Cuts Kill off British Film

Lance

Actually looking back to the late 50's we had Ealing Comedies, Carry On's , Bond, Hammer etc that all made loads of money worldwide but nothing like them for some time.

A._Badger

StevieJ wrote: »

Interesting that the most popular soaps in the UK are British made

And, with the exception of the BBC's one, privately funded. No subsidies required to keep the luvvies in Moet.

A._Badger

FTBFun wrote: »

Probably because righties don't do arty things particulary well.

How would we know? It's an uphill struggle being anywhere to the right of Trotsky in the UK arts.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/damianthompson/100045190/james-macmillan-admits-he-voted-tory-scottish-hack-recoils-as-if-hed-denied-the-holocaust-this-is-why-scotland-is-stuffed/

A._Badger

tincans wrote: »

You haven't actually seem any of these films have you ?

Do you mean watched or endured?

tincans wrote: »

For every Mike Leigh there is a vehicle starring Danny Dyer or some wannabe gangster which even the most fervant "reds under the bed" seeker, would struggle to pigeon hole as liberal / leftist.

Sheer twaddle. The overwhelming output of the subsidised performing arts in the UK is Left of centre - particularly where the commissioning and performance of new material is concerned. If you're trying to pretend otherwise then, frankly, you're just not telling the truth.

It's no accident, after all, that you leap to its defence, If it were politically balanced you wouldn't be anything like so keen, would you?

22225

i ca't help liking danny dyer. i think he's quite attractive.
not v insightful, sorry

new_home_owner_3

StevieJ wrote: »

Interesting that the most popular soaps in the UK are British made

remember this soap it was filmed in spain and it was british made, it was shocking.



Danny dyer is okay but the way he acts in his documentrys, he his still acting the hardman, when in reality he isnt.

Kes was a great film

tincans

A._Badger wrote: »

Do you mean watched or endured?

I'll take it thats a no then.

A._Badger wrote: »

Sheer twaddle. The overwhelming output of the subsidised performing arts in the UK is Left of centre - particularly where the commissioning and performance of new material is concerned. If you're trying to pretend otherwise then, frankly, you're just not telling the truth.

It's no accident, after all, that you leap to its defence, If it were politically balanced you wouldn't be anything like so keen, would you?

You started with the premise that all state sponsored arts was left wing and liberal. You have now reduced that to new material.

Depsite your obvious bias, if you look at which companies actually get the most public funding (I include lottery), it is the traditional large companies, whether it is orchestras, theatre, ballet or opera companies. The majority of their output is what I would describe as fairly safe productions of 'classic' aimed squarely at the middle class (as by and large this is what gets the audiences).
You would struggle to see political meaning (in your blinkered sense) in any of the output of the UK orchestras or Opera companies. (Although I bet you are seething when you see a Russian conductor appointed )

You are probably right in that much new comissions are liberal, certainly they are metropolitan, is this because of commisoners bias, or the fact that most people in the arts are on the liberal side of the spectrum.

Can you give me any examples though of left wing performing arts that you have actually seen (or endured) over the last 2 months ?

There is a reasonable debate to be had about how much the state should fund the arts (amongst plenty of other things). To reduce everything to "its liberal - cut it", seems to me, well, a bit pathetic.

tincans

A._Badger wrote: »

How would we know? It's an uphill struggle being anywhere to the right of Trotsky in the UK arts.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/damianthompson/100045190/james-macmillan-admits-he-voted-tory-scottish-hack-recoils-as-if-hed-denied-the-holocaust-this-is-why-scotland-is-stuffed/

Seems to be struggling along ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_MacMillan_%28composer%29

Composer and conductor with BBC Phil.
Honorary patron LCO
recent Royal Opera house and LSO commisions.



ps how can you take any Telegraph blog seriously which suggests that membership of the Labour party and Catholicsm are mutual exlusive in Scotland.

ruggedtoast

I think the point of government funding films, where we end up with things like the Mike Leigh canon, is that they give a voice to people who are voiceless, and arent usually represented either in film or anywhere else.

However in many ways this seems to have turned into a somewhat close minded fixation on a certain aspect of the British working class.

Films like Kes, Rita and Sue and Bob too, Educating Rita, Nil by Mouth, The Full Monty, Shirley Valentine are in a sense branches off of the same tree. Theyve all explored aspects of Working Class culture in some way, and are redolent of how our society continues to be fractured along class lines.

However somewhere along the line its been decided that you can make any grim !!!!!! about the working class and it will get funded and distributed somewhere.

Conrad

Angelic wrote: »

Mike Leigh and Ken Loach have made some beautiful films and I suppose some are difficult to watch if you prefer light popcorn entertainment with happy endings but surely there should be room enough for both?

I very much like heavyweight stuff, but thier content is patronising and highly neave, in that classic middle class 1970's Liberal mode.

I'm deadly serious when I say Ali G illuminates infinitely more detailed and forensic insights than those 2 out of touch luvvies.