1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910796838203321

Autore

Macnab Geoffrey <1965->

Titolo

Stairways to heaven : rebuilding the British film industry / / Geoffrey Macnab ; foreword by David Puttnam

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London, England : , : I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd, , 2018

London, England : , : Bloomsbury Publishing, , 2019

ISBN

1-350-98818-9

1-78673-409-5

1-78672-409-X

Edizione

[First edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (302 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

791.43/0941

Soggetti

Motion picture industry - Great Britain - History - 20th century

Motion picture industry - Great Britain - History - 21st century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-320) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction: the Downing Street Summit -- Back to the 1980s -- The video revolution -- PolyGram forever -- The working title magic -- The great British lotto bonanza -- The life and death of the film council -- Potter gold -- The name is still bound -- An uneasy partnership: British film and TV -- A taxing business -- Flying the flag: marketing Britain on screen -- Stepping up.

Sommario/riassunto

What has brought about the transformation of the British film industry over the last few decades, to the beginnings of what is arguably a new golden era? In the mid-1980s the industry was in a parlous state. The number of films produced in the UK was tiny. Cinema attendance had dipped to an all-time low, cinema buildings were in a state of disrepair and home video had yet to flourish. Since then, while many business challenges - especially for independent producers and distributors - remain, the industry overall has developed beyond recognition. In recent years, as British films have won Oscars, Cannes Palms and Venice Golden Lions, releases such as Love Actually, Billy Elliot, Skyfall, Paddington and the Harry Potter series have found enormous commercial as well as critical success. The UK industry has encouraged, and benefitted from, a huge amount of inward investment, much of it



from the Hollywood studios, but also from the National Lottery via the UK Film Council and BFI. This book portrays the visionaries and officials who were at the helm as a digital media revolution began to reshape the industry. Through vivid accounts based on first-hand interviews of what was happening behind the scenes, film commentator and critic Geoffrey Macnab provides in-depth analysis of how and why the British film industry has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.