This module surveys the history of British cinema across six decades, from the medium’s origins in the 1890s to the end of the 1950s. We will examine a wide variety of British films and genres from this period, ranging from Robert Paul’s early animated shorts to Technicolor dramas, and from war propaganda to Ealing comedies. Students will learn to identify major trends and moments in the history of British film production, distribution and exhibition. This course will encourage you to read such history within the broader context of the cultural debates and institutions (such as the British Film Institute) that have helped define British national cinema in this period.
Far from taking the notion of ‘national cinema’ for granted, throughout the module, students will be invited to critically question and debate this concept. We will investigate the ways in which discourses around British national identity, gender, race, imperial fantasies and propagandistic interests found a means of expression and representation in cinema. Across eleven weeks, the course will focus on both popular cinema and lesser-known films, encouraging students to discover formerly neglected periods (such as early British cinema) and movies (such as colonial films).
Far from taking the notion of ‘national cinema’ for granted, throughout the module, students will be invited to critically question and debate this concept. We will investigate the ways in which discourses around British national identity, gender, race, imperial fantasies and propagandistic interests found a means of expression and representation in cinema. Across eleven weeks, the course will focus on both popular cinema and lesser-known films, encouraging students to discover formerly neglected periods (such as early British cinema) and movies (such as colonial films).
