British Cinema and Beyond is an interdisciplinary MA seminar for those of you interested in Film and Media Studies as well as Cultural Studies. It will give you a chance to familiarise yourselves with most significant achievements of British cinema, its unique history, art movements, trends, film landmarks, and Britain’s most acknowledged film directors, from Alfred Hitchcock, through Nicolas Roeg, to Derek Jarman.
Although its main focus is British film (in itself difficult to define), the course’s goal is also to trace its influence on film worldwide, especially Hollywood cinema. The seminar is therefore not accidentally called British Cinema and Beyond as part of its objective will be to look at both the British and American film industries, pinpointing their unique relationship based on linguistic proximity.
While discussing many cult British movies, it is hard to ignore that many of them have been recently remade by Hollywood. When language is no barrier, both original and remake are accessible to the same viewer, opening the way for critical reappraisal, comparisons and discussions on film sites and forums. Are American remakes a threat to the integrity of the British national cinema?
Studying its history from the early days of cinema until the present, we will try to show both the benefits and disadvantages of such a close cooperation and to indicate its possible repercussions for the development of a national cinema in Great Britain.