The British Cinema Book - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844572757 ISBN 13: 9781844572755

Publisher: British Film Institute, 2009

Synopsis

The new edition of The British Cinema Book has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a comprehensive introduction to the major periods, genres, studios, film-makers and debates in British cinema from the 1890s to the present. The book has five sections, addressing debates and controversies; industry, genre and representation; British cinema 1895-1939; British cinema from World War II to the 1970s, and contemporary British cinema. 
 
Within these sections, leading scholars and critics address a wide range of issues and topics, including British cinema as a 'national' cinema; its complex relationship with Hollywood; film censorship; key British genres such as horror, comedy and costume film; the work of directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Asquith, Alexander Mackendrick, Michael Powell, Lindsay Anderson, Ken Russell and Mike Leigh; studios such as Gainsborough, Ealing, Rank and Gaumont, and recent signs of hope for the British film industry, such as the rebirth of the low-budget British horror picture, and the emergence of a British Asian cinema.
 
Discussions are illustrated with case studies of key films, many of which are new to this edition, including Piccadilly (1929) It Always Rains on Sunday (1947), The Ladykillers (1955), This Sporting Life (1963), The Devils (1971), Withnail and I (1986), Bend it Like Beckham (2002) and Control (2007), and with over 100 images from the BFI's collection. 

About this title

About the Author

ROBERT MURPHY is Professor in Film Studies at De Montfort University, UK and the author of British Cinema and the Second World War (2000) and a number of other books on British cinema. He edited Directors in British and Irish Cinema: A Reference Companion (BFI 2006).

Review

'The third edition of this excellent, illustrated collection of essays on British cinema provides an overview of the key issues, debates and history. First published in 1997, it has been expanded to include case studies of individual films, and several new essays on subjects such as the representation of women in 1950s cinema and the birth of British Asian cinema in the 90s. Its range is impressive.' - Peter Smith, The Guardian
'...a delightful gateway into the rich world of British cinema.' - Simon Brown, Viewfinder

About this edition

• Publisher: British Film Institute
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1844572757
• ISBN 13: 9781844572755
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 378
• Editor: Murphy Robert