The History Of The British Film 1929 1939 Volume Vi Films Of Comment And Persuasion Of The 1930s

This set is one of the cornerstones of film scholarship, and one of the most important works on twentieth century British culture. Published between 1948 and 1985, the volumes document all aspects of film making in Britain from its origins in 1896 to 1939. Rachael Low pioneered the interpretation of films in their context, arguing that to understand films it was necessary to establish their context. Her seven volumes are an object lesson in meticulous research, lucid analysis and accessible style, and have become the benchmark in film history.

This set is one of the cornerstones of film scholarship, and one of the most important works on twentieth century British culture. Published between 1948 and 1985, the volumes document all aspects of film making in Britain from its origins in 1896 to 1939. Rachael Low pioneered the interpretation of films in their context, arguing that to understand films it was necessary to establish their context. Her seven volumes are an object lesson in meticulous research, lucid analysis and accessible style, and have become the benchmark in film history.

Sinds de late jaren negentig is er een toenemende academische belangstelling voor zogenoemde 'gebruiksfilms'; films die bedoeld zijn om te informeren, te trainen of onderwijzen, of te overtuigen van het nut van een service of product. Onderzoek richtte zich tot nu toe in de meeste gevallen vooral op de productie- of distributiegeschiedenis van dergelijke films of hun pedagogische effect. Minder aandacht is er voor de tekstuele dimensie van deze films; de middelen die worden ingezet ter onderbouwing van hun informatieve, educatieve of commerciële argument. Intussen hebben 'gebruiksfilms' echter nog steeds het imago van een zeer 'formulair' genre. Eef Masson nuanceert dit beeld in haar boek en stelt een methodologie voor die de aandacht vestigt op de retorische diversiteit van deze films.

He was the son of a hereditary peer, one of the wealthiest men in Britain. His childhood was privileged; at Cambridge, he flourished. At the age of 21, he founded The Film Society, and became a pioneering standard-bearer for film as art. He was a collaborator of Alfred Hitchcock, rescuing The Lodger and later producing his ground-breaking British thrillers The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Secret Agent and Sabotage. He directed comedies from stories by H.G. Wells, worked in Hollywood with Eisenstein, and made documentaries in Spain during the Civil War. He lobbied for Trotsky to be granted asylum in the UK, and became a leading propagandist for the anti-fascist and Communist cause. Under the nose of MI5, who kept him under constant surveillance, he became a secret agent of the Comintern and a Soviet spy. He was a man of high intelligence and moral concern, yet he was blind to the atrocities of the Stalin regime. This is the remarkable story of Ivor Montagu, and of the burgeoning cinematic culture and left-wing politics of Britain between the wars. It is a story of restless energy, generosity of spirit, creative achievement and intellectual corruption.