The British Film Institute (BFI) is one of the UK's oldest and most important government-supported cultural institutions. From a modest start in the 1930s it grew rapidly after the war to encompass every kind of film-related activity from production to archiving to exhibition to education. At the beginning of the twenty-first century its turnover was approaching GBP30m and it had become a central point of reference for anyone whose interest in film stretched beyond what's on at the local multiplex.
There was nothing straightforward about this rise to prominence. It was achieved in the face of government indifference, active obstruction from the film trade, internecine warfare within the organisation and fierce contestation on the part of the BFI's own core public.
Based on intensive original research in the BFI's own voluminous archives and elsewhere, this book examines the interplay of external and internal forces that led to the BFI's unique development as a multi-faceted public body.
This volume will be a treasure trove for anyone interested in film and the workings of cultural institutions, or more generally in twentieth-century British film history. -- .
Edited by:
Geoffrey Nowell-Smith,
Christophe Dupin
Other:
Bethan Hirst
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 485g
ISBN: 9780719095740
ISBN 10: 0719095743
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 31 August 2014
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Editors' Introduction 1. Foundation and early years – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 2. Post-War Renaissance – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 3. 'Je t'aime – moi non plus': Ernest Lindgren and Henri Langlois – Christophe Dupin 4. The BFI and Film Exhibition, 1933–70 – Christophe Dupin 5. The Vanguard of film Appreciation: the Film Society movement and film Culture, 1945–65 – Richard MacDonald 6. From the 1964 Labour government to the 1970 BFI Crisis – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 7. The view from the regions – Melanie Selfe 8. Paddy Whannel and BFI Education – Terry Bolas 9. The 1970s – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 10. The Smith years – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 11. The BFI and film production: half a century of innovative independent film-making – Christophe Dupin 12. The BFI and television – Richard Paterson 13. The Sight and Sound story – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 14. A public showcase for the BFI: the Museum of the Moving Image – Lorraine Blakemore 15. Towards the Millennium – Geoffrey Nowell-Smith 16. Epilogue Bibliography Index -- .
Geoffrey Nowell-Smith is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of History, Queen Mary, University of London Christophe Dupin; Senior Administrator, International Federation of Film Archives in Brussels -- .
Reviews for The British Film Institute, the Government and Film Culture, 1933–2000
The book is wide ranging in scope, covering not only the BFI, but 75 years of British cultural life, including film societies, the film archive movement and the Museum of the Moving Image. This volume will be a treasure trove for anyone interested in film and the workings of cultural institutions, or more generally in 20th century British film history. -- .
