Peter Boulton
Peter Boulton
- First: Peter
- Last: Boulton
- Add Peter Boulton's date of birth
- Died: March 2nd, 2003
- Occupation: Filmmaker
- Organizational Affiliation: Boulton-Hawker Films Ltd.
Bio
Peter Boulton's Boulton-Hawker Films Ltd. is notable for its films on science subjects. Well written, beautifully photographed, and intellectually stimulating, the Boultons' films represent some of the finest examples in the sub-genre of academic science films. As produced as a family-run enterprise, each film typically would be produced and written by son David, and exactingly photography by his father, Peter, using slow-motion, time-lapse micro photography. Additional members of the multi-dimensional (cinematography, sound, and editing) crew included son-in-law Nigel Rea, and Rosemary Cizmowska, and graphic artist (and daughter) Anne Rea.
Boulton-Hawker was originally founded in 1946 by Gilbert Hawker and Peter Boulton, who made their first film together in Cairo for the RAF ('Quiet Afternoon,' 1944). In 1956, Hawker left amicably to concentrate on sponsored commercial films, leaving Boulton to continue with his passion for educational film, specializing in science, zoology, and botany. A British company, Boulton-Hawker distributed their films in the US through Benchmark Media and the International Film Bureau. Since 1989, Boulton-Hawker has concentrated on distribution rather than film creation, and still operates from his half-timbered16th century home. The Academic Film Archive of North America hosted two a special evening dedicated to the films of Peter Boulton on September 28, 2000. Peter passed away on March 2nd, 2003. We were honored to meet him at his home on July 8, 2001. His family has written a eulogy, which we've reproduced on this page in its entirety, below the Filmography. It contains additional biographical details of Peter's life.
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Boulton-Hawker has made more than 100 films, the most popular of which specialized in Biology, Botany, Geography, and Insect life, and Natural History...