British Cinema: Nation, Identity and Industry

Overview

This module will introduce a number of British films from a range of different historical periods. Students will consider films in relation to theoretical issues of national identity, representation, class and gender and will also explore British film culture to examine issues of production, film funding, censorship and reception.

Films studied may include well-known examples from British cinema such as Passport to Pimlico (Cornelius, 1949), Room with a View (Ivory, 1985), or Elizabeth (Kapur, 1998) but will also consider a range of less well-studied texts to explore the breadth and range of ‘national cinema.’ One of the key objectives of the module will be to use film examples to address complex issues relating to national identity, shared history and popular taste. It will also consider how film can be a useful vehicle for understanding and addressing such issues.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:

1) an understanding of the film culture of Britain and a knowledge of British film production and reception

2) an understanding of the various critical and theoretical approaches to British cinema

3) an understanding of the relationships between cinema, history and national identity

4) the ability to analyse and evaluate films produced within Britain

Skills

1) Critical thinking skills

2) Analytical skills

3) Skills of rhetoric and argument

4) Presentation skills

5) Written, verbal, and visual communication skills

Assessment