British Cinema: A Century on Screen
24 April 2027
10:00am-5:00pm
Rewley House 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA
Event status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
24 April 2027
Study Format:
In-person day/weekend
Fees:
£90.00
British Cinema has spread around the world, promoting British national values. But what makes a film ‘British’? In this course, we will explore how Britain represents itself to the world and to its own citizens. After a brief overview of aspects of British Twentieth Century history and culture, we will focus on four key themes.
Espionage has been a major themes of British storytelling since stories about pre-World War I anxiety and continued through Hitchcock thrillers, James Bond and le Carre.
World War I has been a central topic for British heritage and commemoration. We will explore films that popularised real missions to boy’s own adventures that treat the war as a playground of adventure.
The collapse of the British empire also provoked many cinematic responses reflecting directly and indirectly on British activities in the colonies. One, Lawrence of Arabia, is often held up as the greatest British film of all time, and inspired other epics like Gandhi.
Finally, Britain exports an idealised and romanticised version of itself to Hollywood and beyond. We will review the stories of Robin Hood, Mary Poppins, Four Weddings and Paddington to reflect on ‘British fantasia’.
Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 on 21 April 2027.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Accommodation
If you wish to stay with us before and/or after the event, please contact our Residential Centre for availability and discounted rates.
Call +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk
Our accommodationour accommodation at Rewley House in Wellington Square has been rated as 4-Star Campus Accommodation under Visit England. All bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished with tea/coffee making facilities, Freeview television, private bath/shower rooms and free WiFi. For more details see our accommodation information.
Recommended reading
No reading required. However, watching some British films will be an advantage.
Recommended films include the following:
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps (1935)
Dir. John Boulting, Brighton Rock (1948)
Dir. Carol Reed, The Third Man (1949)
Dir. Terence Young, From Russia with Love (1963)
Dir. David Lean and Noel Coward, In Which We Serve (1942)
Dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Dir. Michael Anderson, The Dam Busters (1955)
Dir. David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Dir. David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Dir. Cy Endfield, Zulu (1964)
Dir. Michael Curtiz, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Dir. Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins (1964)
Dir. Mike Newell, Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
The best academic book on British Cinema is Robert Murphy, The British Cinema Book 3rd Edition 2009)
Programme details
10am
Introduction to British Cinema
11.15am
Tea/coffee break
11.45am
British Espionage: From Hitchcock to James Bond
1pm
Lunch break
2pm
World War II and the British Empire Film
3.15pm
Tea/coffee break
3.45pm
British Fantasia: Selling Britain to the World
5pm
End of day
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Event fee (includes tea/coffee) | £90.00 |
| Baguette lunch | £7.90 |
| Hot lunch (two-course) | £22.40 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Payment
Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.
Dr Angus McFadzean – Tutor
Dr Angus McFadzean is the Programme Director of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults and teaches on international programmes at the Department for Continuing Education, specialising in British and American Literature and Film. He is the author of Suburban Fantastic Cinema: Growing Up in the Late Twentieth Century (Columbia University Press, 2019) and the co-editor of James Joyce’s Epiphanies: A Critical Edition, forthcoming from University Press of Florida (2024). He has published on James Joyce, Thomas Pynchon and Hollywood cinema and has taught widely on literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, specifically modernism and the works of Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf and WB Yeats.
Please use the ‘Book’ button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.
Image – By Trailer screenshot – Mary Poppins Trailer, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5389599
