured and comic but rooted in a recognisable reality. They mastered several genres: social-realism (Waterloo Road), thriller (Green for Danger) but specialised in comedy. They brought the monstrous girls of St Trinian's to the screen though their best school comedy is the sublime The Happiest Days of Your Life.
Frank Launder
Frank Launder
