The People as Stars: Feature Films as National Expression

Abstract

Although the inevitability of war aroused many fears and anxieties, it also prompted a few hopes. There were perceptive film-makers and critics, for example, who sincerely hoped and believed that war would finally push British cinema through some final barriers by inspiring the writing of better stories and the production of sharper, tougher and, above all, more realistic films. The twelve months before the actual outbreak of hostilities gave ample evidence of a new maturity in British films: production standards seemed higher and many critics detected a new sureness of touch in matters social. There was certainly a new pride and a new sense of anticipation in the British film industry but, in order fully to appreciate the situation when war began, we need to remind ourselves of the terms in which British films hitherto had generally been discussed.