Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

This module introduces students to studying British film history, looking at key periods of British filmmaking from the silent period to the present day. Students will gain awareness of the documentary and realist traditions of British filmmaking, and will be introduced to debates concerning the relationship between British cinema, Hollywood and Europe.

Students will also examine British films in relation to the key concept of cultural identity. 'Cultural Identity' refers to the ways in which films are linked to, and comment back on the cultural background they come from. As such, the module aims, specifically, to introduce students to a range of practices that have been used to read British films as representations of cultural identity, and to think about films as vehicles for the exploration of the problems and issues associated with cultural identity in different historical periods and contexts.

The module is structured to encourage students to begin thinking about what might constitute the 'British identity' or 'British Character' and then move to consider the different challenges that have been made, through cinema, concerning a single British identity. As some of the seminars will focus on issues such as realism, race, gender, and youth culture, the module will serve as an introduction to these issues in general, as well as in terms of how they have been explored within the context of British Cinema.