Field, Amanda J
Next Train's Gone!
In the 1930s, British film producers and critics championed the idea of ‘quality’ pictures - thoughtful, intelligent films that would project a particular and positive view of Britain. The result was to drive a wedge between ‘national’ cinema (which reflected middle-class values) and ‘popular’ cinema (which reflected the working-class values of the majority of cinema audiences). ‘Popular’ became a term of abuse, particularly directed at comedies, whose roots often lay in music-hall. A very different image of Britain emerges from these comedies, as this insightful analysis of two Will Hay films - Oh Mr Porter (1937) and Ask a Policeman (1939) reveals.
Keywords: Film Studies, Will Hay, Oh Mr Porter, Ask a Policeman, British film comedy, British film studios, British national identity, music-hall
- Author(s)
- Field, Amanda J
- Publisher
- Andrews UK
- Publication year
- 2015
- Language
- en
- Edition
- 1
- Series
- Short Takes Film Studies
- Page amount
- 29 pages
- Category
- Art, Art History
- Format
- Ebook
- eISBN (PDF)
- 9781909183803