Samuel Bronston Productions

Independent American film production company

Samuel Bronston Productions
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	1943
Founder	Samuel Bronston
Defunct	1964
Fate	Bankruptcy, Closed
Key people	Paul Lazarus (executive VP, New York) Michael Waszynski (executive producer)
Products	Motion pictures

Samuel Bronston Productions was an independent American film production company, founded by Samuel Bronston in 1943.

History

1943–1945: Origins

1955–1959: Return from dormancy

1960–1964: Successful releases and bankruptcy

The company produced several epic films, the most notable of which are, John Paul Jones (1959), King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963) and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).

The films were made in Spain in the company's newly created studios in Las Rozas, near Madrid.

Due to financial difficulties, the company ceased its business activities in 1964. During the ensuing bankruptcy proceedings, Bronston's answer that the company had once had a bank account in Zurich in response to a question under oath about whether he personally had had a Swiss bank account led to his prosecution for perjury. He was convicted, and the case was ultimately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in Bronston v. United States that literally truthful, but technically misleading, answers cannot be prosecuted.

List of Samuel Bronston Productions films

Year	Title	Distributor	Producer	Director	Star(s)	Academy Awards		Notes
Year	Title	Distributor	Producer	Director	Star(s)	Wins	Nominations	Notes
1943	Jack London	United Artists	Samuel Bronston	Alfred Santell	Michael O'Shea & Susan Hayward		Best Original Score (Freddie Rich)
1959	John Paul Jones	Warner Bros.	Samuel Bronston	John Farrow	Robert Stack & Marisa Pavan			Filmed in Technirama
1961	King of Kings	MGM	Samuel Bronston	Nicholas Ray	Jeffrey Hunter			Filmed in Super Technirama 70; Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Original Score (Miklós Rózsa)
1961	El Cid	Allied Artists	Samuel Bronston	Anthony Mann	Charlton Heston & Sophia Loren		Best Art Direction; Best Original Song (Miklós Rózsa & Paul Francis Webster); Best Original Score (Miklós Rózsa)	Filmed in Super Technirama 70; Won Golden Globe Special Merit Award (Samuel Bronston); Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama; Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Director (Anthony Mann); Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Original Score (Miklós Rózsa)
1963	55 Days at Peking	Allied Artists	Samuel Bronston	Nicholas Ray	Charlton Heston & Ava Gardner		Best Original Song (Dimitri Tiomkin & Paul Francis Webster); Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin)	Filmed in Super Technirama 70
1964	The Fall of the Roman Empire	Paramount	Samuel Bronston	Anthony Mann	Sophia Loren & Stephen Boyd		Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin)	Filmed in Ultra Panavision 70; Won Golden Globe for Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin)
1964	Circus World	Paramount	Samuel Bronston	Henry Hathaway	John Wayne & Rita Hayworth			Filmed in Super Technirama 70; Won Golden Globe for Best Original Song (Dimitri Tiomkin & Ned Washington); Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Rita Hayworth)

List of unproduced films

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	The Story of Nelson	According to The New York Times, John Farrow had signed a three picture-deal with Bronston, which included John Paul Jones and King of Kings. The third unproduced project was The Story of Nelson, a biography of Horatio Nelson written by William Henry Giles Kingston.
Feature film	The Sad Knight of La Mancha	In April 1960, Variety announced that Bronston was producing an adaptation of Don Quixote, tentatively titled The Sad Knight of La Mancha. Hugo Fregonese was to direct, with the final script revisions being made by Carlos Blanco, a Spanish screenwriter. Filming was reported to begin in the same year.
Feature film	Carmen	Also, in April 1960, the Los Angeles Times reported Bronston was also producing a film adaptation of the opera Carmen.
Feature film	Captain Kidd	In the same Los Angeles Times report, Bronston was stated to be developing a biographical film of Captain William Kidd.
Feature film	The French Revolution	In September 1961, Bronston announced he was planning a trilogy of historical epics in Spain, which included 55 Days at Peking and The Fall of the Roman Empire. The third unproduced film was tentatively titled The French Revolution. According to The New York Times, the project was to chronicle "the events and international consequences of the uprising from the beginning until the arrival of Napoleon upon the scene." Pre-production was scheduled to begin in the summer of 1962, with Nicholas Ray to direct and Philip Yordan to write the script. However, both men decided instead to work on 55 Days at Peking.
Feature film	Dear and Glorious Physician	In September 1962, it was announced Bronston and Frank Capra had partnered to produce a film adaptation of Taylor Caldwell's 1959 biography of Luke the Evangelist.
Feature film	Paris 1900	In 1962, Bronston had hired Vittorio De Sica to film an historical drama titled Paris 1900. In December 1962, David Niven, who had co-starred in 55 Days at Peking, had been cast in a lead role. Details about the project are scarce, but it was to center on the Belle Époque period. The title also alludes to the 1900 Paris Exposition.
Feature film	Nightrunners of Bengal	In May 1963, the Los Angeles Times reported that John Wayne was slated to film another project for Bronston Productions, titled Nightrunners of Bengal, which chronicled the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Henry Hathaway, who was directing Wayne in Circus World, was reportedly set to direct. Hathaway later dropped out, and was replaced by Richard Fleischer. A limited partnership company called Bronston–Bengal had been formed for the film's production, with Pierre S. du Pont III as a partner. By February 1967, the project had stalled in development for nearly three years due to Bronston's bankruptcy problems.
Feature film	The Blue and Grey Line on the Nile	In 1963, Bronston announced he was developing The Blue and Grey Line on the Nile, an adaptation of the 1961 historical book by William B. Hesseltine and Hazel C. Wolf. It tells of Union and Confederate veterans of the Civil War who were enlisted to fight for the Egyptian government. In December 1963, Bronston Productions partnered with Paramount Pictures on a four-film distribution deal, which included producing and releasing the project.
Feature film	The Great Cyrus	In the same report, Bronston was stated to be developing a film adaptation of the book The Great Cyrus written by Harold Lamb.
Feature film	Brave New World	By 1964, Bronston had planned to adapt Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World into a feature-length epic, with Jack Cardiff hired to direct. Nigel Kneale had written a script adaptation. However, plans were shelved after Bronston filed for bankruptcy protection in June 1964.
Feature film	Isabella of Spain	In 1971, Bronston announced he was developing a biographical epic of Isabella of Spain. Ronald Neame was hired to direct and John Peebles had written a script. Glenda Jackson was cast in the title role while John Philip Law was to portray her spouse and co-ruler Ferdinand II. However, by June 1971, the film's development had been halted, and Bronston was forced to auction all assets from within his studios.

References

"Half of Bronstonians Exit Manhattan Office on Return from Lunch". Variety. March 4, 1964. p. 2 – via Internet Archive.
Weiler, A. H. (June 15, 1958). "Passing Picture Scene: Big-Scale Features Slated by Samuel Bronston". The New York Times. p. X7.
Werba, Hank (April 27, 1960). "'Kings' Rolls, 1st of 3 Big Ones for Bronston". Variety. pp. 3, 17. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^ Scheuer, Philip K. (April 20, 1960). "Bronston Readies String of Classics". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 11. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Archer, Eugene (September 12, 1961). "Bronston Plans 3 Film Spectacles: Boxer Rebellion, Rome's Fall, French Revolt on Agenda". The New York Times. p. 36. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
Eisenschitz 1993, p. 378.
"'Glorious Physician' Will Be Made a Film". The New York Times. November 12, 1962. p. 35. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
Hopper, Hedda (July 21, 1963). "Sam Bronston's Hollywood Lumps Turn into Sugar As Production". Los Angeles Times. Calendar, pp. 4–5. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
Hopper, Hedda (December 4, 1962). "Gypsy Likes Leisure, Writing, Royalties". Los Angeles Times. Part V, p. 12. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bronston circus". Films and Filming. Vol. 10, no. 6. March 1964. p. 16.
Hopper, Hedda (May 30, 1963). "Hathaway to Direct John Wayne Film". Los Angeles Times. Part V, p. 14. Retrieved July 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Fleischer 1993, p. 229.
Fleischer 1993, pp. 231–232.
^ "Bronston Will Produce Six More Epics". Columbia Daily Tribune. August 10, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"4 Bronston Pix And the Pitch Via Paramount". Variety. December 4, 1963. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
"Bronston Says I'll Be Producing Again'; Madrid Echoes 'Amen'". Variety. April 29, 1964. p. 120 – via Internet Archive.
Murray, Andy (2017). Into The Unknown: The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale. Los Angeles: SCB Distributors. pp. 178–179. ISBN 978-1-909-39447-6.
Haber, Joyce (May 17, 1971). "Rita's Fast Burn Over 'Slow Study'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
Johnson, Patricia (June 3, 1971). "Studio Sales Ends Project for Bronston". Los Angeles Time. Part II, p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.

Works cited

Barzman, Norma (2003). The Red and the Blacklist: The Intimate Memoir of a Hollywood Expatriate. Nation Books. ISBN 978-1-560-25617-5.
Besas, Peter (1985). Behind the Spanish Lens: Spanish Cinema under Fascism and Democracy. Denver, Colorado: Arden Press. ISBN 0912869062.
Darby, William (2009). Anthony Mann: The Film Career. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-786-43839-6.
Eisenschitz, Bernard (1993). Nicholas Ray: An American Journey. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-17830-8.
Eyman, Scott (2014). John Wayne: The Life and Legend. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1439199589.
Fleischer, Richard (1993). Just Tell Me When to Cry: A Memoir. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 978-0-881-84944-8.
Gordon, Bernard (1999). Hollywood Exile: or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72827-1.
Martin, Mel (2007). The Magnificent Showman: The Epic Films of Samuel Bronston. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-593-93129-2.
Millichap, Joseph R. (1981). Lewis Milestone. Boston: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 978-0-805-79281-2.
Rosendorf, Neal (2000). The Life and Times of Samuel Bronston, Builder of 'Hollywood in Madrid': A Study in the International Scope and Influence of American Pop Culture (PhD thesis). Harvard University.
Rosendorf, Neal (March 2007). "Hollywood in Madrid: American Film Producers and the Franco Regime, 1950–1970". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 27 (1): 77–109. doi:10.1080/01439680601177155. S2CID 191616477.
Rubin, Steven Jay (2011). Combat Films: American Realism, 1945–2010 (Second ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-48613-7.
Stack, Robert; Evans, Mark (1980). Straight Shooting. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-613320-2.

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