Description
Street (screen studies, U. of Bristol) explores both cultural and economic exchange processes in her chronological study of reception of British films in the United States. For each decade between the 1920s and the present, she chooses key British films as case studies, examining the figures that arranged to have them exported and distributed, the relative successes of their distribution and marketing strategies, and critical and audience reception of the films. She argues that while British filmmakers have occasionally been able to break into the American market with no small amount of reward, they continue to face the same difficulties that they faced in the 1920s. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Transatlantic Crossings is the first major study of the distribution and exhibition of British films in the USA. Charting the cross-cultural reception of many British films, Sarah Street draws on a wide range of sources including studio records, film posters, press books and statistics. While the relative strength of Hollywood made it difficult for films that crossed the Atlantic, StreetÆs research demonstrates that some strategies were more successful than others. She considers which British films made an impact and analyzes conditions that facilitated a positive reception from critics, censors, exhibitors and audiences.Case studies include Nell Gwyn (1926), The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), The Ghost Goes West (1935), Henry V (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), Ealing comedies, The Horror of Dracula (1958), Tom Jones (1963), A Hard DayÆs Night (1964), Goldfinger (1964), The Remains of the Day (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Trainspotting (1996).Against a background of the economic history of the British and Hollywood film industries, Transatlantic Crossings considers the many fascinating questions surrounding the history of British films in the USA, their relevance to wider issues of Anglo-American relations and to notions of "Britishness" on screen.
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