The British 'B' Film

by Steve Chibnall, Brian McFarlane

This is the first book to provide a thorough examination of the British 'B' movie, from the war years to the 1960s. The authors draw on archival research, contemporary trade papers and interviews with key 'B' filmmakers to map the 'B' movie phenomenon both as artefact and as industry product, and as a reflection on their times.

Genres: Film

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2009

Reviews

[Anthony McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable study of the numerous 'B' films produced by major and minor British film studios.

Fascinating and informative film history on a subject that doesn't get discussed enough. Also a rich resource guide for both historians and those who just want to know more about those obscure films that get buried away on late night television or pop up (gratefully appreciated) on DVD collections and streaming services nowadays. Or for those older folk who may recall the supporting feature (and quite often the better and more interesting of the two) that accompanied the star attraction in the good old days of cinema going.

Both authors are experts in the field. McFarlane is author of the essential 'The Encyclopedia of British Film'. (He is also a fellow Melbournian!)

This authoritative book traces the story of 'B' film production in Britain, from World War II to the late 196os, "providing a fresh perspective on the 'B' movie phenomenon, both as artefact and as industry product, as well as highlighting what such films tell us about the changing times in which they were made."

Sections include: The B's at War; The Rise and Fall of the B's; The 'B' Factories: Companies, Studios and Producers; comprehensive reviews of The Best of the B's; and studies of the directors, writers, actors, etc. associated with these second features.

With scores of rarely seen stills and lobby cards.
Note: correct listing of pages is 356.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite amazing that a little improbable but highly watchable
comedy thriller called "Dilemma" (1963) only had a regional
release because it wasn't thought good enough for a proper
British release. The story is told in this book about the
high hopes it initially instilled in everyone connected with
it until the story was read - it featured a mild suburban
housewife who is exposed as a ruthless drug dealer (I've seen
it and it sort of works!!) Clive Donner was almost signed on
as director and it eventually closed A.C.T. Films!!
A follow up to "Quota Quickies" this book charts the rise and
fall of the British B movie from 1940 to 1965. As happened in
the Australian film industry in the '70s and '80s, in the
British industry in the late 1930s and early '40s Hollywood
stars (usually trying to kickstart their failing careers) were
thought to be a big boost to the British industry - so you had
Phyllis Brooks in "The Flying Squad" and Paul Robeson in "The
Proud Valley". During the war documentaries really became a
staple and achieved high class production levels, in fact there
was a huge push to substitute documentaries for the low grade
featurette, which at 45 minutes must have been similar to Hal
Roach's "streamliners". Among the various documentaries detailed
are a series of Armand and Michaela Denis On Safari tours. I
can vividly remember them as a staple of 1950s Australian TV.
Like Australia, Britain updated it's quota system after the war
with heavy fines for cinemas that tried to find loopholes but
the fines didn't worry them as cinema after cinema was hauled
into court, many of them from the north where patrons demanded
American westerns and knockabout comedies - even being forced
to show something called "Strong is the Seed", an Australian movie
(in keeping with the Commonwealth quota) - a movie that sounds
unbelievably boring about finding a cure for wheat fungus!!!
This book lists everything you ever wanted to know about the
British B film with chapters like "The B Factories" with detailed
articles about every studio from Exclusive/Hammer who pioneered
the bringing over of American stars, Tempean who tried to give
all their productions a quality touch ("No Trace" reminds me of
the Claude Rains film "The Unsuspected" and "Blackout" about a
blind man who accidentally stumbles into the wrong house and a
brutal murder) to Danzigers, a pair of American brothers who were
only interested in the bottom line and whose studio became synonymous
with everything cheap and nasty!! Christopher Lee tells a story of
how he had to use bullying tactics to get them to hand over his
pay - which was only 50 quid!!) Brian Clemens also began his screen
writing career with the Danzigers and recalled them fondly.
"Behind the Scenes" zooms in on individual directors - Lance
Comfort ("Tomorrow at Ten"), another one called "Bang, You're Dead"
(1954) which sounds very like an Alfred Hitchcock episode of 6
years later!!
There's a chapter on the players - I like the description of
Peter Reynolds always playing "the unreliable boyfriend who is
always on hand to light a lady's cigarette". Jane Hylton is given
a special mention as an actress who gave dimension to her often
bland parts and Susan Shaw who was so gritty in "It Always Rains
on Sundays" but never really caught on in the As and so in the
1950s found herself in undemanding Bs. Musicals didn't really
find a place in British Bs until the arrival of rock and roll
gave up and coming directors ie Michael Winner ("Climb Up the
Wall") and Dick Lester ("It's Trad, Dad") a chance to shine.
The last chapter is devoted to 15 films the authors feel achieve
excellence although they say many more could be included - the
few I have seen I can recommend thoroughly. "The Late Edwina
Black" based on a current West End hit provides the under rated
Geraldine Fitzgerald with a terrific part, as companion to the
late Edwina Black who is found to have died of poison - suddenly
the few people in the house are pitted against each other - who
is the murderer?? It drew on a mixture of noir, classic detective
and gothic horror. "The Tell Tale Heart" based on an Edgar Allen
Poe story, screen play by Brian Clemens, this brings eroticism
to the classic story and must have been influenced by "Peeping
Tom" of the same year. "Cash on Demand" is just a super film
about a despotic bank manager (Peter Cushing) who is duped by a
suave criminal (who gives him a lesson in humility) posing as
a security investigator.