Introduction to Film StudiesIntroduction to Film Studies

What do we mean by 'British Cinema'?

A starting point...

Write a list of five stereotypes which help to describe

'Britain'

British Successes- Earlier Days

● Ealing StudiosEaling Studios● Made a series of

comedies from the late 1940s to the late 1950s

● Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

● Whiskey Galore (1949)

● The Ladykillers (1955)

British Successes – The 1960s

● Hammer StudiosHammer Studios● Horror films reviving the

1930s Universal horror movies, but now in colour and with nudity!

● Carry On...Carry On...● Long running franchise

of British comedy films with a regular cast

British Successes – From the 60s on...

James BondJames Bond● Dr No (1962)

● Different actors have taken the role

● The films are made by American production companies in international locations

● How 'British' is Bond?

The 1980s - Goldcrest

● British film studio● Oscar successes -● Chariots of Fire

(1981)● Ghandi (1982)● Box office disasters

and failure of the studio

The 1980s and on – Merchant Ivory

● Films based on classic literary adaptations

● A very upper class and historically specific view of Britishness

● Lots of international box office success

The 1980s and on – Regional Cinema and National Cinemas

● 'British Cinema' has a 'British Cinema' has a number of identitiesnumber of identities

● Scottish Cinema

● Local Hero (1981)

● Trainspotting (1993)

● Red Road (2007)

● Northern Cinema

● Bhaji on the Beach (1993)

● Brassed Off (1996)

● The Full Monty (1997)

British Asian Cinema

● Very under represented until the 1980s (like all British ethnic minority cinemas)

● My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

● East is East (1999)

● Bend it like Beckham (2002)

● Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

Working Title

● Production Company founded in 1982

● Made a string of a very succesful British movies – Richard Curtis films (Four Weddings... Notting Hill … Love, Actually...

● International producers of Coen Brothers movies (Fargo, Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There)

British Gangster Movies

● Brighton Rock (1947)● Get Carter (1971)● The Long Good

Friday (1980)● Mona Lisa (1986)● Lock,Stock... (1998)

A Succesful Studio...A Succesful Studio...

●Aardman●Set up in 1976, making short films for TV and short excerpts for other show● Moving into original shorts, Creature Comforts wins Oscar in 1989●Wallace and Grommit star in a series of successful films for TV and later for Cinema●Into Co-Production with Dreamworks SKG (USA) for Curse of the Were Rabbit and then with Sony Pictures (USA) for Flushed Away

Categories of 'British Films' 1997Categories of 'British Films' 19971. Films where the cultural and financial impetus is from the UK and the majority of the production personnel are British (Brassed Off, Trainspotting)2. Majority UK co-productions: although there are foreign partners there is UK cultural content and a significant amount of UK finance and personnel (Nil By Mouth, Secrets and Lies)3. Minority UK co-productions: Foreign (but not USA) co-productions where there is a small UK input in finance or personnel (Breaking the Waves, Stealing Beauty)4. American films with a UK creative and/or part financial interest (The Portrait of a Lady, Emma)

Categories of British Films from 1998Categories of British Films from 1998

●It's British if it scores 20 points●3 points for a British screenwriter●2 points each for British director / producer / editor, lead actors●4 points if 75% or production costs are spent in the UK

●Why does this matter? Subsidies and Taxation.

Soooooo.......

What is 'British' about the following film clips?1.Local Hero2.Quadrophenia3.Children of Men4.The Beach5.Dirty Pretty Things