Young And Innocent?
The Cinema in Britain, 1896-1930
Distributed for University of Exeter Press
“This book is both necessary, and important . . . A collection of introductory essays such as this has not before been undertaken, and it provides an invaluable reference point to students of this neglected period . . . The greatest value in the book lies in its final section, in which Steve Bottomore and Jon Burrows give a comprehensive overview of the resources available to those interested in the period . . . The silent period in Britain can be daunting, given its lack of secondary source material, but the two pieces between them provide an opening into the period to any interested party, and should be recommended reading on all film history courses. These are backed up by an impressive bibliography which is well organised, thorough and completely indispensable. There is no doubt that this is a book which every film student should have on his or her shelf . . . What comes across most is the variety of approaches available and the wealth of work yet to be done, as well as the community and the enthusiasm of the academics, archivists, students and historians who are undertaking it. The message is clear; grab a notepad and join in. There is much to do. Essential.” –Viewfinder, No. 47, June 2002
“Two themes in particular stand out, which draw on the interdisciplinary pattern of much current early media work. One is to locate moving pictures in a wider fabric of popular culture . . . The other new and welcome trend apparent in this collection is a move away from directors and even from individual films towards a consideration of industrial issues . . . [this collection] testifies to a lively culture of research and discovery around early British cinema which is a welcome change from the self-flagellation of earlier generations.” –Sight and Sound, June 2002
SECTION A – Putting the Pioneers in Context: Films and Filmmakers before the First World War
1. “But the Khaki-Covered Camera is the Latest Thing”: The Boer War Cinema and Visual Culture in Britain
2. James Williamson’s Rescue Narratives
3. Cecil Hepworth, Alice in Wonderland and the Development of the Narrative Film
4. Putting the World before You: The Charles Urban Story
6. “Indecent Incentives to Vice”: Regulating Films and Audience Behaviour from the 1890s to the 1910s
7. “Nothing More than a ‘Craze’”: Cinema Building in Britain from 1909 to 1914
8. Letters to America: A Case Study in the Exhibition and Reception of American Films in Britain, 1914-1918
9. British Series and Serials in the Silent Era
10. The Spice of the Perfect Programme: The Weekly Magazine Film during the Silent Period
11. Shakespeare’s Country: The National Poet, English Identity and British Silent Cinema
14. Writing Screen Plays: Stannard and Hitchcock
18. The Film Society and the Creation of an Alternative Film Culture in Britain in the 1920s
SECTION F – Bibliographical and Archival Resources
21. A Guide to Bibliographical and Archival Sources on British Cinema before the First World War
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