At first, my article was going to deal with recommendations of British films that have to be seen, at least, once in a lifetime. But, after thinking and asking around me about British films, I finally asked myself if British cinema still has its identity.
How many times has it happened to you that you have not been able to distinguish if the film you have watched was British or American? Some will say “a very few times” because, of course, it can be distinguished by actors’ accents. Others will say that this has happened many times because usually we cannot find the difference. In fact, it is hard to know if a movie is British or American because when there are American actors playing in a British film, we will spontaneously think that it is an American one. All this paradox can be summed up in the cinematographic influence that the United States has on the United Kingdom.
We all know that the cinema of United Kingdom has had a great influence on the technological, commercial and artistic development of cinema and is one of the most respected film industries in the world. Despite having a history full of successful productions (you only need to watch movies as Harry Potter or James Bond), the British film industry is characterized by a debate about its identity and the influences of American and European cinema.
The British market is not enough developed for the British film industry to successfully produce Hollywood-style blockbusters for a sustained period. Compared to the United States, the British film industry has been able to produce very few international commercial successes on a continuous way. For many people, this is the consequence of Hollywood providing work for British directors, actors, writers, production team and making British stories into American films. For others, it is a consequence of the involvement of American actors in British films and also the fact that most of the money to shoot a film comes, especially, from Hollywood which is often seen as a threat and distortion of the British film culture.
To conclude, my point of view is that I am convinced of the immense cinematography influence that the United States has on all countries and that this country "chooses" to get involved or participate with another country (in this case the United Kingdom) in the filmography of many films. That opens the way of the American and world markets to the British film industry, limited to the participation of a few. It is true that the UK film industry has strengthened and gained international recognition and that is why this influence with respect to its identity is not negative, but positive.
What do you think? Does the
American industry monopolize the cinema? Has British cinema lost its identity
or, on the contrary, is it being complemented?
Amanda Maruny Paz
EPD 11 Group 3
Reviewed by Maïssane Bel Kanadil
Reviewed by Maïssane Bel Kanadil
