Section B: The British Film Industry

• Write a definition of what makes a film British.

It could be said that if a film is made in Britain then it is a British film but other criteria to consider is whether the people making the film are British, if is it funded from within Britain, are the cast British, is the film’s subject matter about Britain or British culture, all these criteria when judged could mean that the film is British or not.

• What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

Hollywood production context means that most films made by Hollywood studios have high budgets, a heavy reliance on celebrities both in the cast and crew and spectacle driven stories. Whereas the independent production context films tend to have low budgets, character rather than spectacle driven stories and a heavier reliance on word of mouth and viral advertising. The British film production context does not have as many clearly defined characteristics.

• When did the James Bond franchise start?

The 1960s brought about the start of the James Bond franchise as well as a greater involvement of American money and talent

• In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

The 1970s sees a rise in British Films of sexual content, both the act of sex 

and sex linked to violence. 

The 1980s see the rise of videos and the ‘video nasty’s scare where film-making was becoming more accessible and more extreme content was being created and finding its way to Britain. a continual evolution of film censorship and classification in this country has happened since the 1980s that sees all films released in the UK to have one of 7 classifications awarded to it.

• What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

Many British films tend to centre on topics and 

issues that deeply concern British society. 

Issues such as class, politics, social change and education are some of the many issues that British film has explored throughout its history. Many of the representations of different groups within British film focus and change according to these issues, for instance if we take the representation of youth in British films. This became a topic of increasing importance from the 1950s onwards. For example if we look at the way youth is portrayed in a very singular way in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. This is portrayed through British Cinema and into current films such as Eden Lake, where we see a similar set of values being given to the youthful antagonists of the film. Both play into the stereotype that youth are rule breaking rebels that tend towards the violent.

• What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

The main characteristics that can be identified as appealing to a native British audience would include; the actors, British actors tend to be clearly identifiable as British and will often be associated with a particular genre of British film, for example Hugh Grant having an association with British romantic comedies. British locations tend to be a heavily used feature of the film, with London being the most popular, although we have seen a rise in popularity of northern towns and cities being used in many British films. However the overwhelming characteristics that will most appeal to a British audience is the social theme that provides the through line for many British film narratives. The British audience has a keen interest in British films that focus on class, social strife, education and more.