Alan Burton

Steve Chibnall

Focusing on British cinema, this book contains a chronology, an introduction, appendices and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section contains cross-referenced entries.

Historical Dictionary of British Cinema

Julian Petley

British Horror Cinema investigates a wealth of horror filmmaking in Britain, from early chillers like The Ghoul and Dark Eyes of London to acknowledged classics such as Peeping Tom and The Wicker Man. Contributors explore the contexts in which British horror films have been censored and classified, judged by their critics and consumed by their fans. Uncovering neglected modern classics like Deathline, and addressing issues such as the representation of family and women, they consider the Britishness of British horror and examine sub-genres such as the psycho-thriller and witchcraftmovies, the work of the Amicus studio, and key filmmakers including Peter Walker. Chapters include: the 'Psycho Thriller' the British censors and horror cinema femininity and horror film fandom witchcraft and the occult in British horror Horrific films and 1930s British Cinema Peter Walker and Gothic revisionism. Also featuring a comprehensive filmography and interviews with key directors Clive Barker and Doug Bradley, this is one resource film studies students should not be without.

British Horror Cinema

Sim Branaghan

An Illustrated History

British Film Posters

Examines the career of the British screenwriter turned director, John Lee Thompson, (1914-present). The author plots the trajectory of the filmmaker through the typical constraints and opportunities offered by British cinema as a dominant studio system gave way to independent production in the two decades after the Second World War. Thompson directed The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear after he moved to Hollywood. A filmography closes the book. Black and white photographs are provided. Distributed by Palgrave. c. Book News Inc.

J. Lee Thompson

First published on the fiftieth anniversary of his directorial debut, this book was the first to examine the work of a man once hailed as the finest film-maker to emerge from the British studio system after the Second World War. Before being recruited by Hollywood, J. Lee Thompson made a string of classic films including: Yield to the Night (1956), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tiger Bay (1959), North West Frontier (1959) and The Guns of Navarone (1961). He worked in the Hollywood industry into his late eighties, making nearly thirty films as a director and producer between 1960 and 1990. He remains best known, however, for his first: the immortal thriller Cape Fear (1962).Drawing on extensive interview material, Steve Chibnall traces Lee Thompson's career in British cinema, and offers an analysis of his films which reveals remarkable, and previously unacknowledged, continuities of style and theme.This is a book for anyone interested in the history of British cinema, and particularly those who enjoy the best of 1950s and 1960s film.

This book, the first of two volumes, will provide a major new history of the British B film, tracing the development of the low-budget supporting feature from the 1927 Films Act (which introduced a quota system for the distribution and exhibition of indigenous product) to the age of television, when B film producers channelled their energies into making TV programmes. Along the way, the authors will address leading producers and studios, B film stars, distributors, the genres and themes that tended to dominate B film production (comedy, horror, crime and fantasy). 'Quota Quickies' will include a case study of the B films of Michael Powell. The authors' argument is that the B film was hugely important in British cinema history in offering an opportunity for British actors and technicians to develop their careers, and that the films themselves provided an outlet for the exploration of peculiarly British cultural concerns in an industry traditionally dominated by Hollywood output. They also contend that some of the films stand up well to contemporary viewing and are deserving of critical re-evaluation.

Quota Quickies

Robert Murphy

This is the first substantial study of British cinema's most neglected genre. Bringing together original work from some of the leading writers on British popular film, this book includes interviews with key directors Mike Hodges (Get Carter) and Donald Cammel (Performance). It discusses an abundance of films including: * acclaimed recent crime films such as Shallow Grave, Shopping, and Face. * early classics like They Made Me A Fugitive * acknowledged classics such as Brighton Rock and The Long Good Friday * 50s seminal works including The Lavender Hill Mob and The Ladykillers.

British Crime Cinema

The Cult Films of Pete Walker Walker is celebrated as a film-maker of transgressive vision. His mid 1970's trilogy of 'terror' films, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, FRIGHTMARE and HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN, are acknowledged classics of the British horror film, and have featured stars Susan George, Stephanie Beacham, Pamela Stephenson, and Ray Brooks. This is the first book to be written about his work, and features interviews and details of his new movie about the Sex Pistols, A STAR IS DEAD.

The Cult Films of Pete Walker

Making Mischief

Brian McFarlane

This is the first book to provide a thorough examination of the British 'B' movie, from the war years to the 1960s. The authors draw on archival research, contemporary trade papers and interviews with key 'B' filmmakers to map the 'B' movie phenomenon both as artefact and as industry product, and as a reflection on their times.

The British 'B' Film

The Historical Dictionary of British Cinema has a lot of ground to cover. This it does with over 300 dictionary entries informing us about significant actors, producers and directors, outstanding films and serials, organizations and studios, different films genres from comedy to horror, and memorable films, among other things. Two appendixes provide lists of award-winners. Meanwhile, the chronology covers over a century of history. These parts provide the details, countless details, while the introduction offers the big story. And the extensive bibliography points toward other sources of information.

The horror film is now one of the most popular and talked about film genres and yet, outside of the Hammer studio, very little has been written about British horror. Going beyond Hammer, the book investigates a wealth of horror filmmaking in Britain from early chillers like The Ghoul and Dark Eyes of London to acknowledged classics such as Peeping Tom and The Wicker Man.

John Boulting's Brighton Rock is a milestone film; it made Richard Attenborough a star; it is the first realistic depiction of the British criminal underworld; and the first of Graham Greene's adaptations of his own work. Godfather of classic crime films like Get Carter and The Long Good Friday, its American cousins include Little Caesar and Mean Streets. To mark the centenary of Greene's birth, Steve Chibnall presents a detailed re-view of this authentic slice of English seaside noir. It includes scene-by-scene analysis, the writing, production and reception of the film, and the real activities of the racecourse gangs and protection racketeers that inspired the drama. Steve Chibnall also uncovers the mystery of missing scenes that, if restored, would give Brighton Rock a significantly different emphasis, and he reveals new information about the films' controversial ending.

Steve Chibnall

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