British National Identity

[Carterh]

Also see Gibbie's interesting reply to David's question 'Interesting filming stories/ coincidences/ conspiracy theories' on the 21st of January.

C

[deckard]

I agree with a lot the sentiments mentioned within this topic,but I would like to add that, I believe that how we interpret what is typically British as adults,is influenced partly by our chidhood and also WHEN we were chidren.For instance,I was 10 years old in the mid-sixties and most of the films I saw were on tv and most of those were British films of the 40's and 50's and,therefore,this is my favourite British film era.At that time American productions were regarded in the main as big,lavish icons that were an event when on tv and the British films more "homely and down-to-earth". Now,as an adult,my opinion has broadened somewhat,but as I try to keep an open minded view toward film in general, I find these chidhood influences still coming to bear.So has that much changed today? Do we view hollywood as producing in the main money spinning pap? and British movies as more down to earth and believable? Well, I suppose that I must consider myself as narrow-minded,because I would much rather sit and watch a "good old" British movie classic than a newly released Hollywood "blockbuster" Unfortunately this generalisation doesn't throw any more light on what makes a typical British film, [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] but it might go a little way to understanding why we like them!

[Gibbie]

deckard: I agree with a lot the sentiments mentioned within this topic,but I would like to add that, I believe that how we interpret what is typically British as adults,is influenced partly by our chidhood and also WHEN we were chidren.For instance,I was 10 years old in the mid-sixties and most of the films I saw were on tv and most of those were British films of the 40's and 50's and,therefore,this is my favourite British film era.At that time American productions were regarded in the main as big,lavish icons that were an event when on tv and the British films more "homely and down-to-earth". Now,as an adult,my opinion has broadened somewhat,but as I try to keep an open minded view toward film in general, I find these chidhood influences still coming to bear.So has that much changed today? Do we view hollywood as producing in the main money spinning pap? and British movies as more down to earth and believable? Well, I suppose that I must consider myself as narrow-minded,because I would much rather sit and watch a "good old" British movie classic than a newly released Hollywood "blockbuster" Unfortunately this generalisation doesn't throw any more light on what makes a typical British film, but it might go a little way to understanding why we like them!

Decks,
I think you've hit it, spot on, for why many watch the "good old" classics. I was a teen in the 70s and have roughly the same view as you, but 10 years later, which will make variations, but I know what you mean.

I think the important point about British identity in film is that it reveals life in Britain, the way Shakespeare reveals life in Elizabethen times, but the human drama or comedy gives it universal appeal.

To me, the Inspector Morse films stand out for social observations of changes in identity in the 90s, as well as strong drama. Many of the period films were directed to the female audience (e.g. Sense and Sensibility). The 80s were very strong on Irish themes, due to U2. Chariots was a strong British identity film, but about the 20s (but, I've mentioned this before) - an era piece. While it made a strong impact for British film, the industry then went very contemporary and went for harsh reality and issue stories. The 70s were still very spy from Get Carter and Bond films to Tinker, Tailor... The 60s were War movies (e.g. Sink the Bismarck - which was a classic on Chicago TV), the Brit noir (e.g. This Sporting Life), A Hard Days Night, Blow Up and medeval period pieces like Camelot and Alfred the Great (two filmed which both had David Hemmings). These are generalisations, but you get the outline.

Although, I think Help was more of a British identity movie than A Hard Days Night - which was really the defining fiction for the Beatles myth and loomed so large in the mind of youth for years (good thing they did those documentaries - that, to me, marked the end of pop stars being godlike figures and becoming regular folk) from that generation. The newer generation sees music differently, but that is another subject...

The Beatles really became the British establishment after they got their MBEs, because youth culture took over from there and then it morphed in all kinds of directions. Much of the older folks in the 60s and 70s were still in the war years, for obvious reasons. And remember, musical films were big for awhile. So, there were a whole variety of things going on.

The 40s and 50s were before me, so I will leave those observations to you. Note - I'm speaking on British film from an American experience.

In America, it was part of culture that we got our British culture from public television, which used to play the culture and drama films, but that has moved on to a cable network called A&E. They sell and play "everything". Although, I noticed that in the 90s to the present, many British filmmakers have tried to be American and I think that is a failure. I hope they stop that trend (and by "American", I now mean Hollywood notions of being American). British film is best when it is uniquely British.

Gibbie