This work is a new, and much expanded edition of an established text on British cinema. It examines the nature, history and possible future of the British film industry through the work of directors and their films. Information is presented in seven major sections. The first two assess early British cinema, with exploration of genre and traditions. Big studio production, the British studio system, the documentary film movement and low budget movies all receive detailed analysis. The next two sections deal with British cinema from the Second World War to the 1960s; topics covered include male stars and masculinity, women and 1960s cinema, the Rank Organisation, British costume film, melodrama and realism. Two further sections examine major topics relating to the identity of British cinema; popular cinema to the avant‐garde, and contemporary cinema. Finally, come essays on contemporary British cinema. In all there are 36 essays, all by different authorities. The book is indexed and has a scattering of photographs.
This work provides a fascinating overview of the history of a British cinema. Comprehensive and definitive, there is a wealth of information to illustrate the complexity of the industry’s development. Published primarily for film students, it is also a valuable text for the dedicated moviegoer. The style of many of the contributions is dynamic, which adds a “good read” enjoyment dimension to a dense and detailed text. Editor Robert Murphy, in his introduction to the first edition of 1997, stated that “as editor I have stressed the importance of clarity and accessibility but have not attempted to dragoon contributors into adopting a uniform or particularly neutral style, nor have I tried to iron out their differences and disagreements”. The freedom permitted to each author has resulted in a roller coaster of a ride, sometimes irritating because of the need for the reader to continually readjust to another style but always rewarding in the verve of the arguments. Each contribution has an extensive list of references to facilitate further research.
A major strength of this edition is the new material which brings the survey right up to 2000.The work of contemporary directors is analysed, along with current topics such as New Romanticism, the “Hollywood Connection” and the heritage film debate. Politics, financial realities and the future developments of the industry internationally are topics of hot debate. The contributors are primarily drawn from the academic field of film and media studies, but there are valuable sections by authorities on cultural studies, music criticism, art and design. This is an excellent book for both specialist and general collections.
