The film business: a history of British cinema, 1896-1972. 0047910283

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English Pages [384] Year 1973

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The film business: a history of British cinema, 1896-1972.
0047910283

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Ernest Betts

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Ernest Betts began writing about films in the late 1920s, first in the avant garde magazine. Close Up, and in 1930 as film critic of the Week-end Review. Since then he has contri¬ buted to a wide range of journals and news¬ papers, from The Times to the popular Sundays. From 1931 -3 he was film critic of the Evening Standard and, as film and/or dramatic critic, continued writing for various London papers until 1946. When, in 1947, Lord Rank's senior producer, Filippo del Giudice, parted from the Rank organisation to set up Pilgrim Pictures, Betts joined him. In 1948 the company ceased pro¬ duction and he went to 20th Century-Fox as P.R.O. on the production side. Here he benefited from seeing at first hand the work of Jules Dassin, Jean Negulesco, Henry Hatha¬ way and others. In 1951 20th Century-Fox abandoned British production for a time and Betts joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, again as P.R.O., but in 1957 returned to free-lance journalism. In 1961 his book, inside Pictures, appeared. He was president of the Critics' Circle from 1968-9. In this book the author makes a factual survey of British films from their beginnings in 1896 to the present day. He offers character studies of the men who have built the film industry and made it what it is. He examines the financial and political background and shows how, while intending to encourage film production, it has often had exactly the opposite effect and inhibited its free development. Betts also attacks the manner in which the American film industry has taken over the British film industry and points to the failure of successive governments to save it from repeated crises and losses. Through these fluctuations the author keeps a firm eye on the film itself and brings the judgement of film critics past and present to bear on British cinema, as it moves uncertainly and not without its triumphs into the 1970s.

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