J. Arthur Rank and the British Film Industry

Presiding over the "golden era" of the British film industry from the mid to late 1940s, J. Arthur Rank financed such classic movies as "Oliver Twist, The Red Shoes, Brief Encounter, Caesar and Cleopatra, and "Black Narcissus
Having started out with relatively litle knowledge of the cinema, Rank's sponsorship brought about astounding progress within the industry. He invested millions in a radical new technique, "Independent Frame," commissioned newsreels and children's film, set up a "B" Feature training studio, and opened an animation department to rival Disney. By establishing an organization comparable in size to any of the major Hollywood studios, Rank briefly managed to reconcile and consolidate competing demands of "art" and "business."
"J. Arthur Rank and the British Film Industry charts every aspect of the robust film culture that Rank helped to create. It goes on to explain the eventual collapse of the Rank experiment amidst the economic and political maelstrom of post-war Britain, highlighting the problems still facing the industry today. Combining archival research with interviews with Rank's contemporaries and members of his family, this definitive study firmly restores Rank to his rightful place at the center of British film history.

List of contents

Introduction OF FLOUR AND FILM 1 ON THE WAY TO AN EMPIRE 2 WAR AND MONOPOLY 3 TILTING AT THE WORLD MARKET 4 RANK AND HIS PRODUCERS 5 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION From kids and cartoons to the Charm School 6 THE BOGART OR BACON DEBATE British cinema and society, 1946-50 7 ET; The entertainment tax 8 RETRENCHMENT AND ECONOMY Davis prunes 9 RANK AND THE 1950s The Xerox years

About the author

Geoffrey Macnab

Summary

Meshing archival research with interviews with Rank's contemporaries and family, this definitive study charts every aspect of the 1940s "golden era" of the British Film Industry that Rank helped to create.

Product details

• Authors: Geoffrey Macnab
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.04.1993
• EAN: 9780415072724
• ISBN: 978-0-415-07272-4
• No. of pages: 324
• Weight: 816 g
• Series: Cinema and Society
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > General, dictionaries; Biography: business & industry, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Business, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Entertainment, Films, cinema, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), Biography: business and industry, c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General, Film, TV and Radio industries, Cinema Industry, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)