Intended as a morale-booster in the wake of World War One, this staggeringly ambitious British epic simply disappeared when Elvey and his team were paid £20,000 by parties unknown to bury it just prior to release. Considered lost for decades, it was found in the house of Lloyd George's grandson more than 75 years later, and finally screened in 1996.
"The Life Story of David Lloyd George" was made in 1918, but wasn't distributed to the public until 1996 after it had been rediscovered and restored by the Wales Film and Television Archive. For unclear reasons, the subject of the biopic, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, had the film confiscated and the producers reimbursed for production costs.
The story of Maurice Elvey's THE LIFE OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE is amazing. Elvey considered it his best work but, at the point where he was about to send the camera materials and edited work print for duplication, it was siezed by the British Liberal party who felt it might taint war time Prime Minister Lloyd George in the coming election.
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