End of the line for the British film comedy?

[Lord Lucan]

Gainsborough and Ealing where are they now...you chaps are far better informed than I about such things I'm sure, but why is it I can watch the likes of Will Hay, Stanley Holloway or Alastair Sim time and again, yet one viewing of a "Hollywood blockbuster" is enough to last a lifetime?

[batman]

Originally Posted by Lord Lucan Gainsborough and Ealing where are they now...you chaps are far better informed than I about such things I'm sure, but why is it I can watch the likes of Will Hay, Stanley Holloway or Alastair Sim time and again, yet one viewing of a "Hollywood blockbuster" is enough to last a lifetime?

Because the chaps you mention were masters of their craft .... and most Hollywood blockbusters are rubbish.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Cheeky Bob Oh absolutely - but P&P are very much the exceptions. My point was much more general - which is that, on the whole, British screenwriters often don't think cinematically. (In any case, Pressburger wasn't British...)

Pressburger took out British citizenship. As he said to a British friend, "You just happened to be born British. I chose to be British"

Steve

[john audley]

Cheeky Bob

You do write a lengthy response that can not go without a response from me - equally long I am afraid.
The bubonic plaque was during the 14th Century and not the Elizabethan era an era, I would suggest, that was a great period of scientific and artistic advancement.
They were not as uncivilized as you seem to believe and persons did live a long time
including Elizabeth.
I was referring to 'our planet' with good reason and not just this country, that has no film industry that is not dominated by America and the dollar.
I do not see how this thread title can run away from the fact - I am being realistic.
My personal message is well meant; 'British Films for British Culture'. This country has little culture promoted by its films and 'Borat' was foreign financed.

Schindles List
Humanity is humanity the world over (what was this audience made up of - Arabs?)
There can be no real ignorance from that particular audience, the period referred to 1941 - 1945 is tremendously documented. You mis-read this audience by saying, or implying ' entertainment'. I would not consider the deaths of millions entertainment in any language and the truth must be, this audience mocked because it wanted to!

Audiences
Sure, the 1950s saw a big decline but the 1970s proved another huge decline with no real reason other than the 'quality' of a lot of films (mostly British!) that were not up to artistic standard. I said 1970s and meant 1970s. You refer to the then new-wave diet of nudism on the screen etc (and most films would have it - without reason most of the time). I do not find this a problem but it would ruin Brief Encounter.
Nudity was a problem for the female audiences, I suggest, who made up more than half the traditional audiences.
The media mechanics of Cinemascope etc were during the 1950s - they were all around in the death decade above.
Christopher Lee said that Dracula (mark) was being ruined.

'Same stuff' one television meant the films that had already circuited times over then shown on TV 1950s. The actual 1950s produced great film art (Some Like it Hot rated the best comedy) and it was this decade I was talking about.

It was the liberal intelligence's as from 1960 that has pushed its own agenda regardless of what the public really wanted and 'Confessions' did not pack the cinemas to equal the 1950s. In any case my suggestion about tapping the word 'nudity' was making this point for you that you choose to ignore that the 'Confessions' were rated X and quite mild compared to this cesspit that you call 'a revolution of communication' the Internet, available to any child with a modem.

I am not suggesting a law to make good films and you know this but I do favour a return of censorship to safeguard or children.
As fore the diet of film content we then return to the original point and the title of this thread. British comedy may be dire because the producers want it to be! There are plenty of good writers out there.

Of course the top ten films of all time would prove nothing to you because you would not want them to but the audiences are made up of free minds and will always select quality IF it is produced with honesty. The biggest hit of 2009 need not have gratuitous violence language or sexual content just brilliant acting and words that are understandable and camera work that does not proceed up the actors nose and a script that will make people happier coming out than going in!
(Thats Entertainment!)

Claim
'Audiences would rise'. Sure they would otherwise why is this thread carrying this title? Persons like me giving up the cinema? Absolutely! We happen to be the majority that the fools dominating a great industry have driven away.
You reject my words of 'polite' 'better' and site a film that I have not heard of. The operative word is 'better' in every respect (see above).
The majority of persons are tolerant, fair minded, and pure if you like and would not need a person like Borat or his film to prove that a minority thinks like he implies. And that is the insult isn't it. The film implies that the majority think this way.

The total deaths from AIDS in Africa is now over eight millions.

You refer to 'Britain' but any British film industry must sell to the world and the world affects us here. There can be no future for British comedy for British audiences - that was killed long ago. So, it is OK to say we are better here but sod the rest? The average life span of the planet is still 30 years.

The limits of Humour or any other subject matter portrayed on the screen is dictated by the number of paying customers. Unless, like Stalin the film industry is subsidized by the State (and it is so!) and we have this 'bigot' again dishing out what is best for us. And by bigot I mean any of the producers we have endured since 1960 that have slowly killed the British film industry.

You say that the old writers were vulgar but nowhere near the depths reached by British TV and the current film output. 'Ernest' meant gay, this is news to me and I knew many persons who lived in the Victorian era and never heard it from them. I conclude that the majority of the 1950s film audience would not know either - or care. The two men were pursuing two girls were they not.

Oscar Wild. The vivid facts were put graphically in the Court cases and referred to in the two films made. I said that a remake of the films now would probably show the same graphic details on the screen - for what purpose. I thought that the TV production was unpalatable.

No, I do not form my views from the Daily Mail but my views are honest and I see little hope for civilized reasoning unless the masses of this small planet are dragged above the levels currently.
I love the film industry and its arts. It is still the best and most powerful media to reach these masses with pure enlightenment that used to be the maxim.
I would like to see it return.

[1stas]

Originally Posted by batman Because the chaps you mention were masters of their craft .... and most Hollywood blockbusters are rubbish.

Everyone is talking about great scripts, whilst I agree, spare a thought for Mike Leigh!

Being an actor, I have had the pleasure of working with the great man a few times, the first time was surreal - what, no script! - the next time - who needs a script!

Personally, I wish all directors would work like this, unfortunately, as a lot seem to be anal orifices these days, I do not think that they would be able to pull it off!

[penfold]

Originally Posted by john audley The bubonic plaque was during the 14th Century and not the Elizabethan era The total deaths from AIDS in Africa is now over eight millions.

If these Historical insights are anything to go by....well.

If by 'The Bubonic Plague ' you mean the Black Death, yes that was a specific pandemic of the 14th C. It killed around half the population of Europe....the most pessimistic figures for Africa and AIDS does not come anywhere close to that....assuming you were reaching for some kind of equivalence. The Spanish Flu' pandemic of 1918/19 also killed far, far more.....and as for Bird flu...please.
Plagues continued - bubonic or haemmorhagic - sporadically, well past the Elizabethan era into the 18th C....it's last important appearance in the UK was The Great Plague....1665.

[batman]

Originally Posted by 1stas Everyone is talking about great scripts, whilst I agree, spare a thought for Mike Leigh! Being an actor, I have had the pleasure of working with the great man a few times, the first time was surreal - what, no script! - the next time - who needs a script! Personally, I wish all directors would work like this, unfortunately, as a lot seem to be anal orifices these days, I do not think that they would be able to pull it off!

That must have been a great experience. I enjoy some of ML's work immensely.
However, I come from the opposite end of the spectrum.

I do not enjoy improvisation (probably 'cos I am not much cop at it) and when I was an actor used to enjoy nothing more than getting to grips with a good script.

ps - even a bad script was OK if the money was good!

[john audley]

Originally Posted by penfold If these Historical insights are anything to go by....well. If by 'The Bubonic Plague ' you mean the Black Death, yes that was a specific pandemic of the 14th C. It killed around half the population of Europe....the most pessimistic figures for Africa and AIDS does not come anywhere close to that....assuming you were reaching for some kind of equivalence. The Spanish Flu' pandemic of 1918/19 also killed far, far more.....and as for Bird flu...please. Plagues continued - bubonic or haemmorhagic - sporadically, well past the Elizabethan era into the 18th C....it's last important appearance in the UK was The Great Plague....1665.

Absolutely and I did not start the distraction! But evil science has enough invented death to kill us all. I only know what I read in the newspapers (Day the Earth Court Fire). Eight millions has been quoted also four millions, some time ago. I realize it is not the equivalent of the black death but we do not know what is around the corner on this one do we i.e., future pandemics.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by john audley Absolutely and I did not start the distraction! But evil science has enough invented death to kill us all. I only know what I read in the newspapers (Day the Earth Court Fire). Eight millions has been quoted also four millions, some time ago. I realize it is not the equivalent of the black death but we do not know what is around the corner on this one do we i.e., future pandemics.

We can be sure that whatever is around the corner, the newspapers will make it out to be worse than it really is

Steve

[john audley]

Again absolutely Steve but I did lose sleep over The Satan Bug and the Andromeda Strain. The old film industry does its best to make us take the tablets too

[PS68060]

I haven't seen Three and Out, I gather from what has been said that it isn't very good. I have said before that I think we Brits are often too critical of our more mediocre films. America trots out bad films on a daily basis and no-one cares.