British Film

by Jim Leach

• ISBN13: 9780521654197
• ISBN10: 052165419X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book explores British cinema in relation to its social political and cultural contexts. Each chapter deals with a specific topic and includes close readings of key films from different historical periods. Topics include realism, expressionism, popular cinema, film and theater, sexuality and gender, comedy, class and ideology, heritage film, and diasporic cinema. Demonstrating the richness and variety of a national cinema that has traditionally struggled to define itself between the paradigms of Hollywood popular film and European art cinema, British Film also addresses the problematic concept of 'national character' as it has been applied in studies of national cinemas and cultures, and the increasing pressure on all of these ideas in the age of globalization. Designed for the general reader, this volume is suitable for use as a textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of British cinema and detailed discussion of specific films that can be used in tandem with screenings.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(181)
1 The National Health: Great Britain/Deep England	13	(17)
2 The Magic Box: What Is British Cinema?	30	(18)
3 The Common Touch: The Art of Being Realistic	48	(18)
4 The Mirror Crack'd: British Expressionism	66	(20)
5 Millions like Us: National Cinema as Popular Cinema	86	(18)
6 The Stars Look Down:Acting British	104	(20)
7 No Sex Please -We're British: Sex, Gender, and the National Character	124	(19)
8 Carry On Regardless: The British Sense of Humor	143	(18)
9 Sexy Beasts: British Monsters	161	(21)
10 The Ruling Class: Ideology and the School Movie	182	(17)
11 The Long Memory: History and Heritage	199	(20)
12 I'm British but...: Empire and After	219	(16)
Notes	235	(20)
Bibliography	255	(18)
Filmography	273	(8)
Index	281