Muriel Box facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lady Gardiner
Born	Violette Muriel Baker (1905-09-22)22 September 1905 Tolworth, Surrey, England, UK
Died	18 May 1991(1991-05-18) (aged 85) Hendon, London, England, UK
Occupation	Director, writer, screenwriter
Spouse(s)	Sydney Box (1935–1969; divorced) Gerald Gardiner, Baron Gardiner (1970–1990; his death)
Children	1 daughter

Muriel Box (born Violette Muriel Baker, 22 September 1905 – 18 May 1991) was an amazing English screenwriter and director. She was known for directing more films than any other woman in Britain. Muriel Box directed 12 full-length movies and one shorter film.

She won a special award called an Academy Award for her screenplay of the movie The Seventh Veil. She wrote this script with her husband, Sydney Box. It was for Best Original Screenplay, which means it was a brand new story written just for the film.

Muriel Box's Early Life and Film Career

Muriel Box was born Violette Muriel Baker in Tolworth, Surrey, in 1905. She went to school at Surbiton High School. After trying out acting and dancing, she started working behind the scenes. She became a "continuity girl" for a company called British International Pictures. This job helps make sure scenes in a movie flow smoothly.

In 1935, she married Sydney Box, who was a journalist. They worked together on almost 40 plays. Many of these plays had roles mainly for women. They also started their own film company, Verity Films.

Making Films During Wartime

At first, Verity Films made short films to help during the war. One of these was The English Inn (1941), which was Muriel's first time directing. After that, their company started making story films.

Muriel and Sydney had their biggest success with the movie The Seventh Veil (1945). This film earned them an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. This was a huge achievement in the film world!

Working at Gainsborough Pictures

After the war, a big film company called the Rank Organisation hired Sydney Box. He became the head of Gainsborough Pictures. Muriel was put in charge of writing scripts there. She wrote many light comedies.

She even wrote two films for a child star named Petula Clark. These movies were Easy Money and Here Come the Huggetts (both from 1948). Sometimes, Muriel also helped with dialogue or re-shot parts of movies.

Directing Full-Length Movies

Muriel Box did a lot of work on the movie The Lost People (1949). Because of her big role, she was given credit as a co-director. This was her first time directing a full-length movie.

In 1951, her husband Sydney started a new company called London Independent Producers. This gave Muriel more chances to direct films. Many of her early movies were based on plays. They were known for great acting.

Muriel liked to make films about important and sometimes tricky topics. These included Irish politics and the issue of children born outside of marriage. Because of these themes, some of her films were even banned by local authorities.

Exploring Women's Experiences in Film

Muriel Box loved to explore what it was like to be a woman in her films. She made several movies about this.

• Street Corner (1953) was about women police officers.
• The Beachcomber (1954) was based on a story by William Somerset Maugham. It starred Donald Sinden and Glynis Johns as a clever missionary.
• She worked with Donald Sinden again on Eyewitness (1956).
• She also directed comedies about the "battle of the sexes." These included The Passionate Stranger (1957), The Truth About Women (1958), and her last film, Rattle of a Simple Man (1964).

Challenges in the Film Industry

Muriel Box often faced unfair treatment in the film industry. This was because it was mostly run by men. Sometimes, even other women in the industry made things difficult for her.

For example, actress Jean Simmons had Muriel replaced on the movie So Long at the Fair (1950). Another actress, Kay Kendall, tried to do the same thing with Simon and Laura (1955), but she didn't succeed. Many producers doubted if she could direct big movies. Even though the news often mentioned she was one of the few women directors, they sometimes sounded like they were looking down on her, instead of praising her.

Later Years and Personal Life

After her film career, Muriel Box started writing novels. She also created a successful publishing company called Femina. This company was a great way for her to share her ideas about feminism, which is about supporting equal rights for women.

Muriel married Sydney Box in 1935. They had a daughter named Leonora the next year. They divorced in 1969. In 1970, she married Gerald Austin Gardiner. He had been a very important lawyer called the Lord Chancellor. Gerald died in 1990. Muriel Box passed away in Hendon, London, on 18 May 1991, when she was 85 years old.

Screenwriting Credits

Directing Credits

See also

In Spanish: Muriel Box para niños