British cinema

Introduction

“ the Russians made films of martyrdom. The Americans made films of publicity. The English did what it always do in the cinema, nothing. ” Jean-Luc Godard, History (S) of the cinema , 1998.

And yet it is with the British cinema that one owes some of the largest realizers like Charles Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, Ken Loach, David Lean, Stephen Frears or Terence Fisher, of the actors like Laurence Olivier, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud, Peter Sellers, Dirk Bogarde, Richard Burton, Vanessa Redgrave, Deborah Kerr, George Sanders, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Charles Laughton or the Scot Sean Connery and of the mythical studios like Ealing, Hammer films or Pinewood.

Great Britain is also the birthplace of artists having made their career on other side of the ocean such Julie Andrews or Cary Grant.

Contrary, the British cinema attracted certain American realizers such as Joseph Losey or James Ivory which knew so well to serve it that they pass commonly for British.

History of the British cinema

The history of the British cinema is the history of the survival of a national cinema in an international context of domination by the American cinema. The British cinema unceasingly had to adapt to survive, and this in a country where the cinema does not play a central role in the culture as is the case in France for example.

As of the end of the First World War, the cinema in GB is dominated by the American production. One of the results is the installation of a law in 1927 to protect the national cinema. This law obliges the cinemas to project a certain percentage of British films. If this measurement makes it possible to safeguard the British cinema, it has disadvantages. Indeed, it tends there to produce films (called the quota quickies') with very low budget and of bad quality, only to fulfill the legal requirements. The cinemas projected them at the beginning of evening, followed by the large American films which made fill the rooms. A few year later, one imposed a minimum cost per meter of film, in order to limit the phenomenon of the quotas quickies.

In the British years 1930 and 1940 films were often written and realized around singers high-speed motorboats. Most notable were George Formby, which produced tens of film on its character of happy imbecile, and Gracie Fields, héroîne working of the time.

Years 1950 are the golden age of the English cinema, not only because of the record number of sold places, but also because the production companies with Ealing carry out many successes. Above all, Ealing Comedies such as Goes the Day Well or Passeport for Pimlico defends a certain populism. The small people are the hero of these films, and always gain against the crawling bureaucracy.

To the same time the Free Cinema gives a more social vision of what should be the cinema.

Since the years 1960

Separately the governmental intervention, the British cinema could survive primarily while specializing in certain categories of film.

- The film " of patrimoine" who shows the more or less mythical life of dreamed England where the conflicts of class do not exist. Filled of pretty decorations and delicate characters, these films are sometimes built around great classics of the English literature ( Raison and feelings , the English , Orgueil and prejudged Patient ), but not always ( Chariots of fire …).

- The modern comedy. Starting with humor mild nutter of the Monty Python, the comedy gained much success. Four marriages and a burial or Love Actually are examples.

- The film " social". Often more projected apart from England, the films " sociaux" or " réalistes" show the working class or other oppressed layers of the English company. Ken Loach is the most known realizer in this kind, which could cut a reputation international ( Regards and smiles , Sweet Sixteen , Carla' S Song ). Other realizers as Stephen Frears often made in the same kind.

For a long time the films " sociaux" British concentrated only on the life of the white workmen, but since fifteen or twenty years there is a series of films which treat life of the immigrant population (Bhaji one the beach, Bend it like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, Dirty Pretty Things, My Beautiful Laundrette…).

Many the realizers of the films " sociaux" English had been trained with the production of televised series for BBC. Indeed, will of the BBC to invest in the production of emissions " sérieuses" the development of the British cinema facilitated much.

Certain films (as The Full Monty mix two of these kinds - the social film and the comedy.

A little separately are the films of James Bond. A world success, these films aims at defending, in the world of imaginary, the English values in a world where the United Kingdom is not any more one super power. The English in the film (James Bond) weapons did not sophisticate as many than the other powers in the world, but saves planet nevertheless because it is most malignant, English… and sexiest.

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