The 19705 A lack Of Direction

Economic insecurity, unemployment and deteriorating industrial relations.The miner's strike in 1974."the winter of discontent" contributed to the defeat of the Conservativegovernment.Increase in north south economic divideIncrease in divide between "the haves" and "the have nots" in general.Some evidence of social mobility but class conflict still existed- mostpowerful positions being held by the upper classes and the lot of the sickand unemployed remaining stagnant.

Race serious & divisive issue.The National Front attacked ethnic minorities, numbers swelled as theyplayed on insecurities increased by unemployment and immigration.

The "troubles" in Northern Ireland increased - IRA beginning militantactivities in Britain.

Increasing popularity/militancy of the women's movement increased maleanxiety about women's changing role in the workplace and in society.This in turn increased concern about the erosion of tradition familyvalues.

In 1979 Maggie Thatcher was elected as the 1st British woman PrimeMinister.

British Cinema

Period of decline for GB film industry, but developments began to enablesuccess of 1980s.Increasing awareness in US and UK of sophisticated marketing anddistribution.Group of GB young film makers had begun their careers in advertising(David Puttnam, Hugh Hudson, Ridley Scott, Adrian Lyne) - aware film wasa product that had to be sold to its target audience.Until here British producers spent at most 10'0 of budget on marketing"Midnight Express" (Alan Parker 1978) 1st film to spend more on screenprints and advertising than on the production of the film and success atthe box office justified the investment. The approach however was notpicked up by the GB film industry.

Industry & Audiences

Dominated by financial insecurity, uncertain artistic direction and a lackof confidence in the marketability of the films produced.Highlighted problems that have existed in the GB industry and persistinto the 1990s -

• how films are exhibited in GB• the structure of the industry itself• how to raise money to produce films• and relationships with Hollywood.

British Studios

In 1960s popularity of GB films, quality and availability of British studiosand relatively cheap labour had meant significant US finance had beeninvested in GB film production.1967 most of production finance in GB was US.By 1974 sum invested had fallen to £2.9million.Major studios were suffering losses on big budget films and foreigninvestment was discouraged by GB domestic problems.

Period of economic and artistic growth of 1960s over and film producersof 1970s had no reliable sources of finance.National Film Finance company's resources diminished - between 1973 and1981 it contributed only £4 million towards 31 feature films and 6 shorts.

In an attempt to break into US market the major GB film companies(EMI, Lord Grade's Associated Communications Corporation and the RankOrganisation) produced a series of unsuccessful blockbusters, the mostfamous being "Raise The Titanic!" (Jameson 1980) - a box office flop thatcost $35 million.

Total number of feature films produced in GB fell from 98 in 1971 to 36by 1981.

Television becoming increasingly popular and cinema admissions dropped;cinema going no longer mass entertainment of the GB public.

Film makers looked for new formulae to counteract competition from TVenabling them to attract new, young cinema audiences.

Admission prices no longer cheap and cinema goers became moreselective. Double bills, shorts and supporting features were removed andthe single feature with advertising was shown in separate performancesto replace the continuous show. Children's Saturday shows less populardue to TV's appeal and disappeared by end of 1970s.

British studios that remained in 1970s - Pinewood, Elstree, Sheppertonand Twickenham - mostly used for big US productions such as "StarWars" (Lucas 1977) and "Superman" (Donner 1978).

The studios had changed in essence from producers of recognisable filmgenres to factories which attracted film makers to their facilities.Growing use of special effects led to establishment of a facilitiesindustry, with model makers, optical effects specialists and computerbased services located in London, Elstree and Pinewood.

1968 Stanley Kubrick "2001: A Space Odyssey" in GB. As a result of thespecial effects team's work and work on the Bond movies Britishtechnicians developed an international reputation for their skills withphysical and mechanical effects.

Lucas and Kurtz decided to use many of the 2001 team on "Star Wars" atElstree and they returned to make more.

The GB government did nothing to encourage or invest in this pool ofhighly skilled talent and some of Britain's best technicians left to workfor more receptive and lucrative Hollywood.

Audiences & Exhibition

By end of 1960s cinema buildings too large for audiences attending - noteconomic to maintain them and dispiriting for audiences to be dottedaround a large auditorium.

1 solution - split buildings in half. Upstairs cinema, downstairs dance orbingo hall.Most profitable chains Odeon and ABC converted into 3 screen filmcentres with new equipment - screening a film required only 1 projectorthat could almost run itself.

ABC favoured closing sites for several months to create 2 new cinemas informer stalls and 1 in circle each with new screens and curtains.Attempted to relaunch film centres as new creations.

Odeon preferred to spend less money with "drop wall" conversions - thespace beneath a balcony closed off and divided down the middle to create2 mini cinemas while circle functioned as largest. Used the existingscreen and stayed open for most or all of conversion to maintain someincome and keep cinema going habit alive.

Greater choice for 1970s audiences as many towns had competing ABCand Odeon cinemas each with 3 screens.Successful films like Russell's "Women In Love" (1969) given standard 2week run in 3 screen cinemas were given a longer run on smaller screensencouraging a wider audience. "Jaws" (Spielberg 1975) one of 1st USblockbusters played at some local cinemas for up to 6 months.

"Women In Love" features nude male wrestling and the censors blurredthe sequence. In 1970 X certificate changed restricting films toaudiences aged 18 and over and at the same time a new AA category wasintroduced barring children under 14.

In spite of the conversions and the success of "Star Wars" causing asharp rise in attendances audience figures continued to decline, morecinemas closed, even conversions and press and display advertising werecut back.Annual admissions continued to drop from 501 million in 1960 to 193million in 1970. Number of cinemas fell from 3,034 to 1,529 and by 1984annual attendances were down to 58 million with Odeon only having 75cinemas with 194 screens and ABC (now part of Thorn EMI conglomerate)having 107 sites and 287 screens.

Hammer Studios

Horror was still a significant genre and Hammer continued to besuccessful well into the mid 70s. Bankrupt eventually in 1980.See Hammer Productions Case Study.

Independent Film Makers

1966 London Film-makers' Co-operative founded and with it beginnings ofmodern independent film production movement.

10 years later Independent Film-makers Association definedindependence as -an avoidance of the constraints which big private capitalwas believed to impose, a rejection of the aim of making unchallengingfilms to attract large audiences immediately, and a commitment to thepreservation and development of critical thought.

Interest in film in Art Colleges produced group of film makers whoobjected to the format of Hollywood dominated industry and its Britishversions. Influenced by alternative traditions which criticised practicesand products of mainstream industry and set up production facilities tomake sure they could control the production processes.

Number of other radical film production collectives were set up in 60sand 70s, including:

Cinema Action (London1968; films for Labour movement on housing,industrial relations, strikes and occupations against factory closures andredundancies, the Republican movement in Ireland, the miner's strikes of72 and 74)

Amber Films (Newcastle 1969; films looking at lives of working people innorth east)

London Women's Film group (London 1972; films on involvement of womenin 1926 and 1974miners' strikes and 1970s campaigns for equal pay andabortion rights)

Some received state subsidy, others made cheaply by unemployed or parttime film industry workers subsidising their own work.

Independent film production, government intervention and the majorstudios still contribute to the picture of the British film industry in the1990s.

Issues & IdentityFilm Styles, Themes & Genres

Getting the audience back

Did produce some interesting films different genres and formulae triedto win back audiences. Scott, Puttnam, Parker and Hudson all making filmsin 1970s that contributed to GB cinema revival in the 1980s

Ridley Scott "The Duellists" (1977) and "Alien" (1979)Alan Parker won 2 Oscars for "Midnight Express" (1978)Hudosn's "Chariots of Fire" (1981) earned over $30million in US

GB directors increasingly attracted to Hollywood where financialsituation better.

Nicholas Roeg "Peformance" released 1971 (made 1969) - combinedswinging 60s, pop stars (Jagger)_and psychedelia with brutality of Londongangland. Enormous impact and violent responses! Test screening in USaudience protest so loud film had to be stopped. Rumours about film'smaking - actor relationships, impact on those making and starring in it,improvisation techniques and blurring of distinctions between reality andrepresentation, still persist today. James Fox abandoned acting for aChristian vocation and didn't see film for another 8 years. Sex andviolence presented in ways on screen unknown before in mainstreamcinema.

Thriller/HorrorRoeg "Don't Look Now" (1973) UK and Italian production quality horror.Top box office film of 1973.

Sci FiKubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) a cross genre scifi/fantasy/futuristic film - accused of glamorising gang rape andthuggery he withdrew it from GB distribution after succession of allegedcopycat violent incidents.Scott's "Alien" (1979) sci fi horror - a box office success contributing tohorror/sci fi revival of 1980s.

ComedyCarry On series begun in 1950s continued during 70s - 1 film a year untilfailure of "Carry On Emmanuelle" (Thomas 1978). "Naughtiness2 lookeddated in permissive 70s.Films enjoyed a TV revival and cult following in 1990s.Big budget star oriented comedy also feature of 70s - "The Pink Panther"(Edwards 1963) Peter Sellers persuaded to appear in 3 more - targetedat international market and did well at box office.

Repeating FormulaTV comedies to entice TV audiences back into cinemas. TV characters in1hr 30min features when audience used to 30 min segments didn't work,small scale situation comedy didn't work on big screen.Initially audiences returned "On The Buses" (Booth 1971) highest grossingfilm that year, "Steptoe & Son" (Owen 1972) did well at box office butsuccessor didn't.Monty Python films also did well appealing to youth market.

Regional HumourForsyth "That Sinking Feeling" (1979) low budget, untried actors. More indepth perception of regionalism than before (thugs or eccentrics) similarvein to Loach and Davies.Regionalism also explored in crime thriller genre with "Get Carter"(Hodges 1971). Re-released in 1990s.

Pop CultureRock/pop/punk influenced musicals "That'1I Be The Day" (Whatham 1973)and "Stardust" (Apted 1974) with David Essex, "Tommy" (RusseIl1975)with Elton John and The Who, while "Jubilee" (Jarman 1978), "Rude Boy"(Hazan/Mingay 1980) and Temple's 1979 "The Great Rock and RollSwindle" were all helped along by punk.Russell's "Mahler" (1974) and "Lisztomania" (1975) to challengeconservative attitudes to classical music."Bugsy Malone" (Parker 1976) kids gangster/satire epic.

The GB Male - James Bond"Diamonds Are Forever" (Hamilton 1971)"Live and Let Die" (Hamilton 1973)"The Spy Who Loved Me" (Gilbert 1977)

Hero of great cultural significance saving free world reflecting values offree world especially England. Worked for an elite maintaining worldpower status quo -GB and allies domination - clearly defined good and evil.Role of women seen as backlash to feminism - found anti hero statusappealing as he represented a new generation of talent based classlessuntraditional anti establishment elite.

Historical Costume DramaRussell's "The Music Lovers" (1970)Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" (1975)Richardson's "Joseph Andrews" (1976)Ambitious themes and lavish sets.