B. F. Taylor
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719069086
- eISBN:
- 9781781701218
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719069086.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This book offers an opportunity to reconsider the films of the British New Wave in the light of forty years of heated debate. By eschewing the usual tendency to view films such as A Kind of Loving ...
More
This book offers an opportunity to reconsider the films of the British New Wave in the light of forty years of heated debate. By eschewing the usual tendency to view films such as A Kind of Loving and The Entertainer collectively and include them in broader debates about class, gender and ideology, it presents a new look at this famous cycle of British films. Refuting the long-standing view that films such as Billy Liar and Look Back in Anger are flawed and therefore indicative of an under-achieving national cinema, the book also challenges the widely held belief in the continued importance of the relationship between the British New Wave and questions of realism. Drawing upon existing sources and returning to unchallenged assumptions about British cinema, this book allows the reader to return to the films and consider them anew. In order to achieve this, the book also offers a practical demonstration of the activity of film interpretation. This is essential, because the usual tendency is to consider such a process unnecessary when it comes to writing about British films. The book demonstrates that close readings of films need not be reserved for films from other cinemas.Less
This book offers an opportunity to reconsider the films of the British New Wave in the light of forty years of heated debate. By eschewing the usual tendency to view films such as A Kind of Loving and The Entertainer collectively and include them in broader debates about class, gender and ideology, it presents a new look at this famous cycle of British films. Refuting the long-standing view that films such as Billy Liar and Look Back in Anger are flawed and therefore indicative of an under-achieving national cinema, the book also challenges the widely held belief in the continued importance of the relationship between the British New Wave and questions of realism. Drawing upon existing sources and returning to unchallenged assumptions about British cinema, this book allows the reader to return to the films and consider them anew. In order to achieve this, the book also offers a practical demonstration of the activity of film interpretation. This is essential, because the usual tendency is to consider such a process unnecessary when it comes to writing about British films. The book demonstrates that close readings of films need not be reserved for films from other cinemas.
B. F. Taylor
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719069086
- eISBN:
- 9781781701218
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719069086.003.0023
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
John Schlesinger's 1962 film A Kind of Loving is the subject of this chapter. It addresses the specific criticisms that have been directed towards this film. It considers the concerns over narrative ...
More
John Schlesinger's 1962 film A Kind of Loving is the subject of this chapter. It addresses the specific criticisms that have been directed towards this film. It considers the concerns over narrative interruption that Andrew Higson has raised in relation to this film. It also addresses the consternation that a particular camera movement found within the film caused Victor Perkins in ‘The British Cinema’. It is believed that this moment of the film's style destroyed the relationship between the décor and the action taking place. Writing in ‘Moments of Choice’, Perkins is keen to point out that editing and camera movements are specific decisions through which the direction of a film can alter viewpoint, character and theme. For him, quite logically, this is part of a broader strategy whereby ‘selection and sequence’ are the keys to altering this viewpoint.Less
John Schlesinger's 1962 film A Kind of Loving is the subject of this chapter. It addresses the specific criticisms that have been directed towards this film. It considers the concerns over narrative interruption that Andrew Higson has raised in relation to this film. It also addresses the consternation that a particular camera movement found within the film caused Victor Perkins in ‘The British Cinema’. It is believed that this moment of the film's style destroyed the relationship between the décor and the action taking place. Writing in ‘Moments of Choice’, Perkins is keen to point out that editing and camera movements are specific decisions through which the direction of a film can alter viewpoint, character and theme. For him, quite logically, this is part of a broader strategy whereby ‘selection and sequence’ are the keys to altering this viewpoint.
