Introduction to British Cinema

(3-5 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

What is the British contribution to world cinema? Everyone's heard of Alfred Hitchcock, but what about Terence Davies or Ken Loach, two of the greatest film makers? Here we will study examples of the work of great directors and those whose names may not be obvious and look closely at their themes. We shall also study the subject through gender, ethnicity and class and theories of ideological conflict and social division. Britain has a small film industry. We tend to make films differently from Hollywood and the techniques we use differ too, from the ideas of lighting and cutting to the very scripts we embrace. Many British films are darker and more 'realistic' than Hollywood with overt political messages and without the stars of the Hollywood system. We have made some of the most influential films with the most prestigious directors and win plaudits around the world. This course concentrates on film (between 1929 and the present) from James Bond movies to Witchfinder General, from Blackmail to Time and the City to 'television' films such as Yasmin and from the avant-garde work of the counter culture to working-class realism. Introduction to British Cinema is aimed at students who wish to deepen and broaden their understanding of the British psyche through an understanding of the films we watch.