The British Film Industry and Thatcherism

Paper Summary:

This well-researched paper delves into the history of Britain's film industry which, according to the writer of this paper, was considered second rate in comparison to other countries including Germany, France and the U.S. This paper discusses the film industry's apparent lack of focus primarily during the 1980s, which was a direct result due to the political climate during this particular era. The writer reviews and analyzes British author John Hill's book "British Cinema in the 1980s" which provides in-depth insight to this specific topic. The writer contends and explains why British filmmakers were essentially apathetic and uncaring about Thatcherism and went on to challenge many of the country's values. This paper examines the impact of various films made in England during the 1980s including "Gandhi," "Room With a View" and "Chariots of Fire." This paper also focuses on the cultural conflicts between the older and younger generations in England which greatly impacted the types of films that were produced during at that time. The writer stresses that during the 1980s the older generation stuck by the traditional and old fashioned Victorian morality system which still exists today while the younger generation chose to adhere to a more free-flowing Edwardian type value system.

From the Paper:

"There were several opportunistic policies that had been passed, and there was also a growing lack of satisfaction in manual labor. Therefore, it was very evident that in Britain, even at the end of the 1960's and the beginning of the 1970's, there was indeed a large amount of class differences in English society, and society in general was divided into there major classes, which were the upper classes, the middle classes, and the working classes. The divisions were in fact brought about by the differences in wealth, power, and the types of work, the ideologies, the status, and the opportunities that were available. At the same time, this period saw a vast change in the people's attitudes towards traditions, old values, taboos, customs, and the all-pervasive parochialism, and this was the very attitude that was reflected in all the New Age films that were made during that time."

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