Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has been influential in the technological, commercial, and artistic development of cinema. Despite a history of successful productions, the industry is characterised by an ongoing debate about its identity (including economic and cultural issues) and the influences of American and European cinema.
History
Early UK cinema
Modern cinema is generally regarded as descending from the work of the French Lumière brothers in 1892, and their show first came to London in 1896. However, the first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. The film is the first known instance of a projected moving image.
Related Topics:
French - Lumière brothers - 1892 - 1896 - Hyde Park, London - 1889 - William Friese Greene - 1890
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The first people to build and run a working 35 mm camera in Britain were Robert W. Paul and Birt Acres. They made the first British film Incident at Clovelly Cottage in February 1895, shortly before falling out over the camera's patent. Soon several British film companies had opened to meet the demand for new films, such as Mitchell and Kenyon in Blackburn. From 1898 American producer Charles Urban expanded the London-based Warwick Trading Company to produce British films, mostly documentary and news. He later formed his own Charles Urban Trading Company, which also produced early colour films.
Related Topics:
35 mm - Camera - Robert W. Paul - Birt Acres - Mitchell and Kenyon - Blackburn - Charles Urban
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The 1930s boom
By the mid-twenties the UK film industry losing out to heavy competition from Hollywood films, helped its much larger home market. In 1914 25% of films shown in the UK were British - by 1926 this had fallen to 5%. The Cinematograph Films Act 1927 was passed in order to boost local production, requiring that UK cinemas show a certain percentage of British films. The act was technically a success, with audiences for British films becoming larger than the quota required. But it had the effect of creating a market for 'quota quickies': poor quality, low cost films, made in order to satisfy the quota. Some critics have blamed the quickies for holding back the development of the industry. Many British film-makers learnt their craft making quota quickies, including Michael Powell and Alfred Hitchcock.
Related Topics:
Hollywood - 1914 - 1926 - Cinematograph Films Act 1927 - Michael Powell - Alfred Hitchcock
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Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail (1929) is regarded as the first British sound production. In the era of silent films audiences were receptive to movies from all nations. However, with the advent of sound films, many foreign actors or those with thick regional accents soon found themselves in less demand, and more 'formal' English (received pronunciation) became the norm. Sound also increased the influence of already popular American films.
Related Topics:
Blackmail - 1929 - Received pronunciation - American films
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Starting with John Grierson's Drifters, the 1930s saw the emergence of a new school of realist documentary films: The Documentary Film Movement. It was Grierson who coined the term documentary to describe a non-fiction film, and he produced the movement's most celebrated film of the 1930s, Night Mail (1936), written and directed by Basil Wright and Harry Watt, and incorporating the poem by W.H. Auden. Other key figures in this movement were Humphrey Jennings, Paul Rotha and Alberto Cavalcanti.All of them would go on to produce important films during World War II.
Related Topics:
John Grierson's - Drifters - 1930s - The Documentary Film Movement - Documentary - Night Mail - 1936 - W.H. Auden - Humphrey Jennings - Paul Rotha - Alberto Cavalcanti - World War II
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Several other new talents emerged during this period, and Alfred Hitchcock would confirm his status as one of Britain's leading young directors with his influential thrillers The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938), before moving to Hollywood.
Related Topics:
Alfred Hitchcock - The Man Who Knew Too Much - 1934 - The 39 Steps - 1935 - The Lady Vanishes - 1938 - Hollywood
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Music hall also proved influential in comedy films of this period, and a number of popular personalities emerged, including George Formby, Gracie Fields, Jessie Matthews and Will Hay.
Related Topics:
Music hall - Comedy films - George Formby - Gracie Fields - Jessie Matthews - Will Hay
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Many of the most important British productions of the 1930s were produced by London Films, founded by the Hungarian emigre Alexander Korda. These included Things to Come (1936), Rembrandt (1936) and Knight Without Armour (1937), as well as the early Technicolor films The Drum (1938), The Four Feathers (1939) and The Thief of Bagdad (1940). These had followed closely on from Wings of the Morning (1937), Britain's first colour feature film.
Related Topics:
British - 1930s - London Films - Hungarian - Alexander Korda - Things to Come - 1936 - Rembrandt - Knight Without Armour - 1937 - Technicolor - The Drum - 1938 - The Four Feathers - 1939 - The Thief of Bagdad - 1940 - Wings of the Morning
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After the boom years of the late 1920s and early 1930s, rising expenditure and over-optimistic expansion into the American market caused the production bubble to burst in 1937. Of the 640 British production companies registered between 1925 and 1936, 20 were still going in 1937. Moreover, the 1927 Films Act was up for renewel. The replacement Cinematograph Films Act 1938 provided incentives for UK companies to make fewer films of higher quality and, influenced by world politics, encouraged American investment and imports. One result was the creation by the American company MGM of a British studio MGM British in Hertfordshire, which produced some very successful films, including A Yank at Oxford (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), before The Second World War intervened.
Related Topics:
MGM - MGM British - Hertfordshire - A Yank at Oxford - 1938 - Goodbye, Mr. Chips - 1939 - The Second World War
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World War II
The constraints imposed by World War II seemed to give new energy to the British film industry. After a faltering start, British films began to make increasing use of documentary techniques and former documentary film-makers to make more realistic films, like In Which We Serve (1942), Went the Day Well? (1942), Millions Like Us (1943) and The Way Ahead (1944). In the later war years Gainsborough Studios produced a series of critically derided but immensely popular period melodramas including The Man in Grey (1943) and The Wicked Lady (1945). These helped to create a new generation of British stars, such as Stewart Granger, Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. Two Cities, an independent production company also made some important films including This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945) and Laurence Olivier's Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948). The war years also saw the flowering of the Powell and Pressburger partnership with films like Forty-Ninth Parallel (1941), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and A Canterbury Tale (1944) which, while set in wartime, were very much about the people affected by war rather than battles.
Related Topics:
World War II - In Which We Serve - 1942 - Went the Day Well? - Millions Like Us - 1943 - The Way Ahead - 1944 - Gainsborough - The Man in Grey - The Wicked Lady - 1945 - Stewart Granger - Margaret Lockwood - James Mason - Two Cities - This Happy Breed - Blithe Spirit - Laurence Olivier - Henry V - Hamlet - 1948 - Powell and Pressburger - Forty-Ninth Parallel - 1941 - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - A Canterbury Tale
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Post-war cinema
British cinema hit new heights of creativity in the immediate post-war years, with David Lean's Brief Encounter (1945) and his Dickens adaptations Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948), Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947) and The Third Man (1949), and Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1946) and The Red Shoes (1948). Ealing Studios also embarked on their series of celebrated comedies, including Whisky Galore (1948), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and The Man in the White Suit (1951). Towards the end of the 1940s, the Rank Organisation, founded in 1937 by J. Arthur Rank, became the dominant force behind British film-making. It acquired a number of British studios, and bank-rolled some of the great British film-makers which were emerging in this period.
Related Topics:
David Lean - Brief Encounter - 1945 - Great Expectations - 1946 - Oliver Twist - 1948 - Odd Man Out - 1947 - The Third Man - 1949 - Powell and Pressburger - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - Whisky Galore - Kind Hearts and Coronets - The Man in the White Suit - 1951 - 1940s - Rank Organisation - 1937 - J. Arthur Rank
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In the 1950s the British industry seemed to concentrate on producing popular comedies and World War II dramas. The war films were often based on true stories and made in a similar low-key style to their wartime predecessors. They helped to make stars of actors like John Mills, Jack Hawkins and Kenneth More, and some of the most successful included The Cruel Sea (1953), The Dambusters (1954), The Colditz Story (1955) and Reach For The Sky (1956).
Related Topics:
1950s - World War II - John Mills - Jack Hawkins - Kenneth More - The Cruel Sea - 1953 - The Dambusters - 1954 - The Colditz Story - 1955 - Reach For The Sky - 1956
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Popular comedy series included the St Trinians films and the "Doctor" series, beginning with Doctor in the House in 1954. The latter series starred Dirk Bogarde, probably the British industry's most popular star of the 1950s. Bogarde was later replaced by Michael Craig and Leslie Phillips, and the series continued until 1970. The Rank Organisation also produced some other notable comedy successes, such as Genevieve in 1953.
Related Topics:
St Trinians - Doctor in the House - 1954 - Dirk Bogarde - Michael Craig - Leslie Phillips - 1970 - Rank Organisation - Genevieve - 1953
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The writer/director/producer team of twin brothers John and Roy Boulting also produced a series of successful satires on British life and institutions, beginning with Private's Progress (1956), and continuing with Brothers in Law (1957), Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1958), I'm All Right Jack (1959) and Heavens Above! (1963). The Italian director-producer Mario Zampi also made a number of comedies including Laughter in Paradise (1951), The Naked Truth (1957) and Too Many Crooks (1958).
Related Topics:
John and Roy Boulting - Private's Progress - 1956 - Brothers in Law - 1957 - Carlton-Browne of the F.O. - 1958 - I'm All Right Jack - 1959 - Heavens Above! - 1963 - Mario Zampi - Laughter in Paradise - 1951 - The Naked Truth - Too Many Crooks
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After a string of successful films, including the comedies The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) and The Ladykillers (1955), as well as dramas like Dead of Night, Scott of the Antarctic and The Cruel Sea, Ealing Studios finally ceased production in 1958, and the studios were taken over by the BBC for television production.
Related Topics:
The Man in the White Suit - 1951 - The Lavender Hill Mob - The Titfield Thunderbolt - 1953 - The Ladykillers - 1955 - Dead of Night - Scott of the Antarctic - The Cruel Sea - Ealing Studios - 1958 - BBC
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The British New Wave
The British New Wave, or Free Cinema, describes a group of films made between 1959 and 1963 which portray a more gritty social realism. They were influenced by the Angry Young Men of the mid-50s along with the documentary films of everyday life commissioned by the Post Office during and after the Second World War, and are often associated with kitchen sink drama. The group was established around the film magazine Sequence that was founded by Tony Richardson, Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson who together with future James Bond producer Harry Saltzman established the company Woodfall Films which made their early films. These included adaptations of Richardson's own stage productions of Look Back in Anger and The Entertainer. Other significant films in this movement include Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), A Kind of Loving (1962), and This Sporting Life (1963). After Richardson's film of Tom Jones became a big hit the group broke up to pursue different interests. The Free Cinema films also made stars out of their leading actors Albert Finney, Alan Bates, Richard Burton, Rita Tushingham, Richard Harris and Tom Courtenay.
Related Topics:
Free Cinema - 1959 - 1963 - Social realism - Angry Young Men - Post Office - Kitchen sink drama - Tony Richardson - Karel Reisz - Lindsay Anderson - Harry Saltzman - Woodfall Films - Look Back in Anger - The Entertainer - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning - A Kind of Loving - This Sporting Life - Tom Jones - Albert Finney - Alan Bates - Richard Burton - Rita Tushingham - Richard Harris - Tom Courtenay
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The 1960s Boom
In the 1960s British studios began to enjoy major success in the international market with a string of films that displayed a more liberated attitude to sex, capitalising on the "swinging London" image propagated by Time magazine. Films like Darling, Alfie, Georgy Girl, and The Knack all explored this phenomenon, while Blow-up, Repulsion and later Women in Love, broke taboos around the portrayal of sex and nudity on screen.
Related Topics:
1960s - Swinging London - Time magazine - Darling - Alfie - Georgy Girl - The Knack - Blow-up - Repulsion - Women in Love
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At the same time, producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli combined sex with exotic locations, casual violence and self-referential humour in the phenomenally successful James Bond series. The first film Dr. No was a sleeper hit in Britain in 1962, and the second, From Russia with Love (1963), was a hit worldwide. By the time of the third film, Goldfinger (1964), the series had become a global phenomenon, reaching its commercial peak with Thunderball the following year.
Related Topics:
Producers - Harry Saltzman - Albert R. Broccoli - James Bond - Dr. No - Sleeper - 1962 - From Russia with Love - 1963 - Goldfinger - 1964 - Thunderball
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The series success lead to a spy film boom, with The Liquidator (1965), Modesty Blaise (1966), Sebastian (1968) and the Bulldog Drummond spoofs, Deadlier Than the Male (1967) and Some Girls Do (1968) among the results. Meanwhile, Bond co-producer Harry Saltzman had also instigated a rival series of more realistic spy films based on the novels of Len Deighton. Michael Caine starred as bespectacled spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967), and the success of these ushered in a cycle of downbeat espionage films in the manner of the novels of John Le Carre, including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and The Deadly Affair (1966).
Related Topics:
Spy film - The Liquidator - 1965 - Modesty Blaise - 1966 - Sebastian - 1968 - Bulldog Drummond - Deadlier Than the Male - 1967 - Some Girls Do - Len Deighton - Michael Caine - Harry Palmer - The Ipcress File - Funeral in Berlin - Billion Dollar Brain - John Le Carre - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - The Deadly Affair
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Loosening censorship restrictions and the success of the Hammer Horror films in the late 1950s and early 1960s also produced an explosion in horror film production in Britain that would last well into the next decade. Beginning with cinema versions of Nigel Kneale's popular Quatermass science fiction serials for the BBC, Hammer quickly graduated to producing new versions of Frankenstein (The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957), Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959). Hammer would dominate British horror production throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, but many other companies were created to meet the new demand for British horror films, including Amicus Productions and Tigon British.
Related Topics:
Hammer Horror - 1950s - 1960s - Horror film - Nigel Kneale - Quatermass - Science fiction - BBC - Frankenstein - The Curse of Frankenstein - 1957 - Dracula - 1958 - The Mummy - 1959 - 1970s - Amicus Productions - Tigon British
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Overseas film makers were also attracted to Britain at this time. Polish film maker Roman Polanski made Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-Sac (1966) in London and Northumberland respectively, before attracting the attention of Hollywood. Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni filmed Blow-up (1966) with David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave, and François Truffaut directed his only film made outside France, the science fiction parable Fahrenheit 451 in 1966.
Related Topics:
Polish - Roman Polanski - Repulsion - 1965 - Cul-de-Sac - 1966 - London - Northumberland - Hollywood - Michelangelo Antonioni - Blow-up - David Hemmings - Vanessa Redgrave - François Truffaut - France - Science fiction - Fahrenheit 451
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American directors were regularly working in London throughout the decade, but several became permananet residents in Britain. Blacklisted in America, Joseph Losey had a significant influence on British cinema in the 60s, particularly with his collaborations with playwright Harold Pinter and leading man Dirk Bogarde, including The Servant (1963) and Accident (1967). Voluntary emigres Stanley Kubrick and Richard Lester were also influential. Lester had major hits with The Knack (1965), and The Beatles films A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), after which it became standard for each new pop group to have a verité style feature film made about them. Kubrick settled in Hertfordshire in the early 60s and would remain in England for the rest of his career. The special effects team assembled to work on his 1968 film ' would add significantly to the British industry's dominance in this field over the following decades.
Related Topics:
Joseph Losey - Playwright - Harold Pinter - Dirk Bogarde - The Servant - 1963 - Accident - 1967 - Stanley Kubrick - Richard Lester - The Knack - 1965 - The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - 1964 - Help! - Hertfordshire - 1968
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The success of these films and others as diverse as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Tom Jones (1963), Zulu (1964) and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) encouraged American studios to invest significantly in British film production. Major films like Becket (1964), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Khartoum (1966) and Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) were regularly mounted, while smaller-scale films including Billy Liar (1963), Accident (1967) and Women in Love (1969) were big critical successes. Four of the decade's Academy Award winners for best picture were British productions.
Related Topics:
Lawrence of Arabia - 1962 - Tom Jones - 1963 - Zulu - 1964 - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines - 1965 - Becket - A Man for All Seasons - 1966 - Khartoum - Charge of the Light Brigade - 1968 - Billy Liar - Accident - 1967 - Women in Love - 1969 - Academy Award
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Towards the end of the decade social realism was beginning to make its way back into British films again. Influenced by his work on the Wednesday Play on British television, Ken Loach directed the realistic dramas Poor Cow and Kes.
Related Topics:
Wednesday Play - British television - Ken Loach - Poor Cow - Kes
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The 1970s
With the film industry in both Britain and the United States entering into recession, American studios cut back on domestic production, and in many cases withdrew from financing British films altogether. Major films were still being made at this time, including Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Battle of Britain (1969), Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and David Lean's Ryan's Daughter (1970), but as the decade wore on financing became increasingly hard to come by. Large-scale productions were still being mounted, but they were more sporadic and sometimes seemed old-fashioned compared with the competition from America. Among the more successful were adaptations of the Agatha Christie stories Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and Death on the Nile (1978). Other productions like Shout at the Devil (1976) fared less well, while the entry of Lew Grade's company ITC into film production in the latter half of the decade brought only a few box office successes and an unsustainable number of failures.
Related Topics:
Britain - United States - Anne of the Thousand Days - 1969 - Battle of Britain - Billy Wilder - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes - 1970 - David Lean - Ryan's Daughter - Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express - 1974 - Death on the Nile - 1978 - Shout at the Devil - 1976 - Lew Grade - ITC
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The British horror boom of the 1960s also finally came to an end by the mid-1970s, with the leading producers Hammer and Amicus leaving the genre altogether in the face of competition from America. Films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) made Hammer's vampire films seem increasingly tame and outdated, despite attempts to spice up the formula with added nudity and gore.
Related Topics:
Horror - 1960s - 1970s - Hammer - Amicus - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1974 - Vampire
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Some British producers, including Hammer, turned to television series for inspiration, and the big screen versions of shows like Steptoe and Son and On the Buses proved surprisingly successful with domestic audiences.
Related Topics:
Steptoe and Son - On the Buses
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The continued presence of the Eady levy in the 1970s, combined with a loosening of censorship rules, also brought on a minor boom of low-budget British sex comedies and softcore porn movies. Most notable among these were films starring Mary Millington such as Come Play with Me, and the Confessions of... series starring Robin Askwith, beginning with Confessions of a Window Cleaner.
Related Topics:
Eady levy - 1970s - Sex comedies - Softcore porn - Mary Millington - Come Play with Me - Robin Askwith - Confessions of a Window Cleaner
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More relaxed censorship in the 1970s also brought several controversial films, including Ken Russell's The Devils (1970), Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) and Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).
Related Topics:
Ken Russell - The Devils - 1970 - Sam Peckinpah - Straw Dogs - 1971 - Stanley Kubrick - A Clockwork Orange
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The late 1970s at least saw a revival of the James Bond series with The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977. However, the next film, Moonraker (1979), broke with tradition by filming at studios in France to take advantage of tax incentives there. Some American productions did return to the major British studios in 1977-79 though, including Star Wars at Elstree Studios, ' at Pinewood, and Alien at Shepperton.
Related Topics:
1970s - James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me - 1977 - Moonraker - 1979 - France - American - Star Wars - Elstree Studios - Pinewood - Alien - Shepperton
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The 1980s
The 1980s began with the worst recession the British film industry had ever seen. In 1980 only 31 UK films were made, down 50% on the previous year, and the lowest output since 1914. Production was down again the following year, to 24 films. However, the 1980s soon saw a renewed optimism, led by companies such as Goldcrest (and producer David Puttnam), Channel 4, Handmade Films and Merchant Ivory Productions. Under producer Puttnam a generation of British directors emerged making popular films with international distribution, including: Bill Forsyth (Local Hero, 1983), Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire, 1981), Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, 1984), Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. Handmade Films, part owned by George Harrison, had produced a series of modest budget comedies and gritty dramas such as The Long Good Friday (1980) that had proven popular internationally.
Related Topics:
Goldcrest - David Puttnam - Channel 4 - Handmade Films - Merchant Ivory Productions - Bill Forsyth - Local Hero - Hugh Hudson - Chariots of Fire - Roland Joffe - The Killing Fields - Alan Parker - Ridley Scott - George Harrison - The Long Good Friday
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When the Puttnam-produced Chariots of Fire (1981) won 4 Academy Awards in 1982, including best picture, its writer Colin Welland declared "the British are coming!" (quoting Paul Revere). When in 1983 Gandhi (also produced by Goldcrest) picked up best picture it looked as if he was right. It prompted a cycle of bigger budget period films, such as the Merchant Ivory adaptations of the works of E. M. Forster. However, further attempts to make 'big' productions for the US market ended in failure, with Goldcrest losing independence after a trio of commercial flops. By this stage the rest of the new talent had moved on to Hollywood.
Related Topics:
Chariots of Fire - Colin Welland - Paul Revere - Gandhi - Merchant Ivory - E. M. Forster
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With the continued support of Channel 4 a number of new talents were developed in Stephen Frears, Mike Newell and Neil Jordan while John Boorman who had been working in the US was encouraged back to Britain to make Hope and Glory (1987). Following the final winding up of the Rank Organisation, a series of company consolidations in UK cinema distribution meant that it became ever harder for British productions. Another blow was the elimination of the Eady tax concession by the Conservative Government in 1984. The concession had made it possible for a foreign film company to write off a large amount of its production costs by filming in the UK — this was what attracted a succession of blockbuster productions to UK studios in the 1970s. With Eady gone many studios closed or focused on television work.
Related Topics:
Stephen Frears - Mike Newell - Neil Jordan - John Boorman - Hope and Glory
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British cinema since 1990
Film production in Britain hit one of its all-time lows in 1989. While cinema audiences were climbing in the UK in the early 1990s, few British films were enjoying significant commercial success, even in the home market. Among the more notable exceptions were the Merchant Ivory productions Howards End (1992) and The Remains of the Day (1993), Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (1992) and Shadowlands (1993) and Neil Jordan's acclaimed thriller The Crying Game (1992). The latter was generally ignored on its initial release in Britain, but was a considerable success in the United States, where it was picked up by the distributor Miramax. The same company also enjoyed some success releasing the BBC period drama Enchanted April (1992). Kenneth Branagh's filmed Shakespeare adaptations were also gaining some attention, including his 1989 version of Henry V, and Much Ado About Nothing in 1993.
Related Topics:
1990s - Merchant Ivory - Howards End - 1992 - The Remains of the Day - 1993 - Richard Attenborough - Chaplin - Shadowlands - Neil Jordan - The Crying Game - United States - Miramax - BBC - Enchanted April - Kenneth Branagh - Shakespeare - 1989 - Henry V - Much Ado About Nothing
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The surprise success of the Richard Curtis-scripted comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), especially in the United States, lead to renewed interest and investment in British films, and set a pattern for British-set romantic comedies, including Sliding Doors (1998), Notting Hill (1999) and the Bridget Jones films. Several of these were also written by Curtis, who went on to make his directorial debut with Love Actually in 2003. Working Title Films, the company behind many of these films, quickly became one of the most successful British production companies, with other box office hits including Bean (1997), Elizabeth (1998) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001).
Related Topics:
Richard Curtis - Four Weddings and a Funeral - 1994 - Sliding Doors - 1998 - Notting Hill - 1999 - Bridget Jones - Love Actually - 2003 - Working Title Films - Bean - 1997 - Elizabeth - Captain Corelli's Mandolin - 2001
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The enthusiastic reception given to The Madness of King George (1994) proved there was still a market for the traditional British costume drama, and a large number of other period films followed, including Sense and Sensibility (1995), Restoration (1995), Emma (1996), The Wings of the Dove (1997), Mrs. Brown (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Topsy-Turvy (1999) and Gosford Park (2001). Several of these were funded by Miramax Films, who also took over Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1996) when the production ran into difficulties during filming. Although technically an American production, the success of this film, including its 9 Academy Award wins would bring further prestige to British film-makers.
Related Topics:
The Madness of King George - 1994 - Costume drama - Sense and Sensibility - 1995 - Restoration - Emma - 1996 - The Wings of the Dove - 1997 - Mrs. Brown - Shakespeare in Love - 1998 - Topsy-Turvy - 1999 - Gosford Park - 2001 - Anthony Minghella - The English Patient - Academy Award
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American productions also began to return to British studios in the mid-1990s, including Interview with the Vampire (1994), ' (1996), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and ' (1999), as well as the French production The Fifth Element (1997), at the time claimed to be the most expensive film made in Britain.
Related Topics:
1990 - Interview with the Vampire - 1994 - 1996 - Saving Private Ryan - 1998 - 1999 - The Fifth Element - 1997
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After a six year hiatus for legal reasons the James Bond films also returned to production with the 17th Bond film, GoldenEye. With their traditional home Pinewood Studios fully booked, a new studio was created for the film in a former Rolls-Royce aero-engine factory at Leavesden in Hertfordshire.
Related Topics:
James Bond - GoldenEye - Pinewood Studios - Rolls-Royce - Hertfordshire
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With the introduction of public funding for British films through the new National Lottery something of a production boom occurred in the late 1990s, but only a few of these films found significant commercial success, and many went unreleased. These included several gangster films attempting to imitate Guy Ritchie's black comedies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000).
Related Topics:
National Lottery - Gangster - Guy Ritchie - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - 1998 - Snatch - 2000
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Other new talents to emerge during the decade included the writer-director-producer team of John Hodge, Danny Boyle and Andrew Macdonald responsible for Shallow Grave (1994) and Trainspotting (1996) and Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit and the Creature Comforts series. Park's first feature length film, Chicken Run (2000), was one of the most successful British films of its year, together with Stephen Daldry's crowd pleasing debut Billy Elliott.
Related Topics:
John Hodge - Danny Boyle - Andrew Macdonald - Shallow Grave - 1994 - Trainspotting - 1996 - Nick Park - Wallace and Gromit - Creature Comforts - Chicken Run - 2000 - Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliott
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The turn of the new century saw a revival of sorts of the British horror film, with The Hole, 28 Days Later, Dog Soldiers and the comedy Shaun of the Dead among the more successful examples.
Related Topics:
The Hole - 28 Days Later - Dog Soldiers - Shaun of the Dead
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The new decade also saw a major new film series in the US-backed but British made Harry Potter films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001.
Related Topics:
Harry Potter - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 2001
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~ Table of Content ~
| ► | Introduction |
| ► | Overview |
| ► | History |
| ► | Art Cinema |
| ► | Film technology |
| ► | Black and Asian film |
| ► | Bibliography |
| ► | See also |
| ► | External links |
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