4.2 - pop culture and entertainment Flashcards
(46 cards)
What did mass popular culture in Britain look like by the end of World War One?
There was a widespread audience, with cinema and football popular with working class.
Middle class and upper class people however looked on mass culture as vulgar as they thought themselves above it.
But by 1979 this has had changed
What did cinema look like from 1918 to 1939?
In 1920s cinema was very popular with working class stars such as Charlie Chaplin making acts popular on the big screen.
However in 1920 the British film industry came under pressure from Hollywood (American).
There was a shift as they used to watch adventures of British imperial heroes but now they were more likely to enjoy American films about Cowboys and gangsters.
In 1914, 1/4 of all films shown in Britian were by British companies, but in 1925, this had fallen to 5%.
What act did the British government pass to ensure there were more British films instead of American films?
In 1927 they passed the cinematograph films act which ensured that 7.5% of films shown had to be British and this rose to 20% in 1935.
In this year talkies which were filmed with spoken words were also first produced.
How did people’s views on cinema change after World War One through to the 1920s?
Right after World War One cinemas were seen as seedy and dirty however throughout the 1920s they became more respectful places to build with new elaborate picture palaces built to attract middle classes too.
What was cinema like in the 1930s?
Cinema ticket sales grew during the 1920s and also during the Great Depression.
By the 1930s eighteen to 19,000,000 cinema tickets were sold every week as it offered unemployed men and women opportunities for escapism from the mundane realities of unemployed life.
In Glasgow 80% of the city’s unemployed saw film once a week which showed how visiting the cinema had become an important way of people cheering themselves up in a time of deprivation.
Was cinema a popular medium of entertainment in 1930s?
It remained the most popular. Between1937 and 1939 cinema provided more than 50% of all tax revenues on entertainment.
In 1937 tax and cinema gave the government £5.6 million compared to only 470,000 poundscoming from football.
Did films and cinema reflect Social issues in the 1920s and 30s?
Most films were escapism and entertainment for their audiences so romances thrillers crimes and history pictures dominated.
However some films did have social commentary on everyday experiences in Britain such as the pleasure garden 1925 by Alfred Hitchcock.
How did the pleasure garden in 1925 and London love in 1926 portray woman/push their roles forward?
The pleasure garden was a silent movie about two chorus girls at the seaside show and they live independent of husbands or parents. It follows their journey as independent women to find love and happiness as they marry men but experience jealousy in relationships. This narrative reflected the changes that were taking place in the young lives of women.
London love showed an empowering female figure Sally hope who becomes a famous film star to raise money to pay legal fees for her fiancé. Shows how women were taking the lead more and more and helping men as well
What was cinema like during World War 2?
It was important to keep morale up. First there was a short lived attempt to close cinemas in case of bombing but popular demand kept them open as it kept people’s minds off their problems.
Despite war the British film industry produced over 500 films during the war years and most of them encourage patriotism such as Noel cowards in which we serve.
In 1940 let George do an actor smacked Hitler and it was alleged by mass observation to be the highest morale right raising boost of the entire war.
Cinema was also useful to promote ideas such as not to waste food during war era.
What changes starts to take place in cinema aftermath of World War 2 (1945-1979)?
Britain’s film industry produced popular comedies from the Ealing film studio. Ealing comedies explored the changing quality of life in Britain still struggling with the economic aftermath of the war.
What were Ealing comedies (with named examples)?
Earlier Ealing comedies reflected difficulties with post war in a comical way.
In 1947 hue and cry was a film about a group of school boys who thwart a criminal gang and was filmed amid the ruins of London. This dealt with the aftermath of the war (showed what life was like).
Another film that reflected the difficulties of post war austerity was passport to Pimlico. It told the story of residents of Pimlico, London who have a legal right to declare the district independent of Britain. They no longer have to face rationing restrictions . The film satirized the harsh economic conditions that Britain found itself in at the end of the war and also showed the popular dissatisfaction with post war rationing.
Later Ealing comedies examined other people’s lives such as in meet Mr. Lucifer, a television set that seemed to be cursed was passed from owner to owner. It was made in 1953, the same year that television ownership grew dramatically and in a humorous way discussed unspoken anxieties about how TV might change society.
Were spy films beginning to grow popular in the 1960s?
Yes, and they reflected a multitude of things.
Britain’s most successful film franchise was the James Bond movies that also reflected improving living standards of the 1960s. 007 enjoys expensive cars clothes drinks and travel and movie watchers enjoyed the economic boom of the early 1960s, and could almost relate to Bond films as exciting spy dramas but also as fantasies.
Another popular spy film was the ipcress file in 1965 where the hero is not a former public schoolboy like James Bond but actually a working class Londoner. The hero does not live a jet set lifestyle and resents his upper class bosses. The film represented popular ideas that were widespread in the 60s with a working class character responsible for the security of the nation, while also hating his upper class superiors.
How did a new generation of war films in the late 50s and early 60s reassure cinema goers about Britian’s war record?
In a time of economic decline and loss of world power status, this reminder of Britian’s war record was important as it reduce the sense of uncertainty British people had. As defeated nations like Germany and Japan started to become economically powerful again war films helped create positive memories from the war (victories).
Bridge on the river Kwai in 1957 showed an obsessive British officer captured with his men by the Japanese and cooperating with them to build a bridge in Thailand. The Japanese are thwarted at the end of the film (by the allies) and the bridge is blown up and the main British officer does die realizing his mistake. The tragic ending showed feelings by British people had about the war, that it perhaps had just been a noble but useless endeavor.
Other more patriotic films include the dam Busters in 1955 and sink the Bismarck in 1960.
How did a new wave of filmmaking called SOCIAL REALISM (1950s and 60s) produce dramas based on everyday experience of Britian’s working class?
Look back in anger in 1956 and a taste of honey in 1961 both told the stories of the passions desires and ambitions of everyday people.
The film Saturday night Sunday morning in 1960 showed a main protagonist of a working class man called Arthur Seaton. He is resentful of his class status and dreams of better things but is still materialistic and enjoys spending his weekly wages on smart clothes. This portrayal of a working class mod with more access to money and consumer products than his parents generation represented the experience of mass consumption for many new affluent working class people in Britain.
How did some films like Get Carter and A Clockwork Orange (both 1971) reflects changing quality of life and preventing darker visions of British society?
These films reflected the fears of rising crime in a permissive society.
In get Carter there is a gangster seeking revenge for the death of his brother. It was a more darker and pessimistic tone than the other crime dramas and a relaxation in film censorship meant that a kid includes scenes of prostitution and drug abuse. It portrayed Britain as a city and corrupted place and reflected popular concerns over the quality of life in the early 1970s.
Another dystopian vision of Britain was seen in a Clockwork Orange which was a vision of future Britain where gangs of violent young men kill and rape women for enjoyment. There were very violent graphic scenes that viewers found shocking. Violent crime had increased since the 60s and this film mirrored the popular anxieties about hooliganism and lawlessness in Britain. It was withdrawn from cinemas after several crimes including murder were blamed on the film.
Overall these darker visions of society reflected a fear of decline in the quality of life. However from most sounded of living did improve in the 70s.
How and why did cinema go into decline during the 1970s?
British cinema went into temporary decline with soft porn and comedy films such as Confessions of a window cleaner and TV spin offs such as on the buses more popular. Apart from James Bond movies there were few successful blockbusters and as funding drained the industry switched to either USA or working in TV.
Who was Ivor Novello (musician in 1918/1920’s) and how did he inspire a new era of music/recording artists?
Popular British music is a part of a longer tradition of popular entertainment.
The most successful recording artist in Britain is the 1920s Ivor Novello who wrote keep the home fires burning during WW1. it appealed to families who had loved ones stationed overseas and reflected the fears of wartime hardship.
Novella became famous instantly and his success was demonstrated to other entertainers after the war and draw more people to music.
He was paid £15,000 by his record company and continued to be a successful songwriter and movie star.
What was the impact of jazz and swing music (in the 1930’s/40’s)?
The 1930s saw the major introduction of American Music into Britain with the success of jazz and swing. There were 20,000 dance bands in Britain by 1930 demonstrating the immense popularity of the dance hall.
American Music continued to grow with British dance bands influenced by American jazz band leaders. American artists also came to Britain during World War 2 and the US army and Air Force broadcast jazz and swing music across the UK.
The BBC which had previously broadcast little music created the light programme in 1945 to broadcast entertainment and music (ran until 1967).
In the late 50s and early 60s how did American rock’n’roll music find a following in Britain?
American performers like Elvis Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry reinvented black Blues music and popularized it for youth audience.
A new homegrown style of rock’n’roll which was called skiffle was extremely popular. Lonnie Donegan one of the best selling British performer throughout the 50s performing skiffle.
New groups like The Beatles, the kinks and The Rolling Stones replace skiffle/American Blues with their own rock’n’roll sound.
From 1963 onwards invaded America making British pop music world famous.
Who were The Beatles and what was beatlemania?
The Beatles formed in 1957 and had their first success in 1963. Their single she loves you in 1964 sold 75000 thousand copies in under a month.
The four members of the group were greeted by screaming people tried to purchase their wigs and they were exhausted by the popularity they achieved so stopped wearing in 1966.
Their massive appeal was seen within the context of rising living standards as their music was cheerful optimistic pop which seemed to capture the times.
What was mod music which was popular in the 1960s?
A type of pop music which had close links with consumerism and fashion.
Bands like the kinks attracted working class fans who spent wages on acquiring the mod look (bright, pleated, patterned, (search up a picture).
Being able to buy these kind of clothes and accessories became popular as a subculture to the music itself.
By the 1970s music had started challenging ideas of gender identity, how was glam rock an example of this?
Glam rock stars like mark Bolan and David Bowie appear to be androgynous and made statements about their sexuality. It was fascinating to younger fans but shocking to older generations.
As teenagers had more greater leisure time they distinguished themselves from their parents. And increased wealth enabled some teenagers to assert their own identities that not would have been possible before
This is why some historians say that the rise of these glam rock stars was the result of improved living standards in Britain.
Who was David Bowie?
He found fame with space oddity in 1969 and created the alter ego Ziggy Stardust. He crossed dressed and alien Messiah with camp mannerisms in his hair and makeup. He brought a mass audience because his of his rejection of male heterosexuality and he became one of the most influential recording artists.
What was the rise of reggae music paired with mass immigration from the Caribbean?
In the 1950s immigrants from the Caribbean brought new sounds of Jamaica.
Traditional calypso developed into reggae and by 1969 main record labels imported reggae records.
The Israelites in 1969 was the first reggae song to hit the number one spot in the charts and this showed how the appeal of reggae had crossed from small black audiences into larger white ones
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