Directing

Norman Lee

Born — Died

1898-10-10 — 1964-06-02

Place of birth

Sutton, Surrey, England, UK

Known for

Directing

Credits

41 titles

Known for

Film credits

Behind the camera

The Farmer's Wife poster
5.6

Successful middle-aged farmer Samuel Sweetland becomes widowed, then his daughter marries and leaves home. Deciding he wishes to remarry, Sweetland pursues some local women he considers prospects.

The Farmer's Wife

1928

The Door with Seven Locks poster
6.2

A wealthy lord dies and is entombed with a valuable deposit of jewels. Seven keys are required to unlock the tomb and get hold of the treasure. A mad doctor uses an iron maiden to systematically eliminate the heirs to the fortune.

The Door with Seven Locks

1940

The Door with Seven Locks poster
6.2

A wealthy lord dies and is entombed with a valuable deposit of jewels. Seven keys are required to unlock the tomb and get hold of the treasure. A mad doctor uses an iron maiden to systematically eliminate the heirs to the fortune.

The Door with Seven Locks

1940

Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! or (Fun with the Sunbathers) poster
6.0

A specialist sunbathing camp is threatened by a campaign by the leader of the 'Wear More Clothes League'.

Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! or (Fun with the Sunbathers)

1932

He Snoops to Conquer poster
8.1

George Gribble is tea-boy at Tangleton town council, he gets ravelled up in the councillors money-grubbing machinations concerning compiling and then cooking the results of a government sponsored housing survey.

He Snoops to Conquer

1944

Doctor's Orders poster
6.5

Leslie Fuller stars as a quack whose son qualifies as a doctor in total ignorance of his father's occupation!

Doctor's Orders

1934

The Case of Charles Peace poster
6.4

Charles Peace leads a double life, by day he's a respected local businessman, but by night he's a professional thief who stops at nothing, not even murder, to get what he wants.

The Case of Charles Peace

1949

The Case of Charles Peace poster
6.4

Charles Peace leads a double life, by day he's a respected local businessman, but by night he's a professional thief who stops at nothing, not even murder, to get what he wants.

The Case of Charles Peace

1949

Mr. Reeder in Room 13 poster
6.7

Capt. Johnnie Gray is enlisted by Mr. J.G. Reeder to infiltrate a gang of forgers in Dartmoor jail on behalf of the Bank of England.

Mr. Reeder in Room 13

1938

I Didn't Do It poster
6.7

Gormless George Trotter moves down from Manchester to the bright lights of London in search of fame and fortune on the stage - only to find himself the prime suspect in a bizarre murder mystery!

I Didn't Do It

1945

Murder in Soho poster
6.0

A London nightclub hostess pretends to fall for the mobster who killed her husband.

Murder in Soho

1939

Bulldog Drummond at Bay poster
6.3

Drummond goes up against foreign agents who are trying to steal plans for a top-secret aircraft.

Bulldog Drummond at Bay

1937

My Wife's Family poster
7.0

A farce concerning the attempts of a naval officer to avoid a visit from his wife's overbearing mother-in-law, and cope with a former girlfriend at the same time.

My Wife's Family

1941

After Mein Kampf poster
10.0

Allied propaganda in the form of cartoons and newsreels shows the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

After Mein Kampf

1940

Josser in the Army poster
10.0

Charting the military escapades of serial bungler Tommy Josser, Josser in the Army sees the hapless hero in France during wartime, where he masquerades as a German general, unmasks a spy, gets captured and then makes a spectacular airborne escape!

Josser in the Army

1932

Josser Joins the Navy poster
10.0

'Hall porter forced to join Navy while tracking spies.' (British Film Catalogue)

Josser Joins the Navy

1932

Luck of the Navy poster
8.0

With Britain on the brink of war, an enemy spy plans to steal secret documents and lay the blame on Clive Stanton.

Luck of the Navy

1938

The Farmer's Wife poster
7.0

Eden Philpotts' "provincial" comic novel and play The Farmer's Wife was first filmed in the silent era by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1940 talkie version was directed by Leslie Arliss, son of stage star George Arliss. The story remained the same: A middle-aged widower attempts to select a wife from his rural district's eligible females (Basil Sydney). Three unsuccessful dalliances later, the farmer settles for his housekeeper, whom the audience has been rooting for all along. The Farmer's Wife is a prime example of the sort of fare that struck a proper chord with British filmgoers, but whose appeal would be lost to any other nationality.

The Farmer's Wife

1941

The Farmer's Wife poster
7.0

Eden Philpotts' "provincial" comic novel and play The Farmer's Wife was first filmed in the silent era by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1940 talkie version was directed by Leslie Arliss, son of stage star George Arliss. The story remained the same: A middle-aged widower attempts to select a wife from his rural district's eligible females (Basil Sydney). Three unsuccessful dalliances later, the farmer settles for his housekeeper, whom the audience has been rooting for all along. The Farmer's Wife is a prime example of the sort of fare that struck a proper chord with British filmgoers, but whose appeal would be lost to any other nationality.

The Farmer's Wife

1941

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite poster
6.8

A tramp is invited to stay with the family of a teenage girl who has been unable to smile since childhood in a bid to cure her.

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite

1950

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite poster
6.8

A tramp is invited to stay with the family of a teenage girl who has been unable to smile since childhood in a bid to cure her.

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite

1950

No artwork available
10.0

Two couples with mismatched mates find new romance blooming in the Bavarian countryside.

Spring in the Air

1935

Dr. Josser K.C. poster
7.0

Bumbling policeman P.C. Josser is dismissed from the force after a disastrous attempt to distinguish himself at a nightclub. Mistaking his own comrades for criminals, he inadvertently "bowls them over like nine-pins," leading to his immediate firing. After losing his job, Josser sets himself up as a private detective. He is hired by a young lady who owns a racehorse and needs protection for her "favourite" horse before a big race. To protect the animal, Josser goes undercover as a stableman. Despite his efforts, the horse is drugged, leading to further comedic mishaps as he attempts to solve the case and redeem his reputation.

Dr. Josser K.C.

1931

Spring Meeting poster
5.3

Tiny Fox-Collier and her son, Tony, are broke. A cheery and handsome young man about town, Tony knows he can rely on his mother for a brainwave to save them from utter destitution. This she has: a visit is scheduled to the Irish country estate of her old flame Sir Richard Furze, now a wealthy widower with two daughters. But while Tiny is determined to see her son marry the beautiful but haughty Joan, it seems Tony only has eyes for Joan’s spirited younger sister, Baby.

Spring Meeting

1941

The Monkey's Paw poster
5.9

A curio dealer sells a monkey's paw that can grant the possessor three wishes but warns that disaster will follow.

The Monkey's Paw

1948

The Monkey's Paw poster
5.9

A curio dealer sells a monkey's paw that can grant the possessor three wishes but warns that disaster will follow.

The Monkey's Paw

1948

Save a Little Sunshine poster
7.0

Dave Smalley buys a lost Archaeopteryx fossil by accident at an auction and uses the reward money for this to buy a share in his landlady's lodging- house. She turns him into an exploited man-of-all-work about the house, but after a lady guest persuades him that he resembles Napoleon he becomes convinced that he is a born leader and mounts a takeover bid to reverse their roles.

Save a Little Sunshine

1938

No artwork available
9.0

A pair of sisters have ambitions to take to the stage when they realize that their parent's act is finished.

Happy Days Are Here Again

1936

Royal Cavalcade poster
8.0

Made in commemoration and celebration of the Jubilee of King George V, this is the story of the first twenty-five years of his reign, told through the many travels of a penny that was minted in the year of his accession: 1910. Through a series of individual stories, Royal Cavalcade covers a period of striking change in every area of life – from the suffragette movement to the trenches of World War One, the effects of the Depression to single events such as the first ever Royal Command Performance, featuring Anna Pavlova and George Robey.

Royal Cavalcade

1935

Wanted by Scotland Yard poster
8.0

A safecracker, just released from prison, falls in love with a young woman who wants him to go straight. He finds, however, that going straight is easier said than done.

Wanted by Scotland Yard

1939

Saturday Night Revue poster
5.8

There are two clubs in London called Moons; one in Mayfair and one in Soho. Mary Dorland is singing at the cheap one, but her father, who does not approve of her singing career, believes she is performing at the Society one...

Saturday Night Revue

1937

The Pride of the Force poster
9.0

This lively comedy of 1933 provided an early film role for Leslie Fuller, and sees the wildly popular, rubber-faced actor and entertainer – once touted as Elstree's own Clark Gable – playing identical twins with very different ambitions: one is a policeman who longs to join a circus, the other a farm hand who wants to be a policeman!

The Pride of the Force

1933

Kathleen Mavourneen poster
8.0

Kathleen O'Moore returns to her home in rural Ireland and becomes torn between the affections of Michael Rooney, a poor but honest man, and the wealthy squire with the power to make her dreams come true.

Kathleen Mavourneen

1937

No artwork available
8.0

Filmmaker Norman Lee’s searing 1934 documentary is a true testament to what soldiers endure during their time with the armed forces. Understanding that the public’s knowledge of wartime experience was limited to newsreels and photographs, Lee complements such footage with first-hand accounts and footage to help audiences better understand and sympathize with the brutal realities of war. From leaving families and loved ones to fighting on the battlefield and risking lives, nearly each personal facet is explored and discussed in Lee’s powerful testament. This film was probably either inspired by, or the inspiration for, Samuel Cummins' production of the same title (q.v.)

Forgotten Men: The War as It Was

1934

Yes, Madam? poster
10.0

The hilarious tale of two cousins who must complete a period in domestic service in order to receive an inheritance.

Yes, Madam?

1938

Money Talks poster
6.0

This exuberant comedy about Jewish domestic life tells the story of an old man who is to inherit a legacy if he can prove he is in need, and who thus begins to gamble spectacularly with his savings.

Money Talks

1932

The Outcast poster
5.8

A music-hall star and his best mate are conned out of their earnings (twice!) and left with nothing but a beloved greyhound.

The Outcast

1934

Idol of Paris poster
8.0

The Idol of Paris is based on Paiva, Queen of Love, a novel by Alfred Schirokauer. Set in the mid-19th century, the film traces the rags-to-riches story of a girl named Theresa. Sleeping her way to the top, she becomes a highly sought-after Parisian courtesan, one worthy of the attentions of the Emperor Napoleon. But Theresa has no time for the Emperor, not with such virile lovers as Hertz around and about.

Idol of Paris

1948

No artwork available
NR

Short film about the importance of cooperation in the war effort, featuring Arsenal F.C. and manager George Allison.

The Team (It All Depends on Me)

1941

No artwork available
NR

Short film about the importance of cooperation in the war effort, featuring Arsenal F.C. and manager George Allison.

The Team (It All Depends on Me)

1941