Cinema and Society in Twentieth-Century Britain
- Course Code
- HIST 0480 / FMMC 0480
- Course Type
- Tutorials
- Subject Credit
- Course Availability
This tutorial explores British cinema and society during the twentieth century. Cinema became enormously popular in the first half of the century; it both shaped and responded to changing social and cultural attitudes. This course draws on films from a range of genres, including comedy, action, and documentaries. These provide a stimulating opportunity to explore themes such as social change, attitudes to gender and sexuality, nationhood, the British empire, and the impact of the World Wars. This tutorial is also allows students to examine the methodological challenges of using film as a historical source.
Sample Films:
War Women of England (1917)
A Day in the Life of a Munitions Worker (1917)
Fires Were Started (1943)
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945)
The Dambusters (1955)
Alfie (1966)
Darling (1965)
A Passage to India (1984)
Billy Elliot (2000)
This is England (2006)