MEST1 Section B: The British film industry

What makes a film British?

It could be said that if a film is made in Britain then it is a British film, or people making the film are British or it funded from within Britain, the cast are British, the film’s subject matter is about Britain or British culture.

What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

The British film production context does not have as many clearly defined characteristics. British films can be large budget, high concept films such as Harry Potter. Whereas the Hollywood production context means that most films made by Hollywood studios have high budgets, a heavy reliance on celebrities both in the cast and crew and spectacle driven stories. 

When did the James Bond franchise start?

The 1960s brought about the start of the James Bond franchise as well as a greater involvement of American money and talent.

In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

The British film industry in the 1970s was dominated by the subject of censorship that continued into the video nasties banning of the 1980s. The 1980s also saw a dramatic decline in American investment in British film that did not increase again until the 1990s.

 What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in?
Many of the representations of different groups within British film focus and change according to these issues, for instance if we take the representation of youth in British films. For example if we look at the way youth is portrayed in a very singular way in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange the focus is on violence, anti-establishment and a compulsion to act in an anarchic way.

What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

British culture makes the films appealing to audiences. The focus on class, social strife and education are also appealing. A socially conscious narrative also appeals to audiences as they address current social and political concerns. There is also a dose of humour which is within a British film, into even the most rigorous of social realism films so it appeals to the British sensibility of the stiff upper lip.