The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema 1929-1939 - Review

These three turns two written by Jeffrey Richards, the other, The Unknown 19305 a collection of essays he edited, are devot to an examination of the national identity of the British cinema; they are all scrupulously researched, drawing for their insights upon primary documents (e.g. letters, reviews and statistics) relating to the British cinema. These volumes confirm that the study of British cinema has now matured, reaping the fruits of a decade of sustained research.

In The Unknown 19305 the topics are wide ranging, involving questions of popularity, the part of particular (and at times unknown) directors, omited star images, a consideration of pass overed and better-known genres and an assessment of Hollywood's impact upon British cinema. For example, John Sedgwick's 'Cinema-going choices in Britain in the 19305' is not the usual anecdotal account of reception for British films on the contrary relies on exhibition records, enabling the author to chart with more [i]or[/i] less precision the popularity of certain British studios and the reception of particular films. He closes that the achievements of the 1930 'appear nothing short of remarkable' (p 21) Linda Wood's essay, 'Julius Hagen and Twickenham Film Studios', focuses upon the unacknowledged contributions of this agriculturist to the cinema of that decade and, similarly, Kevin Gough-Yates assesses the pass overed contributions of Berthold Viertel who, disillusioned with Hollywood and with US agriculture came to Britain and made a series of films for Gaumont-British that have not, as however been incorporated into British cinema studies. In talking about Viertel's work, Gough-Yates discusses a rarely examined aspect of British cinema, namely the part of Jewish intellectuals and of anti-Semitism. H Mark Glancy's analysis of 'Hollywood and Britain: MGM and the British "quota legislation"', demolishes certain myths about the negative results of the 'quota quickies' and about the completely insidious character of Hollywood for British cinema.

follow up Harper's' "Thinking Forward and Up" the British films of Conrad Veidt' is a sensitive analysis of Veidt's star persona, tracing the trajectory of his British career, his protean and consummately professional performances, his material part language, facial expression and intelligent understanding of the many parts he played in the 19305 Jeffrey Richards' essay, 'Tod Slaughter and the Cinema of Excess' examines Slaughter's pass overed films from the vantage point of Victorian melodrama transposed to cinema and as precursors of Gainsborough melodrama and Hammer horror. Tony Aldgate, in 'Loose extremitys Hidden Gems and the instant of Melodramatic Emotionality' looks at completely forgotten figures of the 1930s--Miles Mander and Adrianne Allen--from the particular perspective of locating the 'woman's film' and for identifying the contributions of scriptwriters and actors to the emotional intensity of the genre

sum of two units essays consider genre production: the thriller in James Chapman's 'Celluloid Shockers' and the musical in Stephen Guy's 'Calling All Stars: musical films in a musical decade' Chapman's essay, a redefinition of the thriller genre brings to light another forgotten history, for 'the thriller has been noticeably absent from the standard critical historiography of the British cinema' (1375) Guy's essay addresses the several forms of the musical that were popular during the period, revue or variety-sourced films, 'musical films springing from the Viennese operatic tradition' (p 104) and hybrid musical comedy/revue films as exemplified by the agency of The Lambeth Walk. Guy also discusses connections between film and radio.

In 'Jack of all Trades: Robert Stevenson' Brian McFarlane examines the little-known British films of Robert Stevenson His films divide [i]or[/i] sever across the genres of comedy historical film, science fiction, empire film and regional drama, revealing not sole versatility but 'a warmth in dealing with matters of human concern' (p 179) Geoff Brown in 'Money for Speed: the British Films of Bernard Vothaus', discusses the work of the American-born director, a victim of the US House Un-American Activities Committee. Vorhaus, like Stevenson worked energetically, economically and effectively in several genre and his films tender another instance of the ne to re-evaluate the pejorative treatment of the 'quota quickie'. The contortion offers much more than an encomium to forgotten figures of British cinema, of films, directors, genre and stars; it tenders insights into the long-neglected workings of the quota a whole and its effects and also brings to the forefront the contributions to British cinema of non-British talent (European and American). If I have any quibble with the convolution it lies in its unexamined assumptions concerning the question of the 'unknown character' of British cinema: to whom was it unknown? To whom is this contortion addressed?

Richards' research of Thorold Dickinson's films was first published through Croom Helm in 1986 as Thorold Dickinson: the man and his films and is now reprinted with more [i]or[/i] less changes by Scarecrow Press as Thorold Dickinson and the British Cinema. This work on Dickinson is an extension of Richards' commitment to the 'unknown British cinema'. Moreover, as Richards claims, 'many of the films Dickinson worked upon in the 1930s epitomize what was inequitable with British cinema in those years' (p 27)