British Comedy Cinema

British comedy cinema has been a mainstay of domestic production since the beginning of the last Century and arguably the most popular and important genre in British film history. This edited volume will offer the first comprehensive account of the rich and popular history of British comedy cinema from silent slapstick and satire to contemporary romantic comedy. Using a loosely chronological approach, essays cover successive decades of the 20thand 21stCentury with a combination of case studies on key personalities, production cycles and studio output along with fresh approaches to issues of class and gender representation. It will present new research on familiar comedy cycles such as the Ealing Comedies and Carry On films as well as the largely undocumented silent period along with the rise of television spin offs from the 1970s and the development of animated comedy from 1915 to the present. Films covered include: St Trinians, A Fish Called Wanda, Brassed Off, Local Hero, The Full Monty, Four Lions and In the Loop. Individual chapters will be written by major historians and commentators on British Cinema to offer a diverse range of voices and approaches, but the volume will be organized into a coherent and unified whole through the decade by decade structure. In keeping with the series format, the Introduction will offer the reader an overview of the book "s scope and objectives. The book will embrace both formal aspects of British comedy and the study of individual films, along with contextual approaches associated with the New Film History that place the films in historical, cultural and sociological contexts. Contributors:Melanie Bell, Alan Burton, James Chapman, Richard Dacre, Ian Hunter, James Leggott, Sharon Lockyer, Andy Medhurst, Lawrence Napper, Tim O "Sullivan, Laraine Porter, Justin Smith, Sarah Street, Peter Waymark, Paul Wells