HISTORY OF BRITISH CINEMAJessica Mcguigan

1920sBackground information- Saw the introduction of Sound Films and the Cinematograph Films Act of 1972, which was an act of

Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry.- Cameras were mounted on moveable, squeak-proofed dollies, and microphones were hung from

booms that could be held above the action.- Films that began production as silents were quickly transformed into sound films.

Key genres - Crime- Drama

Who were the key directors of this time?Adrian Brunel Alfred Hitchcockreached his peak in the later 1920's.

1920sHow successful were British Cinema in this time period?- Their essence was entertainment; their success, financial and otherwise, was huge.

- The 1920's was largely dominated by silent movies but saw the introduction of synchronized sound

- It wasn't until 1923 that a commercially distributed film contained a synchronised sound track that was photographically recorded and printed on to the side of the strip of motion picture film.

- Was the first real turning point for British cinema, this was the era where films developed significantly in terms of technology used to make them.

Popular Films in the 1920s

BRITISH CINEMA IN THE 1930’S.By Luke Dixon

Brief Overview• The 1930’s was viewed largely with disdain, it was before

the ‘Golden Age’ of British Cinema which occurred in 1940.

• Lots of films were produced with the lowest possible budget as they were only made to fill the Cinematograph Films Act of 1927.• These films were known as the ‘quota quickies.’

• However, the Replacement Act in 1938 changed this as a minimum production cost was introduced.

Key Genre of the Decade• The most successful and predominant genre in the 1930’s

was Comedy.• A team of  Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham

Moffatt resulted in one of the greatest comedy teams ever to work in cinema.

• George Formby and Gracie Fields were the two stand out actors in this decade and as a result they endured a very successful time in cinema.• They became the biggest British box office attractions of the

decade.

Key Films of the Decade• The 39 Steps;

• Thriller produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.• In 1999, The 39 Steps was voted 4th in the BFI Poll of the top 100

British Films.• 35th in the list was another Hitchcock film, The Lady

Vanishes.• This film was a comic thriller.• It was Hitchcock’s penultimate film before his move to Hollywood.

Hitchcock• Alfred Hitchcock was, by a large margin, the greatest

director in British Cinema in the 1390’s. • He was arguably one of the greatest directors of all time in cinema

in general.• He produced numerous films in the 30’s before he moved to

Hollywood such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1937).

Sam Wood• Sam Wood is another director who endured a fair amount

of success in the 1930’s.• Directed the film Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1939. The film came 72nd in

the BFI’s Greatest 100 British Film poll.• This film was nominated and one an Oscar 1940 for the Best Actor

in the leading Role, Robert Donat and was also nominated for the Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and more.

John Grierson• John Grierson was the man who merged the term

‘documentary’ to a non-fiction film.• He produced the iconic film Night Mail (1936) which was the most

successful and celebrated documentary of it’s time.

Successful?• Overall, the 1930’s for British Film was not a time of

success. The majority of films were cheap and only created to fulfill the Cinematographic Films Act.

• However, some directors and producers, none more so than Alfred Hitchcock, experienced a good decade.

• Actors and actresses such as George Formby and Gracie Fields came to the foreground as leading cast members.

Representation

This shot is from the film The Lady Vanishes in 1937. At this time Britain was gearing up towards the Second World War in 1939.

This screen shot could represent and portray as Britain as a war mongering country and they are always resorting to fighting.

Examples• The 39 Steps (1935).

• The Lady Vanishes (1938).

• Goodbye, Mr. Chips. (1939).

1940'S FILMIn the beginning half of the 1940's World War 2 took place which then ended in 1945.

In the 1940's documentaries were quite popular as they were based on the home front.

Key Films-Brief Encounter (1945)-Great Expectations (1946)-Oliver Twist (1948)-Odd Man Out (1947)-The Third Man (1949)-A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)-Black Narcissus (1947)-The Red Shoes (1948)-Hamlet (1948)-Dead of Night (1945)

Key Directors-David Leane, UK film director and

producer.

-Carol Reed, was a British film director best known for 'Odd Man Out' (1947)

-Laurence Olivier, British actor, director and producer.

How successful Britain Film was in the 1940'sIn the 1940's it was thought to have been the golden era of British Cinema as

directors such as David Lean, Michael Powell & Carol Reed produced their most highly acclaimed work.

16 of the top 100 British films polled in 1999 were from the 1940's, including half of the top ten.

In 1940 propaganda was used a lot in cinemas and in films such as 'Eating Out with Tommy Trinder' (1941)

During the 1940's the cinema was incredibly cheap which meant that a lot of people went to cinemas.

Film Representation of Britain

In the 1940's britain was represented as being quite posh, people were wealthy and having money.

BRITISH CINEMA 1950'S

Was British film successful in the 1950's?

The 1950's have been seen as the doldrum era for british cinema, an era of depression.

the top two british cinema companies of the time rank organisation closed 79 cinemas in 1956 and Associated british pictures Corporation closed 65 the year later

cinema admissions had stood at £1,365 million in britain by 1960 the figure was down to £500 million

Popular Films of the 1950'sThe Cruel Sea directed by Charles Frend, 1953The Dam Busters by Michael Anderson, 1955

The Most Popular of the Decade was:The Bridge on the river Kwai by David Lean, 1957This was the cinemas biggest international success of the decade

Popular Directors of the Decade

1.Charles Crighton's directed The Lavender Hill Mob, 1951

2. Michael Anderson directed the Dam Busters, 1955

3.Chareles Frend directed The Cruel Sea, 1953

Key movements Free cinema- documentary film movement that took place in the mid 1950's

Key Genres Comedy was one of the most popular genres of the 1950's one of these films was called the Astonished heart directed by Terence Fisher

1. 2.

during the 1950's the rationing came to an end there was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the space race began.

The image above was taken from the film the bridge on the river kwai, I think that this image is reflecting the war and rationing that had happened in the 1950's before this film was released. As you can see an army in the picture this reflects and represents british

patriotism.

the 1950's was a low point for British Film

1960'S BRITISH CINEMA

Charlie Reynolds

British Cinema Overview• American film companies started to financially support

British films again.

• The James Bond series was the first to gross over a billion dollars, and is still the highest-grossing after adjusting for inflation.

• Popular genre was action, based around spies.

• Popular films: - James Bond; Dr. No, From Russia with Love,

Goldfinger and Thunderball. - The IPCRESS File - The spy who came in from the cold - The Deadly Affair

Key Films- Dr. No (1962), first of the James Bond series.- Lawrence of Arabia (1962), won 5 golden globes.- Tom Jones (1963), directed by Tony Richardson.- Goldfinger (1964), third James Bond film.- Help! (1965), second Beatles film.- Accident (1967), directed by Harold Pinter.- Kes (1969), directed by Ken Loach.

Key Directors- Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho - 1960- Billy Wilder - The Apartment - 1960- Stanley Kubrick - Spartacus - 1960- Stanley Kramer - Inherit the Word - 1960- Michael Powell - Peeping Tom - 1960- Richard Brooks - Elmer Gantry - 1960All these directors were influential within the 1960's and

they created pieces which are still being watched till today.

Key Event within British Cinema in 1960's

The key event in British cinema within in 1960, I feel is the start of the James Bond phenomenon. It was the first film

to have become the highest-grossing movie of all time and it is the longest continually-running series of films in

history, and its British. This shows our cinematic culture is the most powerful in the world and we have a huge impact

on the world when it comes to the film industry.

This screenshot is easily recognisable and everyone around the world are able to identify it. I think this represents Britain as being quite dangerous however it only reflects what is happening to the film, but in the 1960's it could represent Britain in that way as it has British influences.

THE 1970'S AND BRITISH FILM

Mustafa Mohamud

Overview of the periodThe 1970's were a unique period for British cinema.Firstly there were huge cutbacks on American studios investing in British productions, this meant that this decade would not be huge for British cinema; although there were some hit British films produced.

Key film of the decade?Despite these investment issues British producers still managed to produce key films that could be argued to be some of the best British films ever produced.Examples of such films include the james bond film "Diamonds are forever 1972", "Don't look now-1973" and "Monty pythons life of Brian-1979".

What were the key directors of this decade?Although some British directors did produce great films during this period, for example Ridley Scott produced he's Sci-Fi hit "Alien-1979" and John Boorman produced he's epic thriller "Deliverance-1972" ; however if one director should be accredited with the title of best British director of the 70's it has to be Nicolas Roeg, who produced three iconic films during this decade those being "Performance-1970", "Walkabout-1971" and "Don't look now-1973".

How successful was British film at this time?British film during this period was moderately successful but this depends on how you define success as their were very few great British films during this period. Britain faced stiff competition from abroad examples include many great productions such as "The Godfather-1972" and "Apocalypse Now-1979"

How did this reflect what was going on in Britain in the 1970s?The 1970's was a decade of strikes.During 1972 a three

day week was imposed to save on electricity during the miners strikes.These series of strikes ended in 1979 with the "winter of discontent".Surprisingly these strikes were not really represented in British Cinema at the time and these strikes are covered in more modern films such as "The iron lady" which includes scenes of mass strikes.

Screen grab

Screen grab from "Deliverance-1972"

This screenshot represents Britishness in a positive way as the person above is aiming an arrow at an armed individual attempting to kill him, so he is acting in self defence. This represents Britishness as being defensive and self reliant.

High or low point for British film?In general this was a high point in British cinema as there

were many great British films produced during the decade.

•"Diamonds are forever-1972"

•"Monty pythons life of Brian-1979"

•"Alien-1979"

•"Deliverance-1972"•"Sunday Bloody Sunday-1971"•"A Clockwork orange-1971"•Note-Both "Deliverance" and "A Clockwork orange" won

academy awards for best picture.

  

HISTORY OF BRITISH CINEMA – 1980SBy Hannah Woods

Brief Overview• At the 1982 Oscars, Colin Welland announced ‘the British

are coming’• British film won many awards• Channel 4 funded British Cinema giving others voices, not

just London based producers.• Many independent production companies were made.

Key Films and DirectorsFILMS• Babylon• Gregory’s Girl• Ping Pong• Educating Rita• Licence To Kill

DIRECTORS• Bill Forsyth• Hugh Hudson• Roland Joffe

How successful was British Film at this time?• There weren’t a lot of successful films made in the 80’s

with a few (such as Chariots of Fire) winning many awards and rising cinema attendance.

• USA had an amazing year of film with films such as Back To The Future, E.T, Ghostbusters, The Breakfast Club. This may have been the reason why British films weren’t as popular.

• Many Hollywood blockbusters relied on special effects made at the British studio Pinewood, including Superman and Star Wars

Representation of British Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naGZvVVSynM

Gregory’s Girl

The Decade of Money, Mega-Spending and Special Effects

BRITISH CINEMA 1990S

What happened to british film in the 90sKey eventsInvestment in film production rose

dramatically compared to the 1980s. Investments had gone up by over 600 million by 1994.

Tax incentives allowed americans producers to invest in british film. This help to fund big british films like "Shakespeare in love" and "Topsy-Turvy"

In 1995 the british film board had to start putting on information about films (e.g sec,violence, bad language).

DVD was introduce into the UK market. they was the most successful domestic media format since the compact dice in 1983,

New acted intoduced for the writing off production to a film and expenditure of british film qualifying as british. they also have to meet the 1985 Film act.

Film movementThe Decade of Money, Mega-

Spending and Special EffectsWith home viewing start and

people being able to watch films at home, Film makes had to keep people insteaded. Special effects helped to keep people interested into going to watch a film and with higher costs films need more funding.

Key genres 1990s - 1999s

The key genres that was seen within the 90s was Comedy and Dramas. Every year there was more Drama and comedy films than any other genres.

WHAT WAS THE KEY FILMS OF THE 1990S?• The Remains of the Day• Four weddings and a Funeral• Trainspotting• The English Patient• The full Monty• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking

Barrels• Shakespeare in Love• In The Name of The Father• The crying game

These was key films that was made in the 90s

THE KEY DIRECTORS OF THE 1990S

Nike Newell was the director of "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

Peter Cattaneo was the director of "The Full Monty"

Anthony Minghella was the director of "The English Patient"

BRITISH FILM SUCCESS?British film was growing and had become more popular than the 1980s. With investment going up by over 600 million.

however many films relied on funding from television broadcasters like BBC and Channel 4.

I would say that the 90s was a success because looking at the films that was made they went worldwide and are still watched today.

YOUTUBE CLIP

This is a shot from the film Trainspotting.

I think this is a negative representation of britishness within the film. This is because it shows them sitting around smoking and drinking loads of bear.

I don't agree that all people did was drink and smoke in the pub.

Overall i think that trainspotting shows a negative view of britain from this clip. However as i have never watch the full film i wouldn't give my opinion if i think it is fully negative or has some positive points.

This was a high year for british film in my opinion as well know films was made and are still watched today. The decade help to bring money in the british film industry and keep it going.

HISTORY OF BRITISH CINEMA

2000's

Overview

The 2000's was a successful decade for the british film industry with the first seven films in the Harry Potter series taking over $637,700,000 alone.

British urban film festival was created, leading the way for films such as KiDULTHOOD and AdULTHOOD to become highly successful

Daniel Craig controversially became the new James Bond

The UK Film council had its last decade producing films before it was abolished producing cult classics within the era such as Harry Brown, Snatch, The Business, This Is England and The Football Factory.

Key Films and DirectorsThe key films of this era were:Harry Potter (Films 1-7)Bridget Jones Series Charlie And The Chocolate FactoryBatman BeginsSnatchThe key directors of the era were:Noel Clarke (KiDULTHOOD, AdULTHOOD)Nick love (Football Factory, The Business, Outlaw, The firm)Danny Boyle (28 Days later, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours)Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla, Sherlock Holmes)

Success of the 2000's &Reflection of on society

The British cinema admissions for 2000 - 2010 were the highest since 1970's which indicates the British film industry had a a very strong decade.

Films such as KidULTHOOD, AdULTHOOD, Harry Brown and The Football Factory reflect the rising problems britain faced during that period such as which was majorly Street crime such as muggings, shootings and stabbings which can be seen in many of the urban films of that era, other problems which are depicted within british films was the rising issue of recreational drug use. All of these problems can also be related to the topic of the economical downfall of the country at that time.

Representations within british film

This screenshot From The Football Factory depicts Britains everlasting problem with binge drinking, which the population are notorious for because of their poor behaviour whilst binge drinking. I believe that this is a negative representation of Britishness as it displays the dominant ideology that the country has created for themselves.In general most of the topics portrayed are negative within the British film industry such as crime, violence and drugs this shows these topics to a younger audience who them may deciede to copy or be influenced by what they see.

This period was the best for britain since the 1970's the British film industry is ever growing, expanding and achieving higher and was a high point for the industry during 2000 - 2010

HISTORY OF BRITISH CINEMA Tommy Bowdery

2010’s • The 2010’s has dropped down 19 percent as the year 2011 between

the months of June to August came in at 55.1m. Making films such as Total Recall and Battleships which were disappointed blockbusters. During 2011 they sold 172 million cinema tickets, this is a 1.4% increase from 2010. The key genres for the British audience are shown to be comedies.

• The next pages show how popular the movies have got during the year of 2011.

• http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/bfi-statistical-yearbook-reports-stand-out-year-uk-film-2011

Films of 2011

Key films and Directors of 2012’s• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ‘part 2’• Director; David Yates • Distributor; Warner Brothers

• The Kings Speech• Director; Tom Hooper• Distributor; Momentum

• The Imbetweeners Movie • Director; Ben Palmer • Distributor; Entertainment

Examples • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-0wqtH-Fw• Imbetweeners Movie (2011)

This represents Britain as he is wearing a England top in a foreign country.