The Age of the Dream Palace: Cinema and Society in Britain 1930-1939

Cinema and Society

by Jeffrey Richards

Jeffrey Richards examines the role of cinema in pre-war Britain, and looks at a range of contemporary attitudes to film. Particular reference is made to censorship and the 'star system'. This book should be of interest to students and lecturers of film and cultural studies, social historians and film buffs.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Film, British Literature

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Jeffrey Richards is Professor of Cultural History at Lancaster University.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though overshadowed by the colossus that was Hollywood in its golden age, during the 1930s British moviemakers thrived and produced quite a number of works of merit. Jeffery Richards's book offers a broad overview of the film industry, one that encompasses production, distribution, and reception of the works it produced. To do so he divides his book into four parts, examining in turn the filmmakers themselves, the censorship constraints they faced, some of the key stars of the decade, and the defining genres of films they produced. From this emerges a portrayal of a industry struggling to overcome a number of economic and political constraints to produce films that were, at their best, every bit as good as the ones made by the large studios in America. While Richards's biases can occasionally distort his analysis, overall his book offers an excellent survey of its subject, one that should be read by anyone interested in British cinema or Britain in the 1930s.