Cinema has had a hugely influential role on global culture in the 20th century at multiple levels: social, political, and educational. The part of British cinema in this has been controversial - often derided as a whole, but also vigorously celebrated, especially in terms of specific films and film-makers. In this Very Short Introduction, Charles Barr considers films and filmmakers, and studios and sponsorship, against the wider view of changing artistic, socio-political, and industrial climates over the decades of the 20th Century. Considering British cinema in the wake of one of the most familiar of cinematic reference points - Alfred Hitchcock - Barr traces how British cinema has developed its own unique path, and has since been celebrated for its innovative approaches and distinctive artistic language. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

British Cinema: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Arts & Photography

Barr, Charles

Photography & Video

Oxford University Press

Laurel & Hardy

University of California Press

Ealing Studios (A movie book)

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Studio Vista

Stills and critical commentary capture the genius of this American comedy team

Laurel and Hardy.

Biographies & Memoirs

Univ. Of California Pr.

This classic study of British filmmaking, first published in the United States in 1980, has been updated to bring a 1990s perspective to the work of the studio that gave the world such unforgettable comedies as Passport to Pimlico and The Lavender Hill Mob. The heyday of Ealing Studios lasted approximately from 1939 to 1951, generating a roster of films that projected–by design–a vivid and particular image of Britain and Britishness. Studio head Sir Michael Balcon gathered artists whose films, whether comedies or dramas, offer superior acting performances with a feeling of ensemble that reinforces the values of character, responsibility, and community. Readers will enjoy, in addition to a new chapter relating the Ealing phenomenon to Thatcher and post-Thatcher Britain, the refined and improved filmography and biography sections.

Ealing Studios: A Movie Book

Ealing studios

Science & Math

Environment

Distributed by David & Charles

Known as the celebrated director of critical and commercial successes such as Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963), Alfred Hitchcock is famous for his distinctive visual style and signature motifs. While recent books and articles discussing his life and work focus on the production and philosophy of his iconic Hollywood-era films like Notorious (1946) and Vertigo (1958), Hitchcock Lost and Found moves beyond these seminal works to explore forgotten, incomplete, lost, and recovered productions from all stages of his career, including his early years in Britain. Authors Alain Kerzoncuf and Charles Barr highlight Hitchcock's neglected works, including various films and television productions that supplement the critical attention already conferred on his feature films. They also explore the director's career during World War II, when he continued making high-profile features while also committing himself to a number of short war-effort projects on both sides of the Atlantic. Focusing on a range of forgotten but fascinating projects spanning five decades, Hitchcock Lost and Found offers a new, fuller perspective on the filmmaker's career and achievements.

Hitchcock Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films (Screen Classics)

Kerzoncuf, Alain

Arts & Literature

University Press of Kentucky

The author documents the crucial role of screenwriters Alec Coppell and Samuel Taylor and, by a combination of textual and contextual analysis, explores the reasons why Vertigo has come to exert such a continuing fascination both on audiences and on a wide range of critics and theorists.

Vertigo (BFI Film Classics)

British Film Institute

An account of the great English film studio, the people who ran it, and the films that they made for a quarter of a century contains analyses, 152 stills, and detailed filmographies for all the movies

Ealing Studios

Overlook Books

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Books by Barr, Charles