Alternative Film Culture in Interwar Britain

Jamie Sexton

Description

In the first book-length study to concentrate specifically on Britain, Jamie Sexton examines the rise of avant-garde and experimental film-making between the wars.


The book provides a detailed view of how modernist and anti-mainstream currents emerged in the film industry in Britain.


Alternative Film Culture in Inter-War Britain is the first book-length study of a number of currents which opposed mainstream filmmaking and which championed film as an intellectual, modern art. It traces the growth of new approaches to film through exhibition and writing on cinema, and looks at how this cultural formation shaped certain areas of filmmaking. As such, it takes an interdisciplinary approach in which a study of independent filmmaking in this era is firmly placed within a cultural context, linking the ways in which films were presented, received and produced.This is the first in-depth look at 'alternative film culture' in Britain between the wars will excite many in the film, and film studies, worlds. It combines the history with analysis of the films themselves, and of their reception. It looks at the operations of a key contemporary institution, the original Film Society.

Illustrations


Acknowledgments


Introduction: From Avant-Garde Film to Alternative Film Culture


Chapter 1. The Network of Alternative Film Culture


Chapter 2. Deconstruction, Burlesque and Parody


Chapter 3. Drifters and the Emergence of an Alternative British Cinema


Chapter 4. Alternative Film Culture in the Shadow of Sound


Chapter 5. Montage, Machinery and Sound


Chapter 6. Mechanization and Abstraction


Chapter 7. Borderline: Subjectivity and Experimentation


Conclusion


Bibliography

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Reino Unido
• Película fotográfica
• Interwar period
• General officer
• Cultural studies
• United Kingdom
• Cinema of the United Kingdom
• History of film
• British Isles
• Anthropology
• Great Britain
• General
• Social
• Film
• Culture
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: University of Exeter Press
• Date de parution: 02 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780859898973
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

I S B N 9780859898102

9 7 8 0 8 5 9 8 9 8 1 0 2

E X E T E R S T U D I E S I N F I L M H I S T O R Y

Alte Fil r m n Cu a l tive ture in InterWar Britain

JAMIE SEXTON

A F C  I-W B

In te first book-lengt study to concentrate specifically on Britain,Jamie Sexton examines te rise of avant-garde and experimental filmmaking between te wars. he book provides a detailed view of ow modernist and anti-mainstream currents emerged in te film industry. It traces te growt of new approaces to film troug exibition and writing on cinema, and looks at ow tis cultural formation saped filmmaking. As suc, it takes an interdisciplinary approac in wic a study of independent filmmaking in tis era is firmly placed witin a cultural context, linking te ways in wic films were presented, received and produced. Sexton combines istory wit analysis of te films temselves, and looks at te operations of a key contemporary institution, te original Film Society.

Jamie Sextonis Lecturer in Film Studies in te University of Wales, Aberystwyt. His oter books includeCult Cinema: An Introduction (wit Ernest Matijs, fortcoming );Experimental Britis Television(edited wit Laura Mulvey, );Music, Sound and Multimedia(edited, ).

Exeter Studies in Film History Publised by University of Exeter Press in association wit te Bill Douglas Centre for te History of Cinema and Popular Culture Series Editors:Richard Maltby,Professor of Screen Studies, Flinders University, Sout Australia andSteve Neale, Professor of Film Studies and Academic Director of te Bill Douglas Centre for te History of Cinema and Popular Culture, University of Exeter.

Parallel Tracks: he Railroad and Silent Cinema Lynne Kirby () he World According to Hollywood, – Rut Vasey () ‘Film Europe’ and ‘Film America’: Cinema, Commerce and Cultural Excange – edited by Andrew Higson and Ricard Maltby () A Paul Rota Reader edited by Duncan Petrie and Robert Kruger () A Corus of Raspberries: Britis Film Comedy – David Sutton () he Great Art of Ligt and Sadow: Arcaeology of te Cinema Laurent Mannoni, translated by Ricard Crangle () Popular Filmgoing in s Britain: A Coice of Pleasures Jon Sedgwick () Alternative Empires: European Modernist Cinemas and Cultures of Imperialism Martin Stollery () Hollywood, Westerns and te s: he Lost Trail Peter Stanfield () Young and Innocent? he Cinema in Britain – edited by Andrew Higson () Legitimate Cinema: heatre Stars in Silent Britis Films – Jon Burrows () he Big Sow: Britis Cinema Culture in te Great War (–) Micael Hammond () Multimedia Histories: From te Magic Lantern to te Internet edited by James Lyons and Jon Plunkett () Going to te Movies: Hollywood and te Social Experience of Cinema edited by Ricard Maltby, Melvyn Stokes and Robert C. Allen ()

University of Exeter Press also publises te celebrated five-volume series looking at te early years of Englis cinema,he Beginnings of te Cinema in England, by Jon Barnes.

Alternative Film Culture in Inter-War Britain

Jamie Sexton

First publised in  by University of Exeter Press Reed Hall, Streatam Drive Exeter EX QR UK www.exeterpress.co.uk

© Jamie Sexton 

he rigt of Jamie Sexton to be identified as autor of tis work as been asserted by im in accordance wit te Copyrigt, Designs and Patents Acts .

Britis Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for tis book is available from te Britis Library.

ISBN     

Typeset in Adobe Caslon by JCS Publising Services Ltd

Printed in Great Britain by Cromwell Press, Trowbridge

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Contents

Introduction: From Avant-Garde Film to Alternative Film Culture  . he Network of Alternative Film Culture  . Deconstruction, Burlesque and Parody  .Driftersand te Emergence of an Alternative Britis Cinema  . Alternative Film Culture in te Sadow of Sound  . Montage, Macinery and Sound  . Mecanization and Abstraction  .Borderline: Subjectivity and Experimentation Conclusion Notes Bibliograpy

Filmograpy Index

vii ix             

Illustrations

. he opening, punning titles ofCrossing te Great Sagrada  . he censor interrupts a scene because of violent undertones in Cut it Out  . he exaggeration of ‘Expressionist’ style employed to empasize ambiguity witinC.O.D.—A Mellow Drama  . Fisermen casting nets inDrifters(picture from, and courtesy of, Jon Grierson Arcive)









 . A picturesque, silouetted sot of a trawler, firmly encased witin te natural landscape inDrifters(picture from, and courtesy of, Jon Grierson Arcive)   . Helen Biggar’s animated plasticine figures, used to symbolize idden truts inHell Unltd. (from te Billie Love Historical Collection, courtesy of Anna Seperd)   . Diplomats at a peace conference inHell Unltd.(from te Billie Love Historical Collection, courtesy of Anna Seperd)   . A pan along a telegrap wire inSong of Ceylonempasizes te importance of modern communications (courtesy of Film Images)   . Self-consciously ‘artistic’ framing inBeyond his Open Road  . Paper cut-outs and moving ligt create abstract patterns inLigt Rytms  . A still fromA Colour Box, in wic Lye painted directly onto te film strip (courtesy of Film Images) 

vii

    -  . horne’s point-of-view sot of Astrid, lying motionless on te floor as toug dead inBorderline(courtesy of BFI) . Astrid, owever, suddenly raises er ead, as toug coming back from te dead (courtesy of BFI) .Borderline:Pete (Paul Robeson) sot against te sky to empasize is links wit nature (courtesy of BFI)

viii

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

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