Cinema is a powerful cultural medium, both reflecting and influencing society. The role of British cinema has been controversial--sometimes derided, but also vigorously celebrated, especially for specific films and film-makers. In this Very Short Introduction, Charles Barr considers cinema in Britain against the backdrop of changing artistic, socio-political, and industrial climates up to the present day. He traces how British cinema has developed...

An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination. This fleet and gripping early thriller from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, was the first film the director made after signing to the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation.

"The King's Speech" presents a sideways glance at a crucial period in 20th-century history--as the monumentally awkward Prince Albert, or Bertie, becomes King George VI unexpectedly in 1936 when his older brother Edward VIII abdicates to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. In imperial Britain between the wars, that was problem enough, but Bertie suffered from a chronic stammer that made his public appearances painful for everyone. In an age of...