British Cinema and a Divided Nation

"This thoughtful and thought-provoking study of contemporary British film situates its case studies firmly within their social, political, historical and cultural contexts, reading them collectively as expressive of a fractured national psyche. Whether mobilising the past or exploring the present, dealing with conflict or community, the films discussed in this book, ranging from wartime biopics to costume drama, art cinema to social realism, are compellingly presented as an especially incisive way of accessing and understanding the state of the nation." Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia British Cinema and a Divided Nation examines representations of the nation found within contemporary British cinema, against a backdrop of rising political tensions and deepening social divisions following the 'Brexit' referendum of June 2016. Exploring ways in which the contest of ideologies within media representations has played out post-2016, the book identifies divisions within society that have been given narrative shape and cultural form within recent British films. With case studies of major films such as Mary Queen of Scots, Peterloo, Darkest Hour, Sorry We Missed You and Downton Abbey, this book questions whether we are seeing the negotiation of a new relationship with the wider world, or simply a re-iteration of a long-standing British, or English, understanding of national identity. John White is author of The Contemporary Western: An American Genre Post-9/11 (EUP, 2019), European Art Cinema (Routledge, 2017) and Westerns (Routledge, 2011). He is co-editor of The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films (2015).