TOPICS: INTL: BRITISH CINEMA: SOCIAL HIST & CULTURAL IDNTY in Spring 2025 (FM3091B)

This course introduces the key themes and issues in the understanding of British cinema in its social, cultural and artistic context. The course will navigate through British film history and interrogate questions of realism, national cinema and cultural identity. We will be looking at landmark periods in British film history and explore a host of trends, traditions and genres, including documentary, comedy, spy thriller, kitchen sink dramas, historical films, horror, and art cinema. The films and readings will investigate a wide range of representations of British society: indeed, the notion of Britishness will be explored through varying, sometimes conflicting approaches. The course will proceed by means of in-class film screenings and discussions. Short lectures will establish social and historical context, and the students are expected to come to class prepared having completed weekly readings. Individual research-based assignments will enable students to explore areas of British film history not covered by the course.