British Film Industry

"1950s"

• The damn Busters (1955)
• Most Films in the 1950s were war based
• There were fixed class structure during the 1950s
• Films mainly focused on masculinity & had conventional heroes

"New Wave"

• Saturday Night & Sunday Morning
• Strong Sense of a North- South Divide
• Most films were set aganist an industrial backdrop
• These films were also known as 'Kitchen Sink' Dramas
• Female characters marginalized & sterotyped
• Directors were trained as documentary makers before moving into mainstream cinema

"Swinging London"

• The Italian Job (1969)
• Most films are optimistic
• These films tend to be intersted in youth cultural fashion
• Class structure are more fluid
• Anti- hero (Michael caine in The Italian Job)

"1970s: Post Hays Code"

• Get Carter (1971)
• These fils are more graphic depictions of sex & violence
• These hfils also have a strong sense of North-South Divide
• Most fils are amoral & gritty

Hays Code

Hays code are a set of industry censorship guidelines which governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968.
Hays code were the first attempt at introducing film censorship in the US through laying down a series of guidelines to film producers.
Nakedness, suggestive dances, homosexuality & cruelty to children were some of the things prohibited.

The code was abandoned in 1967 & in 1968 it was replaced by the rating system that we now have. Nobody under 18 years of age is allowed into an R-rated movie (unless accompanied by an adult).

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

What is the version of 'Britishness' being presented in the film?

Saturday Night, Sunday morning (1960) is a 'new wave film' which represents working class community, a more realistic view of Britain at the time. This film rejrcts certain domainat moral values of the time for example Arthur having an affair with Brenda. This film is shocking to some extent as it lacks moral values of the society. However, it is a very realistic film as it represents 'the common people' of the society.

Saturday Night, Sunday morning is set in a very typical industrial setting & explores different views of the family. Arthur played by Albert Finney is seen as a anti- hero rather than a traditional hero.

Working Title Film

Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London.In 1982 Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe founded this company. Universal studios & BBC films are the pareant company.

Working Tile Films

Billy Elliot
Atonement
The Boat That Rocked

Four Weddings & A Funeral
About a boy
Love Actually

Mr. Bean's Holiday
Shaun of the dead
Wimbledon

Michael Caine

Michael Caine was in South London on March 14th 1933. He began his career in poverty and went on to become one of the most prolific and durable of film stars. He has appeared in more than 100 films.He left school at the age of 16 & found the nearest job to hollywood.AT the age of 18 Michael joined the Queen Royal Regimeny & served in Germany and Korea.


Michael Caine responded to an advertisement for an assiatant manager, which led him roles at the Carfax Theatre. After several minor roles, Caine came into the public eye as the upper-class British army officer in the 1964 film Zulu. Zulu was closely followed by two of his best-known roles: the spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File (1965), and the woman-chasing title character in Alfie (1966).


In 2008 he reprised his role as Alfred in Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed Batman sequel, The Dark Knight.