British Cinema

Over the last few years I have watched a fair amount of contemporary British cinema which was introduced as a module in Media Studies at A level. I think the reason that I like it so much is because it is a seemingly honest kind of film making which seems realistic and can make fun of itself and the country as well. There tends to be no sense of grandeur and I find it generally relevant to me as the audience and there are a lot of things I can relate to and understand. I like the variety of films that can be produced focussing on different ethnicities and ages and genres.

Whereas a lot of US blockbuster films tend to glamorise their country and exaggerate a lot, contemporary British cinema usually realises things like the fact that most days are grey but it doesn’t always rain and that life is not as exciting as action films make it out to be but it can still be just as important.

Probably the first British film that I watched while appreciating the fact that it was British was ‘This Is England’, which I’d guess about 90% of the country have watched and mostly enjoyed. That was followed by other like ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’, ‘Confetti’, ‘Birthday Girl’ and ‘United 93’.

United 93 is an interesting version of a British film because the entire cast are American and it is completely set in the States. What makes it British is that it was funded by the UK and the director is British which gives the film a distinctive style and direction.

I’m certain the film wouldn’t be anything like the same if it were American.

Cinema started in early 20^th century but was properly developed in the late 19^th.

Advances in motion picture development had already happened around a few different countries (Most notably the Lumiere brothers of France) but Celluloid film motion pictures were first developed in Hyde Park in London in 1889 by William Friese Greene who patented the process a year later.

The first ever British Film was “Incident at Clovelly Cottage” by Robert W. Paul and Birt Acres who developed the first 35mm film camera in the UK.

The British Film industry developed more over the next century through ups and downs and is still around today. Although undeniably having a niche audience, the industry is still supported by millions of people and continues to roll out more and more films each year. In more recent years the development of films has been backed up with some government funding and impressive notable grants from the National Lottery and Channel 4 (and Film 4).

This page from the BFI website shows how cinema continues to develop despite many films failing to achieve any kind of distinguishing achievements:

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/facts/fact2.html

It also shows the recession and boom phases of the recent history.

There are a lot of important British film studios across the country, 7 of which are in Hertfordshire and are within a 10 mile radius of where I live. One is next door to where my Dad lives on Goldhawk Road in London and another is very close to my Brothers flat in Shephard’s Bush.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_film_studios

Elstree Studios are 5 miles from my house here and are where Big Brother has been filmed since it started. It was also the location for filming the original Star Wars trilogy, The Shining, the original 3 Indiana Jones films and Kick-Ass. 

Although British cinema tends to have a reputation for not being so successful on a grand level, it can be considered excellent when put into context.

In fact it can be visibly seen in the top grossing movies of all time.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

On an obvious level, a large proportion of the films are historically or culturally British:

#2 – Titanic

#3 – The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

#4 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

#8 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

#9 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

#10 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

#11 – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

#12 – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

#13 – Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

#16 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

#19 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

#20 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Titanic was an Olympic class steam ship registered in Liverpool and it left from Southampton on the maiden voyage which ended in disaster.

The Lord of the Rings films are highly based on the books of English Oxford Professor J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Pirates of the Caribbean films are based around the British Empire and feature many British actors.

The Harry Potter films are based on the J.K. Rowling books and are partially funded by the UK film Council.

Many of these films were also part funded by organisations in the UK or were partially filmed in the country.

At a closer look, it seems like about 2/3 of the most successful films have had some kind of significant British involvement.