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Selling the Brits

How are images of Britain used to marketfilms?

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Island People (1940)

What image of Britainis being shown here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOva5I4e1GUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOva5I4e1GUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOva5I4e1GUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOva5I4e1GU

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'A Green and Pleasant land' idealised visions of Britain

'Heritage' cinema

Literary adaptations

'Urban fairytale'

UK film used to reinforce patriotism (for

domestic audience)

UK film used as a tourist marketingstrategy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JMuyzm3JRUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JMuyzm3JRU

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Heritage cinema Term used to present a particular style of

costume drama Presents the past as spectacle museum

aesthetic where the past is displayed for

visual pleasure The past and our relationship with it is not

questioned or criticised

The Mise en scene is more significant thanthe narrative or plot.

Patriotic vision of Britain

Popular when British national identity isquestioned. WWII and 1980s

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Why do you think these idealised images aresuccessful?

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Idealised images of Britain

Conforms to US market's stereotype of theBritish 'Anglophilia'.

Reinforces nostalgic vision of Britain and

British values to domestic audience

'Escapist'/positive representation of modernBritain

'Literary' status treated as 'prestige' filmsof an 'intelligent' audience.

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Conventions to spot:

Polite, reserved, aristocratic, cockney,honourable

Upper middles class lifestyles

Romantic vision of the past Literary associations

Sumptuous costume

Sanitised view of Britain.

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'Gritty Realism'

Opposite of Heritage cinema critical ofBritish life, not reinforcing patriotic values(Trainspotting 'It's shite being Scottish')

Challenging to audience's comfort zones:Unflinching portrait of the harsh reality ofmodern Britain

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Gritty Realism

Often shockingexamination of thedark side of human

behaviour Deals with social

problems and oftenfocuses on working

or 'underclass'characters

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Bullet Boy

Watch the clip - what elements mark this aslow budget social realism?

How would this appeal to a UK audience

rather than a US audience?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MislEHQhtkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MislEHQhtk

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Bullet boy

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'Post-Heritage' cinema

Claire Monk's phrase for historical dramasthat don't just 'display' the past, but'interrogates' the past and our relationship

to it. Questions how the past is represented.

Explores contemporary themes in historicalsetting e.g. Wind That Shakes The Barley set in early 20th century Ireland, but thebrutality of the English soldiers to Irishcivilians is used an analogy to British troops

today.

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This is England

Meadows wants to portray the Britain neverseen in costume dramas and 'urbanfairytales'.

Mostly shoots in Nottingham and theMidlands.

Most characters are losers, low lives,criminals and juvenile delinquents butmany are sympathetic.

This is England directly addresses Britishnational identity through its examination of

racist skinhead culture of the 80s.

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Note what defines this film as Social Realism.

Why might this not be successful in the USA?

Does this matter?

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Class work:

Should there be a 'quota' system to ensureBritish films are not drowned out by big-budget Hollywood movies?

Do British films today reflect an accurate oridealised vision of society?

Is British cinema in crisis?

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Task: Categories of Film funding

Go on the BFI website.

How many types of funding are there?

What are the categories?