Dickinson, Thorold

Thorold Dickinson was born in Bristol in 1903. Dickinson attended Keble College, Oxford, but departed from his studies due to his growing interest in film. In the 1920s he began assisting the director George Pearson, and gained a reputation for his strong editing techniques. By the mid 1930s Dickinson had begun making his own feature films, as well as films of a more documentary nature, such as Spanish ABC . During the Second world War he was appointed by the Ministry of Information to supervise as series of short military training and propaganda films. After writing his first book with Catherine de la Roche, Soviet Cinema, and making further films including The Queen of Spades, Dickinson was appointed Chief of Film for the United Nations from 1956-1960, and moved to New York. On his return to England in 1960, Dickinson was was appointed to work at the Slade Film Department, where he spent ten years teaching an interdisciplinary films studies course, and became the first professor of film in the UK. From hereon Dickinson wrote his second book, A Discovery of Cinema, and spent his time at conferences, as a jury member at numerous film festivals, and acting as advisor to improve film education internationally. He died in Berkshire in 1984.

From the guide to the Thorold Dickinson Collection, 1930-1984, (University of the Arts London)