Options
Are you a fan of British Cinema?
I've personally never enjoyed British cinema, yet i'm fan of the actors we produce. I was just wondering why our industry never tries to be more innovative and create more original productions, beyond the Drama (Usually period) and crime (Usually gangsters).
0
Comments
We have some great actors, directors and technicians but lack cash and ideas.
If The Sweeney is the standard UK movies are aiming for then they're doomed.
Danny Boyle does great films, but most of them receive co-funding for the US.
I think it says something that in my, admittedly small, blu ray collection I have only six films from British directors (The Dark Knight Triogy - Christopher Nolan, The Great White Silence, Herbert Ponting, Prometheus - Ridley Scott, Source Code - Duncan Jones) only one of which was entirely financed in Britain.
Exactly. I can't say that I'm a fan because I find that most British films which are hyped up to be great films I find to be very disappointing.
But I love British films when they do produce a great film.
I tend to dislike most costume dramas, films by Richard Curtis such as Love Actually and Two Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones Diary, anything with Hugh Grant in it, Colin Firth although he himself is good is a bad sign when he's in it, and I'm sick to death of the British film cliche of a group of working class people who get together as a group to do something like a striptease act/ calendar/brass band, or whatever, and 'overcome all odds' to save their local whatever. These triumph of spirit type films, which I suppose you could add Billy Elliot to, just seem to be so cookie cutter for me.
I acknowledge that many of these these films I mention are very popular and loved by many in the UK, but I can't stand them.
We've had some truly great films come out of the UK though.
Get Carter, The Wicker Man, 28 Days Later, Dead Man's Shoes, Shaun of the Dead, to name just a very tiny selection from a long list, and if you count British directors who make films in general wherever they were financed from the British influence is overwhelmingly positive.
Harry Potter for instance - couldn't be more British , but Warners reap all the profits .
I think that a lot of people do try. But I think their hands are tied somewhat by both financial issues and by being restricted to making certain types of films by people who wield the power to get films made.
We have a lot of talent, but it feels as though it's held back and restrained.
Because once you see British talent working on American films you can see the potential and what we're capable of.
Not sure that's entirely fair 10-15 years ago maybe, when it seemed that only 4 types of film were being made (Hugh Grant Rom Coms, British-Asian 'culture clash comedies, Costume Dramas, Gangster/football hooligan films) but in the past couple of years we've had
Slumdog Millionaire
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Inbetweeners Movie
The Woman In Black
Seven Psychopaths
Attack The Block
Four Lions
Tinker, Tailor Soldier Spy
Nativity
Moon
Pirates In an Adventure With Scientists
....and More
So there's quite a bit of variety there. I do take your point though that yes there's always been a kind of 'bread and butter' feel to UK cinema and costume dramas. The simple answer I guess though is that it's because we're good at them and they make money.
I'm not sure why people in the UK criticise it though. Hong Kong has been making the same kung-fu/action movies for decades, Bollywood has been using the same template for years with little evolution.They do them because they're good at them and they make money, so it makes sense to carry on.
Film 4 - Slumdog Millionaire, Inbetweeners, Attack The Block, Four Lions, Seven Psychopaths
BBC Films - Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, Nativity
StudioCanal - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Sony Pictures - Moon, Pirates in An Adventure with Scientists
I guess there's just not a lot of money to go round, so most go to the US...