Exploring British cinema
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- Start Date: 17 Sep 2025End Date: 15 Oct 2025Wed (Evening): 19:45 - 21:30OnlineFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00
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What is the course about?
This online film studies course looks at British cinema as a national cinema, one that differentiates itself from Hollywood and other national cinemas by focusing on specifically British themes and offering a 'British' cinema for British audiences, while also exploiting its 'export' potential in international markets. We will be considering a range of films and themes from across British film history
The course will look at key areas of development, including the 'documentary tradition' of the 1930s with films such as Night Mail (1936), the 'golden age' of British cinema in the 1940s (including the 'quality cinema' and 'prestige' movement) through classics such as Millions Like Us (1943) and Brief Encounter (1945), the new wave of the 1960s with films such as A Taste of Honey (1961), the 'heritage film' of the 1980s and 1990s, for example, Sense and Sensibility (1995), as well as more recent examples of British filmmaking, from hits such as Paddington (2014) to the low-budget innovations of Bait (2019), and the hugely successful Aardman Animation films featuring characters such as Wallace and Gromit. We will also consider a range of responses to the films and the way in which these have shaped critical attitudes towards British cinema. A week by week programme, including the films we will be watching, will be provided at the outset of the course.
What will we cover?
• 'British' cinema/national cinema
• Realism
• Documentary film - and 'documentary realism' in the British film
• 'Quality' and 'prestige' cinema of the 1940s
• Popular cinema - genre films
• Art cinema - including the concepts of authorship and realism
• 'Heritage' film of the 1980s/90s
• British film history
• Critical accounts of British cinema.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Assess British cinema as a 'national' cinema
• Identify the major concepts associated with the study of British cinema (e.g., realism)
• Evaluate key phases and developments in British film history (e.g., the 'heritage' film)
• Evaluate a range of British films (including popular cinema, art cinema and documentary)
• Evaluate a range of critical accounts of British cinema.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Screenings of extracts from films, talks by the tutor, reading materials, small and large group discussions. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class (see the reading and films mentioned above) but this is not essential.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts. The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Film Studies courses under History, Culture & Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Jon Wisbey teaches film at City Lit and Morley College. He was for many years a committee member and vice-chair of Chelmsford Film Club, screening contemporary and classic world cinema releases. He has an MA in Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. His teaching focuses on classical and post-classical Hollywood, European cinema, British cinema, film noir and horror cinema.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.