History
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Debra Paget on the set of Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) holding a copy of the 1951-1952 annual. The cover that year featured Paget and Louis Jourdan in Bird of Paradise (1951)
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An original caricature sketch of director Alfred Hitchcock by Gerard Young, which accompanied an article on the film thriller written by Hitch himself for the 1946-1947 annual.
THE WORLD’S LONGEST-RUNNING FILM ANNUAL
Founder F. Maurice Speed’s innovative concept was based on his conviction that,
"What the ordinary moviegoer lacks is a more or less complete annual record, in picture and story, of his year's filmgoing. Ironically enough, it wasn't until the war came along, and I had been discharged from the Army, that I decided, as nobody else seemed so inclined, I might as well attempt to fill the void myself." - F. Maurice Speed
The idea came to fruition on 8 December 1944, when the very first Film Review annual was released. As Speed recalled in the annual's 50th edition, "That initial 1944-45 book sold some 80,000 copies to a book-starved public and the second annual reached a dizzy 250,000 print order." The book rapidly developed into an annual illustrated digest of all the films screened in the UK. As time went on, Speed gathered together outside contributors, among them authors and film historians such as Peter Noble, William K. Everson, Oswell Blakeston, Peter Cowie, Anthony Slide, Ivan Butler and Gordon Gow. The annual also introduced special articles written by such film industry figures as James Mason, Michael Powell, Cecil B. DeMille, Bob Hope, Rita Hayworth, and Alfred Hitchcock. Maurice’s annual introductions also reveal his keen interest in emerging technical advances such as stereo sound and CinemaScope.
In 1963, for the 20th edition, Speed's publishers, Macdonald & Co, altered the annual's format, reducing it in size and doubling the price. This new look only lasted for three years, after which Macdonald dropped the title. After a 12-month hiatus, Speed returned, now under the aegis of W.H. Allen, with a catch-up edition (published at the end of 1967) that covered a two-year period. In 1987 Speed, by then in his seventies, took on co-editor James Cameron-Wilson, who would eventually graduate to editing the book on his own before handing over editorial duties to Michael Darvell and Mansel Stimpson in 2007.
The groundbreaking movie almanac long regarded as the essential reference for movie enthusiasts and industry professionals released its 70th edition in 2015, marking the end of the annually published book. Beginning where that final volume left off, the Film Review Daily website launched with ‘Releases of the Year’ added on a daily basis. The annual covered film releases for seven decades until the digital version stepped in to continue the tradition. In December of 2024, Film Review celebrated ten years online and the launch of the publication’s 80th anniversary year.
Cheers to the legacy of Film Review!
‘Covering’ 70 Years of Cinema: 1944-2015
Praise for Film Review
“A veritable fount of knowledge.” — The Independent
“Clearly a must.” — Empire Magazine
“Required reading for anyone who wants to keep right up to date with what’s going on in the movies.” — Barry Norman, film critic and host of BBC’s Film...
“Comprehensive and expert coverage…a valued addition to any film buff’s library.” — Wilf Stevenson (Baron Stevenson of Balmacara), Director, British Film Institute
“My memory is banked with movie memorabilia, F. Maurice Speed’s annual Film Reviews, teenage subscriptions to Photoplay and Films Illustrated, and every birthday and Christmas present a book about the cinema.” - Richard E. Grant, With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant
“F. Maurice Speed once again merits our praise for his indispensable annual compendium for film buffs.” — The Stage
“Mr Speed’s formula could not fail to please…his enthusiasm never seems to flag and every entry constitutes a well-thought-out, concise critique of the film in question.” — This is London
“Still the leading Film Annual, Film Review has also the unique distinction of being the only complete record of the year in the cinema.” — The Bookseller
“The only thing for the film fans.” — Edinburgh Evening News
“Mr Speed’s formula review of the year is a joy to browse through — an absolute must for any true film buff. Here is a critic with an obvious love of this most seductive of art forms.” — South Wales Evening Post
“In every bookcase there is an authority on a given subject. The cricket-lover has Wisden, real-ale aficionados have the Good Beer Guide and film buffs have a problem, because there are at least two musts for any serious student of world cinema. Best known would be the excellent Film Review.” — Bruce Hawksbee, Derby Telegraph
