230474 The New British Cinema: Stephen Frears, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh (S) (SoSe 2017)

After the long dominance of US-American film in Britain in the post-WWII era and especially in the 1970s, the 1980s and 90s saw a marked increase in films made by British directors and screenwriters who began tackling the social, cultural and political issues that Britain was facing at the time: the situation of the working classes, the effects of the Thatcherite mentality, racism, and the like. Though the "New British Cinema" was never a single, monolithic movement, the films of Stephen Frears, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh are good examples for the new awareness in the cultural scene that Britain needed a cinema of her own. What is more, the development of the works of these filmmakers after the 1980s is representative of some more general trends in UK film production.

In this seminar, we will view, analyse, interpret and discuss a selection of films from these three directors. (A detailed programme will be made availalbe once the semester has started. We will also acquaint ourselves with the categories of film analysis and practice their application.

Note that for a "Studienleistung" every student will have to participate in a work group guiding the rest of the course through an informed viewing, AND view one film in addition to the ones we discuss communally in class, and present a report on it. The aim is to combine in-depth analysis and interpretation with a general overview of British film production in the last three decades.

There will be a preparatory meeting in the summer semester (date to be announced), followed by four full days of "Blockseminar" after the end of the lecturing period.