Wales and Cinema: The First Hundred Years - Softcover

Berry, Dave

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0708313701 ISBN 13: 9780708313701

Publisher: University of Wales Press, 1996

Synopsis

First published in hardback to critical acclaim, this book follows the story of film in Wales from the Edison `peepshows' seen in Cardiff in 1894 to the latest productions of Welsh-language film-makers. Wales and Cinema charts the colourful rise of the travelling picture showmen and the pioneers who screened their work on the fairground and in the music-hall at the turn of the century. Chapters focus on the romantic silent melodramas made when Wales was `discovered' by Hollywood, and on the career and influence of Ivor Novello who starred for D. W. Griffith. The book celebrates the rise of the cinema itself in Wales, the coming of sound and the boom years of the twenties and thirties. There is a detailed analysis of the working-class mining films of the 1930s and 1940s and of the influence of such films as How Green Was My Valley, The Citadel and Proud Valley on twentieth-century perceptions of Wales and the Welsh. The careers of major actors, including Baker, Burton and Hopkins are placed firmly in a Welsh context. Finally, the author examines the impact of S4C, the Welsh Fourth Channel, in rejuvenating film-making in Wales and discusses the work of a new wave of talented directors. A filmography of major Welsh actors and directors, and a comprehensive appendix of around 400 films make this book an invaluable reference work and a substantial contribution to cinema history.

About this title

About the Author

Freelance journalist and film critic and writer. Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, he moved to Wales in 1974 and was film critic for the Cardiff-based evening paper the South Wales Echo from 1978 to 1994. He wrote and devised the 1986 HTV film history series The Dream That Kicks and he is consultant to the Wales Film and TV Archive, and Wales Film Council research officer.

Review

"Wales and Cinema is a compendium that's been diligently researched by an author who has a genuine interest and affection for his subject . . . This book acknowledges the many film makers who have been ignored for too long and will hopefully open up Welsh film analysis, providing a pivotal reference source for further studies." -- Planet

"A definitive study, exhaustively researched, and written with a true passion for its subject." -- Film Review

"A must for all film buffs and a generally entertaining read for anyone seriously interested in the industry." -- South Wales Argus

"The book will form the basis for all future research into the field, not least by the author himself whose enthusiasm and scholarship are boundless." -- Books in Wales

"This magisterial and impressively detailed book is clearly a labour of love . . . The mass of material is handles with great skill, and prove a fascinating insight into the changing vision of Wales." -- Welsh Historian

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0708313701
• ISBN 13: 9780708313701
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 567