Overview

Some films are remembered long after they are released; others are soon forgotten, but do they deserve oblivion? Are factors other than quality involved? This book exhumes some of the films released in Britain over the last seventy years from Daybreak (1948) to 16 Years of Alcohol (2003), and considers the reasons for their neglect. As well as exploring the contributions of those involved in making the films, the book examines such issues as marketing and the response of critics and audiences. Films are grouped loosely into categories such as B films and television films. Some works were little seen when they were first released and have stayed that way; others were popular in their day, but have slipped into obscurity. In some cases, social change has overtaken them, making the attitudes or subjects they depict seem dated. Even being released as a DVD does not guarantee that a title will be rehabilitated. In addition, how significant is the American market?This book should appeal to lovers of British film, as well as to film studies students and everybody curious about the vagaries of success and failure in the arts.

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9781443898904

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Reviews

[T]his study deserves neither to be forgotten nor regarded as ephemeral since it represents a very distinctive and well researched contribution to the area of British Cinema. [...] The book contains thirteen (far from unlucky) chapters in which Gillett plausibly develops his thesis using several examples of films once celebrated but now forgotten and comparing the merits of any remake to the original version. Tony Williams Professor and Area Head of Film Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Film International, 08.05.2017

Author Information

Philip Gillett is an independent researcher on film and author of The British Working Class in Postwar Film (2003). His most recent book, Film and Morality, was published in 2012, and he is a contributor to the online journal Offscreen.

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