The History of British and Irish Cinema in Twenty-Four

Brian McFarlane, ed.. The Cinema of Britain and Ireland. London and New York: Wallflower Press, 2005. xvi + 285 pp. $29.50, paper, ISBN 978-1-904764-38-0. Reviewed by Mairead Pratschke Published on H-Albion (October, 2006) The academic study of flm has tended to re‐ panies (Gaumont, Ealing Studios), or on major fg‐ flect the two main streams of the medium, the fc‐ ures (John Grierson and the British Documentary tional narrative flm and the nonfiction documen‐ Movement). In recent years, however, it has be‐ tary or news flm. The number of studies emerg‐ come apparent that there is something missing ing from flm studies programs on the fctional from our approach to flm studies and the history narrative flms has increased vastly, in keeping of flm; that is, "the big picture," the details sur‐ with the fow of contemporary productions, while rounding the production of a flm in terms of both the study of non-fiction flm and flm history has its historical and industrial context. Also missing been comparatively slight. Film studies as an aca‐ are many flms--directed and produced by names demic discipline has also tended to be separate with whom we are familiar--that have been rele‐ from flm history. In flm studies, the tendency gated to the margins for a variety of reasons. has been to focus on the "best hits," the most visi‐ This collection on the cinema of Britain and ble of a certain genre, producer or director's Ireland is part of the 24 Frames series, which se‐ work. This is unsurprising, especially in the Irish lects twenty-four feature flms and documentaries context, where the sudden growth and develop‐ "to highlight the specific elements of that territo‐ ment of flm studies in the past two decades re‐ ry's cinema, elucidating the historical and indus‐ flects the current health of the industry, which--al‐ trial context of production, the key genres and though flm screenings began in the late nine‐ modes of representation, and foregrounding the teenth century there as elsewhere--did not exist work of the most important directors and their until the 1980s. But even in the United Kingdom, exemplary flms" (p. iii). Its purpose, then, is to be‐ where flm production as an uninterrupted, state- gin the work of flling the gaps, correcting the im‐ sponsored and commercial industry has a much balances and deficiencies in British and Irish flm longer history, scholars have tended to focus on studies and flm history noted above, by investi‐ certain approaches (auteur), genres (New Wave), gating flms that have either been overlooked en‐ or on certain examples of British production com‐ H-Net Reviews tirely or cast aside after a brief mention, and to resentative of the decade not only because of its reassess the significance of others from a new basis in a J. B. Priestly novel and the composition perspective. As such, the scope of the collection is of the production team, but also for the problems quite broad. It is organized chronologically, span‐ of the industry during this era. Its importance ex‐ ning the period from 1928 to 2002, including nar‐ tended into the future too, as its narrative served rative feature flms and some documentary. Its fo‐ as a template for wartime flms focusing on the cus is overwhelmingly on Britain (meaning Eng‐ theme of diverse communities working together land but not Wales, with a brief mention of Scot‐ as teams for the cause. land), some Irish (Northern and Republic), as well The frst Irish, and nonfiction, appearance is as some co-funded international (European and made by the classic documentary flm, Man of American) productions. In terms of fctional gen‐ Aran (Robert J. Flaherty, 1934). Martin McLoone res, it runs the gamut from comedy to melodrama argues here for its visual importance because of to postmodern fantasy and hyperrealism. Nonfic‐ its representation of Flaherty's nineteenth-centu‐ tion is represented in one chapter on the best- ry romantic sensibility, which was--ironically-- known and definitive documentary flm. So, while very much at odds with the goals of the social re‐ the collection is broad, it is by no means compre‐ alist documentary movement, even though John hensive, nor could it be given its aims. It does, Grierson coined the term documentary in refer‐ however, live up to its ambitions in terms of fore‐ ence to Flaherty's work. McLoone argues also for grounding--in most chapters--the historical and the importance of historical context for Man of industrial context of production, though this Aran--the political and social context of Eamon de sometimes takes the form, particularly in the Irish Valera's socially conservative Ireland dictated the selections, of an extended biography of the direc‐ film's reception. The importance of the flm thus tor and details of his other productions, rather lies much more with the controversies it generat‐ than a contextualizing of the flm's production in ed, rather than with Flaherty's aesthetic vision. terms of flm history. Given the rather sudden The postwar era begins with Pink String and emergence of Irish flm studies over the past two Sealing Wax (Robert Hamer, 1945), which Brian decades, this is an understandable approach. It is McFarlane argues was the most important melo‐ also necessary in the case of the selections on drama made during the heyday of British cinema Robert Flaherty and on Northern Irish flm in par‐ because of its evocation of place and period. Holi‐ ticular, in order to fully appreciate the argument day Camp (Ken Annakin, 1947), by Geoff Brown, of the author. provides a glimpse of the postwar cultural land‐ The collection opens with Shooting Stars (An‐ scape in Britain. This sort of family entertain‐ thony Asquith & A.V. Bramble, 1928), the frst flm ment, set in a Butlin's-like summer camp was by Anthony Asquith, which Luke McKernan ar‐ filled with the usual cast of holiday campers, be‐ gues is emblematic of British cinema in its early came central to Annakin's subsequent career. days, for its creative energy and importation of The place of literature in British cinema histo‐ foreign flm styles, as much as its dilemma about ry is the subject of Philip Gillett's chapter on The such importation. John Oliver argues that A Night Rocking Horse Winner (Anthony Pellissier, 1949), Like This (Tom Walls, 1932) was the best adapta‐ an adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence story. Gillett tion of an Aldwych Theatre farce and that comedy reminds readers of the importance of historical was key to the resurgence of the British cinema context in the most practical of examples, point‐ industry in the early 1930s. Another key flm in ing out that the flm was a box-office disaster due this early period is The Good Companions (Victor to its release at a time when Lawrence was at his Saville, 1933), which Charles Barr points to as rep‐ 2 H-Net Reviews most unpopular among British audiences. Robert mer Labour Party MP, did not do well at the box Murphy's chapter on The Long Memory (Robert office because of the implausibility of the roman‐ Hamer, 1952), which focuses on the French influ‐ tic plot, but it was only a short time later before ence on British flm, reads as a mission statement the plot became reality in the form of the Profu‐ for the entire collection. Although this flm was mo Affair. Scandal (Michael Caton-Jones, 1989) also trashed by critics at the time, Murphy re‐ deals head on with the Profumo Affair of the minds readers of the importance of historical con‐ 1950s, mixing documentary, satire and comedy to text and of the need to appreciate flm from the talk about the relationship between Stephen historian's perspective rather than merely that of Ward and Christine Keeler, and while set in the contemporary critics. 1950s, Bruce Babington argues that Scandal be‐ The mid-1950s marked the beginning of longs to a movement of British flms from the Britain's period of self-doubt with the transition 1980s set in that decade, but distinct from the from Empire to Commonwealth after the Suez Cri‐ "heritage" film genre. sis in 1956 and the rise of the generation of Angry The flms about or made in the 1960s featured Young Men (John Osborne, 1956). Tom Ryall ar‐ in this collection tend to deal with the breakdown gues that, despite the threats to the British cinema or redefinition of traditional relationships. 80,000 industry from Hollywood, co-produced "runaway" Suspects (Val Guest, 1963) is, argues Christine Ger‐ films like Knights of the Round Table (Richard aghty, more than just a melodramatic pseudo-doc‐ Thorpe, 1953) actually had a positive impact be‐ umentary on the disintegration of a marriage, but cause of the opportunities they presented for should be counted as part of British New Wave British actors. The Italian Job (Peter Collinson, and the discontented youth movement of the 1969) reframes British post-imperial insecurities 1960s. The chapter by Ian Britain on Sunday as a crime caper, which Steve Chibnall argues is Bloody Sunday (John Schlesinger, 1971) describes really a war movie in disguise that seeks to reas‐ the openly gay director's take on London during sure the native audience that the British still have the "swinging sixties," which was the frst to show what it takes to win. The "war" in this case takes men kissing on screen. Although not particularly the form of high-speed chases on foreign territory shocking these days, Britain argues that the flm is in British cars, which of course emerge victorious.

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