Film society: British film movements

We will view and discuss British realism as pioneered by Woodfall Films: As the 1960s beckoned, a new mood swept through Britain. With anger mounting at an out-of-touch establishment, the era was reflected on screen by the rise of Woodfall Films in 1958. They blazed a trail through British cinema with groundbreaking films from the likes of Tony Richardson, Karel Reisz and Richard Lester, and launched the careers of iconic homegrown actors such as Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Rita Tushingham. 2018 is the 60th anniversary of a movement started by John Osborne, director Tony Richardson, and producer Harry Saltzman (who went on to James Bond). Woodall Films pioneered the British new wave, defining an incendiary brand of social realism. Look Back in Anger and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning portrayed working-class life with unheard-of honesty. The same risk-taking spirit led the company to find a new generation of brilliant young actors, often from the regions, such as Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Rita Tushingham. The global blockbuster Tom Jones (Tony Richardson, 1963) expanded the Woodfall slate in an irreverent, colourful direction that helped define swinging London – further securing their extraordinary chapter in the history of British film.
The swinging 60s ushered in a more mischievous, spirited cinema. It saw a surge in formal experimentation, freedom of expression, colour, and comedy. It attracted new kinds of directors for a revolution in British cinema.

Then we will consider Current British cinema - the state of the art. We’ll discuss recent Bafta nominations such as Lady Macbeth, God’s Own Country, The Death of Stalin and even Paddington 2.