With H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw and others, Asquith founded London's Film Society in 1925, and after a filmmaking apprenticeship in Hollywood, returned to England as a director in 1928. Along with Alfred Hitchcock, he was considered a major force in the British cinema during the 1930s and 40s. Beginning with his directing debut, "Shooting Stars" (co-directed with A.V. Bramble; 1928) which utilized experimental visual effects and "A Cottage on Dartmoor" (1929), a portrait of British life notable for its use of sound, Asquith became recognized for his tasteful, restrained and civilized
