British Social Realism: From Documentary to Brit Grit details and explores the rich tradition of social realism in British cinema from its beginnings in the documentary movement of the 1930s to its more stylistically-eclectic and generically-hybrid contemporary forms. Samantha Lay examines the movements, moments and cycles of British social realist texts through a detailed consideration of practice, politics, form, style and content, using case studies of key texts including Listen to Britain, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Letter to Brezhnev, and Nil By Mouth. The book considers the challenges for social realist film practice and production in Britain, now and in the future.

Samantha Lay is Senior Lecturer at Trinity and Allsaints College, University of Leeds.

2002
144 pages
978-1-903364-41-3    £12.99 (pbk)


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chapter sample
Introduction


reviews
‘A long-overdue introduction to the one of the most distinctive aspects of British cinema … it fills an important gap in the literature and will be of considerable interest to undergraduate readers anywhere that courses on British cinema are offered.’
Steve Chibnall, De Montfort University

‘Using case studies of key realist films, British Social Realism by Samantha Lay explores the enduring relationship that British cinema has had with social realism, while acknowledging and discussing the various forms and trends that this tradition has spawned … divided into six succinct and highly readable chapters – the final two covering the 70s, 80s and 90s, three decades where the disparate range of styles and ways of representing "life as it is" gave us diverse and brilliant works from the like of Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and more recently Gary Oldman and Lynn Ramsey – British Social Realism is without doubt the best introduction to this distinctive and fascinating genre that any film student could hope to read. A very welcome addition to Wallflower’s excellent Short Cuts series.
Film Ireland

‘Samantha Lay's comprehensive exploration of British social realist film – which also records its impact on British television – spans several discursive spheres of film politics. She begins with formations of realist film narrative and aesthetics, before considering audience reception and film distribution. The main chapters of the book trace the social agendas of the Griersonian documentary movement of the 1930s, assess the politics of 1950s and 1960s “Social Problem Film” and the “Kitchen Sink Drama”, and explore the social politics of 1970s realist narratives through to the impact of Thatcherism on British filmmaking. Finally, Lay discusses 1990s British social realist film (“Brit-Grit”) to reflect on the trends and politics in contemporary social realism and the future for these types of texts and for British cinema as a national institution … As a Wallflower Press Short Cuts series addition, British Social Realism: From Documentary to Brit-Grit is a comprehensive, thoughtful and thorough investigation into the details of the film theoretical and cultural discourses involved in social realist cinema. Lay's book reflects the critical areas and relevant texts necessary for a solid understanding of the politics of British social realism, and, in this respect, it is an important pedagogic resource. British Social Realism is a well-written, comprehensively researched, indispensable guide for the higher education student studying film, media and cultural studies. As an example of good writing, intelligent illustration and clear discussion of key ideas, this book is something of a rarity … As an intelligent and coherent over-view of the field, Lay's British Social Realism is an important starting point from which the new possibilities for British filmmaking in the twenty-first century can be further explored.’
Jonathan Wright, www.film-philosophy.com

‘Whatever your take on the films, they are key to understanding British cinema, and the book is a fine introduction.’
Empire

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