Compton Bennett

Herbert William "Bob" Compton Bennett (15 January 1900 – 11 August 1974), better known as Compton Bennett, was an English film director, writer and producer. He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film The Seventh Veil and the 1950 version of the film King Solomon's Mines, an adaptation of an Allan Quatermain story.

Bennett was born in Tunbridge Wells, England. At the beginning of his career, he worked as a band leader and a commercial artist before trying his hand at amateur filmmaking. One of these early films helped him land a job at Alexander Korda's London Films in 1932. There, he became a film editor; later he would help make instructional and propaganda films for the British armed forces during World War II.

Bennett's films tended to be sombre, but were very popular with the moviegoing public. In 1947, Bennett accepted an invitation to go to Hollywood, but his directing style appeared to suffer in the American studio system of the era. It was, however, during this time that he directed King Solomon's Mines.

Bennett eventually returned to the UK. From 1954 to 1957, he left film work to pursue interests in the theatre and television, but produced four films in 1957, After the Ball, Man-Eater, That Woman Opposite and The Flying Scot. Although he continued to write and direct for film and television, his subsequent productions were not as well received.

Bennett died in Sussex, England at the age of 74.

Filmography (director)

1944: Men of Rochdale 1945: The Seventh Veil 1946: The Years Between 1948: Daybreak 1949: My Own True Love 1949: That Forsyte Woman 1950: King Solomon's Mines 1952: So Little Time

1952: The Gift Horse 1952: It Started in Paradise 1953: Desperate Moment 1957: Man-Eater 1957: That Woman Opposite 1957: After the Ball 1957: The Flying Scot 1960: Beyond the Curtain

External links

• BritMovie biography
• New York Times reprint of Allmovie bio
• Compton Bennett at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Bennett
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 January 1900
Place of birth
Date of death	11 August 1974
Place of death