Paul Newland - Böcker

British films of the 1970s offers highly detailed and insightful critical analysis of a range of individual films of the period. This analysis draws upon an innovative range of critical methodologies which place the film texts within a rich variety of historical contexts. The book sets out to examine British films of the 1970s in order to get a clearer understanding of two things – the fragmentary state of the filmmaking culture of the period, and the fragmentary nature of the nation that these films represent. It argues that there is no singular narrative to be drawn about British filmmaking in the 1970s, other than the fact that these films offer evidence of a Britain (and ideas of Britishness) characterised by vicissitudes. While this was a period of struggle and instability, it was also a period of openings, of experiment, and of new ideas. Newland looks at many films, including Carry On Girls, O Lucky Man!, That'll be the Day, The Shout, and The Long Good Friday.

This volume offers insights into how rural areas of Britain have been represented on film, from the silent era through both world wars and on into the twenty-first century. It is the first book to deal exclusively with representations of the British countryside on film. The contributors demonstrate that the countryside has provided Britain and its constituent nations and regions with a dense range of spaces in which cultural identities have been and continue to be worked through. Overall, the book demonstrates that British cinema provides numerous examples of how national identity and the identity of the countryside have been constructed through filmic representation, and how British rural films can help us to understand the relationship between the cultural identities of specific areas of Britain and the landscapes they inhabit.

Cinematic Starchitecture explores how examples of famous architecture have circulated throughout cinema history across diverse genres.Building on the term "starchitecture" – coined in 1997 for dramatic, monumental structures designed to gain international attention and economic advantage – the authors demonstrate that a crucial part of an architectural structure’s iconic star status emerges through its engagement with (and codification by) the media, and with cinema in particular. This book explores how iconic architectural structures have performed a myriad of roles and functions that exceed buildings’ everyday uses or identities as aesthetic objects, location markers, or spatial settings, to show that countless films globally have featured famous buildings as inimitable components of narrative exposition, character development and/or identity construction.This volume will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of film studies, media studies, and architecture and architectural history, as well as those in the areas of media and cultural studies, history, popular culture, and urban geography.

This is the first book to provide a direct and comprehensive account of British art cinema. Film history has tended to view British filmmakers as aesthetically conservative, but the truth is they have a long tradition of experiment and artistry, both within and beyond the mainstream. Beginning with the silent period and running up to the 2010s, the book draws attention to this tradition while acknowledging that art cinema in Britain is a complex and fluid concept that needs to be considered within broader concerns. It will be of particular interest to scholars and students of British cinema history, film genre, experimental filmmaking, and British cultural history.

The volume offers highly detailed and insightful critical analysis of a range of individual films of the period. This analysis draws upon an innovative range of critical methodologies which place the film texts within a rich variety of historical contexts. The book sets out to examine British films of the 1970s in order to get a clearer understanding of two things – the fragmentary state of the filmmaking culture of the period, and the fragmentary nature of the nation that these films represent. It argues that there is no singular narrative to be drawn about British filmmaking in the 1970s, other than the fact that these films offer evidence of a Britain (and ideas of Britishness) characterised by vicissitudes. While this was a period of struggle and instability, it was also a period of openings, of experiment, and of new ideas. Newland looks at many films, including Carry On Girls, O Lucky Man!, That'll be the Day, The Shout, and The Long Good Friday.

This volume offers insights into how rural areas of Britain have been represented on film, from the silent era through both world wars and on into the twenty-first century. It is the first book to deal exclusively with representations of the British countryside on film. The contributors demonstrate that the countryside has provided Britain and its constituent nations and regions with a dense range of spaces in which cultural identities have been and continue to be worked through. Overall, the book demonstrates that British cinema provides numerous examples of how national identity and the identity of the countryside have been constructed through filmic representation, and how British rural films can help us to understand the relationship between the cultural identities of specific areas of Britain and the landscapes they inhabit.

While postwar British cinema and the British new wave have received much scholarly attention, the misunderstood period of the 1970s has been comparatively ignored. Don’t Look Now uncovers forgotten but richly rewarding films, including Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now and the films of Lindsay Anderson and Barney Platts-Mills. This volume offers insight into the careers of important filmmakers and sheds light on the genres of experimental film, horror, rock and punk films, as well as representations of the black community, shifts in gender politics, and adaptations of television comedies. The contributors ask searching questions about the nature of British film culture and its relationship to popular culture, television, and the cultural underground.